About Us
The IRNCM Working Group brings together international experts in compassionate midwifery to shape strategy, strengthen evidence, and guide the network’s research, advocacy, and policy voice. They support collaboration, advise on implementation, and help translate evidence into practical action that improves maternal and newborn care worldwide.
Dr. Diane Menage
RN, DPSN, BSc (Hons), MBA, RM
Lecturer, De Montford University, Leicester, UK
Diane practised clinically in hospital settings, community midwifery and independent practice before focussing on midwifery education.
She completed her PhD research on Women’s Lived Experience of Compassionate Midwifery at Coventry University (UK) in 2018. She has written extensively on compassion in midwifery as well as other aspects of midwifery care and education.
Dr. Carina Vedeler
PhD
Associate Professor, University of South-Eastern Norway, Norway
Carina is an associate professor at the University of South-Eastern Norway (USN), researching compassionate maternity and childbirth care. Her work highlights women’s experiences, equity, and the ways kindness and respect improve outcomes.
Samantha Krause
Researcher
Lecturer, North-West University, Potchefstroom, South Africa
Sam is a midwife, nurse educator, and member of the International Research Network for Compassionate Midwifery (IRNCM). She teaches on the one-year Diploma in Midwifery programme and serves as Vice Secretary for the Provincial Society of Midwives of South Africa.
Her Master’s research explored compassionate care through the voices of midwives, and this work continues to shape her approach to teaching, leadership, and supporting others within the demanding and rewarding field of midwifery.
Dr. Patronella Lunda
MNSc, B'Cur, RM, RN, PhD
Lecturer, North-West University, Potchefstroom, South Africa
Patronella has a decade of hands-on experience as a practicing midwife and 12 years in nursing education, and is deeply passionate about midwifery teaching and research.
For her Master of Nursing Science degree, Patronella explored continuous support during childbirth based on women’s experiences. Her PhD research, grounded in a critical theory lens, focused on respectful maternity care, emphasising women’s childbearing rights. She has also published on continuous support during childbirth, contributing to the evidence base for woman-centred care.
Dr. Kenyonyozi Rubagumya
MSN (Midwifery)
Midwifery Educator, Mountains of the Moon University, Uganda
Kenyonyozi Rubagumya, MSN (Midwifery), is a midwifery educator at Mountains of the Moon University in Fort Portal, Uganda, where she has served for the past ten years. In this role, she teaches undergraduate midwifery students through classroom instruction, clinical education, research supervision, and community-based midwifery activities.
Her research explored mothers’ perceptions and experiences of compassionate midwifery care during labour, providing valuable insight into the care and support women need during childbirth.
Tracy La Penna
BSc, MSc, PMA
Lecturer, Northampton University, UK
Tracy is a registered midwife with significant experience in both community and acute settings. Tracy studied Midwifery at the University of Bradford, later obtaining an MSc in Specialist Community Public Health Nursing (Health Visiting) awarded from the University of Northampton.
She has a special interest in Infant and Family mental health and wellbeing and is a qualified professional midwifery/nurse advocate, with over 2 years’ experience providing restorative supervision to staff.
Indie Luna
BA Hons (Cantab), MA, BSc (Hons), RM
Doctoral Researcher, LSHTM, London, UK
Indie is a medical anthropologist and clinical midwife with close to a decade's experience in designing and implementing maternal and neonatal healthcare delivery programmes in low-resource, rural communities, largely in Ethiopia. She is also a published author and has spoken widely on podcasts and at conferences about her work.
She is now undertaking her doctoral reserach at LSHTM, using ethnography and qualitative methods to investigate the cultural conceputalisation of compassion, and how it interacts with faith, language, and wider structural influences.
Jo Andrews
BSc, MSc, RM
Lecturer, Fatima College, Abu Dhabi, UAE
Jo is a part-time PhD student researching women’s experiences of compassionate maternity care in the context of female genital mutilation (FGM), an area about which she is deeply passionate. Her work focuses on amplifying women’s voices and exploring how compassionate care can positively shape their maternity journey.
Alongside her doctoral studies, she serves as a Senior Instructor of Midwifery at Fatima College of Health Sciences in Abu Dhabi, where she is committed to supporting and inspiring the next generation of midwives.
Tara Pauley
BSc (Hons), RM
Bedfordshire NHS Trust
Tara has served as a Head of Midwifery for almost five years and is currently a doctoral student researching midwives’ experiences of incivility.
She is inspired to be part of an international network committed to improving maternity services through a strong focus on compassionate care.
Kirsty Balding
BSc (Hons)
Midwifery Lecturer, University of Notre Dame
Kirstie Balding is a midwife with more than 25 years of experience. Originally from the United Kingdom, she now lives and works in Western Australia, where she is a midwifery academic at the University of Notre Dame Australia.
Her PhD research explored emotional intelligence and its significance in midwifery practice, highlighting how compassion, empathy, situational awareness, and intuition underpin high-quality midwifery care.