Laura Abbott, RGN, RM, BA, BSc (Hons), MSc, DHRes, The University of Hertfordshire, UK
Dr Laura Abbott, an Associate Professor at The University of Hertfordshire, is an accomplished researcher and midwife specializing in pregnancy and new motherhood in prison settings. She began her career in healthcare by qualifying as a Registered Nurse in 1993 and later became a Registered Midwife in 2000. After working as an independent midwife for several years, Laura transitioned into education. Her doctoral research, titled "The Incarcerated Pregnancy: An Ethnographic Study of Perinatal Women in English Prisons," provided valuable insights into the experiences of pregnant women in prison. Beyond academia, she helps shape policy at His Majesty's Prison and Probation Services, has co-founded international collaborations such as Pregnancy in Prison Partnership International (PIPPI) and the UK-wide Prison Midwives Support Group. Laura is also a Principal Investigator for the ESRC funded Lost Mothers Project, a significant initiative in collaboration with Birth Companions and their Lived Experience Team. This project focuses on examining the experiences of enforced separation from newborn babies, shedding light on the profound impact it has on both mothers within the criminal justice system and the perspectives of health, social, and prison professionals involved. As a campaigner she advocates for ending the sentencing of pregnant women to prison, emphasizing the need for alternative, compassionate approaches that prioritize the well-being of both mothers and their babies. Her research and activism contribute to a broader movement seeking a more just and humane system for pregnant women involved with the criminal justice system.
Elaine Jefford, PhD, MSc, BSc (Hons), BSc (Hons), RM, RN, University of the Sunshine Coast, Australia
Dr Elaine Jefford is a midwifery academic, researcher, and author. Her research focus is within the field of midwifery decision-making, and abdicating one’s professional accountability, the impacts of this in relation to risk, safety, and quality of care provision. Her program of research has led to strong collaborations in national and international research, service development work, and practitioner training initiatives. Other research interests include birth trauma, perinatal mental well-being, deteriorating women, childbirth for women facing incarceration, and self-compassion. Dr Jefford is a member of Pregnancy in Prison Partnership International (PIPPI). She has also been involved in national and international midwifery curriculum development and was a member of the Midwifery Accreditation Committee, which is part of the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Accreditation Council.
Andrea K. Knittel, MD, PhD, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA
Andrea K. Knittel, MD PhD is Associate Professor and Medical Director for Incarcerated Women's Health at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine. She completed her MD and PhD degrees at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and her OB/GYN residency at the University of California, San Francisco. Dr Knittel is a clinician and researcher focused on illuminating and mitigating the obstetric and gynecologic disparities facing people who experience incarceration across the life course. In her clinical work, she provides full spectrum OB/GYN care to women, trans men, and gender expansive people assigned female at intake in the North Carolina state prison system.