About Us
Researchers + Clinicians
Parents
A message from the directors:
As we reach the midpoint of 2025, it’s a great time to reflect on what we’ve achieved so far and share what’s ahead.
The year began with strong momentum across our research streams, new publications, productive workshops, strengthened collaborations, and promising insights across projects. Our commitment to reducing stillbirth through evidence, innovation, and respectful partnerships remains at the heart of everything we do.
It was fantastic to see many of you at the 2025 PSANZ Congress earlier this year, and we were proud to share a number of presentations highlighting the impactful work of our team. We also hosted a well-attended IMPROVE workshop, and a pre-congress workshop, ‘Connecting care for families after perinatal loss’, which focused on best practice bereavement care. This event helped inform our recent national grant submission to develop a Perinatal Loss Care Pathway aimed at reducing care inequities and improving support for families following perinatal loss. Led by early career researcher Dr Siobhan Loughnan, the Perinatal Loss Care Pathway brings together health departments, national bodies, and parent advocacy groups in a strong, collaborative effort aligned with the National Stillbirth Action Plan. Thank you to everyone who contributed to and supported this submission – a truly collaborative achievement. We look forward to a positive outcome.
In South Australia, a Select Committee into Stillbirth was established to examine best practice in stillbirth prevention and education. The Stillbirth CRE, alongside our Bereaved Parent Advocacy Committee, PSANZ and Stillbirth Foundation Australia, submitted evidence-based recommendations, now publicly available on via the SA Parliament website and our website contributing to the ongoing dialogue aimed at reducing stillbirth rates and improving care for families.
Internationally, we are continuing to strengthen partnerships through our involvement with the International Stillbirth Alliance (ISA) and with the University of Utah Stillbirth Center of Excellence – further extending the impact of our research and knowledge exchange globally.
Another priority this year is strengthening parent engagement. The Bereaved Parent Advocacy Committee (BPAC) continues to play an essential role in guiding our work, and we look forward to building on this through the upcoming pre-Waves of Change workshop.
Looking ahead, we are excited to host our annual Waves of Change conference in Brisbane, with this year’s theme focusing on birth and perinatal care. The event combines our Annual National Stillbirth Forum, the QLD Maternal Fetal Medicine Symposium and the International Stillbirth Alliance Western-Pacific regional meeting.
We know our work is only possible because of the passion, dedication, and contributions of so many – our researchers, partners, families, and broader community. Thank you for being with us on this journey.
Warm regards,
Professor Vicki Flenady and Professor David Ellwood
Co-directors
You’re invited to the Waves of Change 2025: Birth and Perinatal Care conference.
The conference will be held 8 – 9 August 2025 at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre.
Be part of the two day event featuring over 20 world-leading clinicians and researchers sharing the latest evidence, innovations, and future directions in maternity, perinatal, and neonatal care. Gain practical, evidence-based insights from leaders shaping the future of clinical practice.
This must attend event brings together the Annual National Stillbirth Forum, the QLD Maternal Fetal Medicine Symposium and the International Stillbirth Alliance Western-Pacific regional meeting.
Help shape the future of perinatal palliative care education
We’re inviting parents whose newborn baby received perinatal palliative care, and healthcare professionals, to share their experiences in a 30–60 minute interview.
Your insights will enhance the national IMPROVE (Improving Perinatal Mortality Review and Outcomes Via Education) program, with a stronger focus on perinatal palliative care.
Together, we can ensure future care is shaped by the voices of bereaved families and their care teams.
New AIHW data highlights importance of stillbirth prevention efforts
Earlier this year, the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) released updated national data on stillbirth and neonatal death rates. While Australia remains one of the safest places in the world to give birth, the report shows a slight increase in the stillbirth rate in 2022 – from 7.2 to 8 per 1,000 births.
These data highlight the importance of continuing efforts to prevent stillbirth and improve outcomes for families. The Stillbirth CRE remains committed to working with clinicians, researchers, and bereaved parents to reduce stillbirth rates through evidence-based strategies and collaborative action.
Programs like the Safer Baby Bundle play a vital role in driving national change by supporting maternity services to implement key prevention initiatives.
SROI Evaluation of the STAR Clinic
We are pleased to share the findings of a new Social Return on Investment (SROI) evaluation of the STAR (Stillbirth and Reproductive Loss) Clinic at Mercy Hospital for Women, developed in partnership with Stillbirth Foundation Australia.
The results are compelling: in 2022, every $1 invested in the clinic generated $10.70 in social value – equating to $3.1 million in measurable benefits for bereaved families and the broader health system.
The clinic’s trauma-informed, multidisciplinary care supports parents navigating pregnancy after loss, reducing stillbirth risk, improving mental health, and easing pressure on healthcare services.
This evaluation highlights the value of a dedicated pregnancy after loss clinic in a tertiary setting, and aims to contribute to the development of a best practice model of care and more dedicated clinics across Australia leading to optimal outcomes for women, babies, and families.
Artist Acknowledgement
We thank Hannah Fitzpatrick—a bereaved mother, midwife, and member of the Stillbirth CRE’s Bereaved Parent Advocacy Committee—for creating the title page and artwork featured in this report. Hannah is the founder of Olive & Kin, which offers handmade, custom urns at no cost to families experiencing pregnancy and infant loss. For this project, she painted a ginkgo leaf in watercolour—a symbol of duality—capturing the interwoven nature of grief and hope in pregnancy after loss.
Growing a Healthy Baby – Mater Health Case Study
Culturally adapted resources make a meaningful impact in maternity care
Over the past two years, the Stillbirth CRE’s Migrant and Refugee Health team, lead by Dr Miranda Davies-Tuck, has been working with a network of community groups and healthcare educators from the Multicultural Centre for Women’s Health and the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute to develop and translate these in-language resources. These culturally adapted resources are designed for use in healthcare settings to help support safer pregnancies.
Distributed to Mater Mothers’ Hospital’s antenatal clinic earlier this year, the materials help clinicians provide more inclusive, patient-centred care.
Clinical midwife Jacqui Freeman, who leads the refugee pregnancy health service at the Mater Mother’s antenatal clinic, says the printed resources have become a valuable tool in her daily practice.
“Having printed resources has been much more useful than sharing online links,” Freeman said. “In the waiting room, people are just sitting there – it’s visual, it’s accessible, and people actually pick them up, especially when it’s in their own language.”
Farsi, Dari, Arabic, and Somali are the common spoken languages in the clinic, and seeing patients engage with materials in their own languages has felt powerful.
“It makes them feel seen and respected. It’s not just all in English – we’ve gone out of our way, and that matters.”
These brochures also reinforce the education provided during appointments. Around the 28-week mark, Freeman often uses the resources as visual aids during conversations about sleep, nutrition, and other key topics.
“Even though we discuss the same things in person, it helps to have something they can take home and refer back to.”
For Freeman, the real value lies in the simplicity and clarity of the booklets.
“One small booklet with everything in one place is so much better than handing out a stack of random leaflets. It’s clear, culturally safe, and easy to engage with.”
While patients may not give direct feedback, the fact that they’re picking up and reading the brochures speaks volumes.
As Freeman puts it: “It’s a small change, but it makes a big difference.”
Stronger Bubba Born Healthy Yarning Guide now available nationally
The Stronger Bubba Born Healthy Yarning Guide eLearning course is now being rolled out nationally.
This important training helps health professionals better understand the disparity in stillbirth rates between Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities, the historical and contemporary factors influencing First Nations health, and the importance of culturally safe, respectful care.
IMPROVE (Improving Perinatal Mortality Review and Outcomes Via Education)
The IMPROVE program has started with a bang in 2025! IMPROVE aims to educate clinicians on best practice care following a perinatal death. So far this year, 6 workshops have been delivered across Australia, reaching 172 clinicians and training 2 new educators. An additional 13 workshops are planned for the remainder of the year with interest already being generated for 2026 as well. The IMPROVE team were also able to take the program over to Manchester partnering with The Rainbow Clinic, Tommy’s Maternal and Fetal Health Research Centre and St Mary’s Hospital. Across two days, 46 UK based clinicians attended IMPROVE and 10 new IMPROVE educators were certified to deliver workshops across the country.
We are grateful to our educators who kindly donate their time to deliver these workshops across Australia and internationally. We’re shining a light on one of our standout educators, check out their story below!
For more information on IMPROVE workshops or becoming an educator, please email improve@mater.uq.edu.au.
IMPROVE Educator Spotlight
Meet Imogen Kettle, a Clinical Midwife Consultant (CMC) from Queensland, who plays a key role in delivering the IMPROVE program. Imogen facilitates Station 5: Perinatal mortality audit and classification, and the Introduction and Formative Assessment stations of IMPROVE.
Why did you become an IMPROVE educator?
The opportunity to facilitate IMPROVE workshops adds a valuable dimension to my CMC (Perinatal Mortality Audit) role at Clinical Excellence QLD (CEQ). It allows me to share my knowledge of perinatal audit with the workshop attendees. We have a long-standing 10+ year collaboration with the Stillbirth CRE and have assisted with the drive to ensure IMPROVE workshops are business as usual at QLD Health maternity facilities. It has been very rewarding seeing the number of trained IMPROVE facilitators QLD now has on its register to assist with workshops.
What’s your favourite part about teaching IMPROVE?
Definitely meeting staff and connecting face-to-face with maternity clinicians across QLD. The inter-professional collaboration is invaluable. I have also enjoyed visiting the different sites and gaining an understanding of the nuances of each HHS.
Do you facilitate at workshops local to your workplace or do you travel to facilitate?
I facilitate IMPROVE at many different QLD Health facilities which I love!!
How do you draw on your experience in your role when teaching IMPROVE?
I enjoy sharing some of the findings of our CEQ perinatal mortality projects and the themes of our in-depth case reviews. I hope this adds richness to the Station 5 material. I also have a lived experience of understanding the PSANZ classification system which can sometimes be overwhelming for novices!
Want to become an IMPROVE educator? Email us improve@mater.uq.edu.au.
Parent Voices in Research
In a key milestone this year, the Bereaved Parent Advocacy Committee (BPAC) contributed to the Victorian Maternity Taskforce consultation. Authored entirely by bereaved parents, the submission called for pregnancy and infant loss to be recognised as core to maternity care and highlighted the need for trauma-informed practice, mental health support for both birthing and non-birthing parents, continuity of care, and referral pathways to appropriate grief and psychological support.
“This submission is about more than policy – it’s about honouring our babies and making sure no family walks this path alone. Every recommendation reflects our lived experience, and our belief that compassionate, consistent care is possible.” – Parent Member reflection on the Victorian Maternity Taskforce submission
Over 260 bereaved parents and family members have joined the Stillbirth Research Involvement Registry – a powerful reflection of the desire to share experiences, honour their babies, and contribute to meaningful change. Parents are actively involved in shaping clinical education (including the national IMPROVE program), reviewing research resources, and informing priority-setting activities. Through Project Engage and the BPAC, we’re seeing lived experience embedded more deeply across the research landscape.
Looking ahead, later this year the Stillbirth CRE will bring together bereaved parents, researchers, clinicians, and community organisations at the Waves of Change pre-conference meeting to strengthen partnerships, share insights, and co-design practical resources that support inclusive, meaningful collaboration in stillbirth research.
Perinatal Society of Australia and New Zealand (PSANZ) Congress
The Stillbirth CRE had a strong presence at the 2025 PSANZ Congress in March, with a number of posters and oral presentations showcasing our team’s latest research.
We hosted a pre-congress workshop titled “Connecting care for families after perinatal loss” spotlighting the opportunities and challenges in connecting care for families across the perinatal loss continuum. Interactive discussions focused on early pregnancy loss and perinatal palliative care. This workshop engaged parents from the Stillbirth Research Involvement Registry including Sarah Skellern who co-chaired the afternoon with Care Around Stillbirth and Neonatal Death (CASaND) program co-leads Siobhan Loughnan and Fran Boyle; and Brianne Mackinnon who shared her experience of pregnancy loss.
As part of the pre-congress program, the Stillbirth CRE also delivered an IMPROVE face-to-face workshop, facilitated by a multidisciplinary team of educators. The workshop was attended by 26 clinicians from 6 different disciplines who travelled from all over Australia and New Zealand to take part and expand their knowledge on best practice care following a perinatal loss.
We also extend our congratulations to Valerie Ah Chee, who was awarded the 2025 PSANZ Indigenous Researcher Award – a well-deserved recognition of her important contributions.
Melissa Malivoire recently joined the Stillbirth CRE team as a Senior Research Assistant and Parent Engagement Coordinator. Melissa brings both academic expertise and lived experience to her role.
As a bereaved parent, following the passing of her son Leo in October 2022, Melissa is deeply committed to supporting research that enhances care for bereaved families. In her role Melissa will facilitate connections between bereaved parents and researchers, moderates the Bereaved Parent Advocacy Committee (BPAC), and is a co-investigator on Project Engage, working to strengthen parent involvement in stillbirth research. Melissa steps into this role while Kirstin Tindal is on maternity leave.
Sama Low-Choy recently joined the Stillbirth CRE as a Senior Biostatistician. Sama brings with her a career’s worth of statistical know-how and a passion for collaborating with researchers to answer their questions, turning complex data into real-world insights. Sama’s research focuses on novel applications and methodologies in statistics, including conceptual modelling, causal science, Bayesian statistical modelling, and the modelling of complex systems.
Sama will be focusing on the strategic use of statistical methods across a range of projects, from clinical and medical research to social science and official statistics. Key projects include the Safer Baby Bundle and COCOON, as well as the analysis of moderate to large-scale studies at national, state, or Mater levels to understand how different practices impact perinatal outcomes and stillbirth rates.
PhD Top Ups Scholarship
The Stillbirth CRE offers 3 generous top up scholarships worth up to $9000 for eligible PhD candidates. These top up scholarships are designed to support exceptional PhD candidates whose projects align with the Stillbirth CRE’s priority areas and make a meaningful contribution to the Stillbirth CRE’s program of work. Applications close 30 June 2025. We look forward to announcing the winners later this year.
Clinician Researcher and Discovery Science Fellowships – 2025 Recipients Announced
We are delighted to announce the recipients of the 2025 Stillbirth CRE Clinician Researcher and Discovery Science Fellowships. These prestigious fellowships support early- and mid-career researchers to make a meaningful contribution to our program of work, driving innovation and impact in stillbirth prevention.
Congratulations to both recipients. We look forward to following the progress of these important research projects.
Keep up to date with some of our recent publications
Investigators working on the iSEARCH clinical trial have reported that oral sildenafil citrate administered during labor does not reduce the risk of poor perinatal outcomes associated with fetal hypoxia. Read more here.
A recent publication by the Safer Baby Bundle team found the Quitline referral model for smoking cessation support for pregnant woman is suboptimal. Further research is needed to understand the barriers to referral and uptake. Read the full publication here.
How we calculate stillbirth rates matters, especially when it comes to understanding risk throughout pregnancy. The findings highlight the value of adopting accurate, gestational-age-specific measures to better inform clinical decisions and interventions. Publication available here.
Findings from bereaved parents and clinicians revealed that while imaging options could play an important role in investigations and understanding stillbirth, they are currently under utilised and often overlooked as an option for parents. Read the full publication here.
The study highlights the positive impact of co-designing research with bereaved parents, identifying key facilitators to success and addressing barriers to collaboration. The findings include valuable recommendations to guide future best practices for partnering with bereaved parents in stillbirth research. Publication available here.
Stillbirth rates remain tragically high and government funding is not keeping up
Parents, midwives call for better bereavement care training after stillbirth
Level 3, Aubigny Place
Mater Research Institute
Raymond Terrace,
South Brisbane QLD 4101
The University of Queensland Faculty of Medicine