Professor Hora Soltani, Professor of Maternal and Infant Health, and Dr Frankie Fair, Lecturer and Research Fellow in Midwifery from the Centre for Applied Health and Social Care Research (CARe), Sheffield Hallam university, will work with DBTH over the next three years to enhance research capacity in women’s health and early years.
Professor Hora Soltani has made significant contributions to maternal and infant health research since joining Sheffield Hallam University (SHU) in 2006, establishing and currently leads the Maternal and Infant Health Research Group (MIHRG) with a strong track record in promoting health equity for mothers and babies.
Proffesor Soltani and team have attracted research funding from prestigious sources and have expertise in systematic reviews, big data analysis, and the development of birth cohorts, including the Born and Bred in Doncaster (BaBi-D) project.
Having been ranked within the top 2% highly cited researchers in her field (Listed by Stanford University-Elsevier 2023), the Professor’s work has shaped both national and global healthcare guidelines. Her leadership in interdisciplinary research has earned her numerous accolades, including an MBE for services to maternal and infant health.
Dr Frankie Fair, with over a decade of midwifery research experience, has also played a pivotal role in advancing research on midwife-led care, maternal obesity, migrant maternity care and health inequalities.
Her work has been widely recognized, with projects funded by the European Commission, Public Health England, Race & Health Observatory and the Burdett Trust for Nursing. Fair’s collaborations with NHS Trusts across Sheffield, Doncaster, and Barnsley, highlight her commitment to improving maternal and neonatal health.
Professor Hora Soltani expressed her feelings on the appointments saying: “I am delighted we are joining DBTH as part of the HDRC Doncaster initiative, creating a progressive environment for integrating research and practice to enhance quality of care and reducing health inequity for mothers, babies and families across the region and beyond.
“Doncaster is setting an excellent example in bridging the gap between academia and practice with an ultimate aim of making sustainable impact for healthcare professionals and the people they are serving.”
The previous collaborations between MIHRG and DBTH on projects such as evaluation of maternal obesity services through data connectivity and adolescent pregnancy and nutrition are great foundations for this partnership, creating an exciting opportunity for further research and capacity development with the aim of enhancing quality of care and safety for all mothers, babies and families.
Commenting on the appointments, Professor Sam Debbage, Director of Education and Research at DBTH, said: “We are delighted to welcome Professor Soltani and Dr Frankie Fair to our team. Their exceptional expertise in women’s health and early years research will greatly contribute to our goal of becoming a centre of excellence in research and education.
“This collaboration highlights our ongoing ambition to become a University Hospital, reinforcing our commitment to providing the highest standards of care informed by cutting-edge research.”
For further information about research and innovation at Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals, please visit: https://www.dbth.nhs.uk/research-and-innovation/
