Patricia Leahy-Warren is Professor of Nursing and Chair of Health Services Research and Dean of the School of Nursing and Midwifery at UCC. Patricia holds a Visiting Professorships at University of Western Sydney, Australia and Diakonova University, Norway. She has a strong national and international reputation in the disciplines of midwifery, nursing and public health nursing and in the field of maternal and child health. Patricia researches and supervises higher degree students in topics addressing the social and emotional health and well-being of women and men in the transition to parenthood, breastfeeding, perinatal mental health, and social support, particularly in vulnerable communities and researching improvements in service delivery and professional practice. She has published over 200 refereed journal articles, book chapters and published reports and regularly presents (including as a keynote speaker) at national and international conferences. Her research has been translated to policy and practice, for example through the development of health policy, models of care, teaching resources for consumers and health professionals. Her leadership capabilities contribute to the increasing QS rankings of the School of Nursing and Midwifery over the years to reach number one in Ireland and in the top 40 worldwide. RESEARCH She has developed a theoretically based social support instrument that is unique in that it is contextualised within infant care practices, which has been used internationally to devise theoretically sound perinatal interventions to facilitate the transition to motherhood. Example of Team Research projects: Research Focus 1: Promoting Positive Maternity Experiences for Women, Infants & Partners Women’s Experience of Maternity Care in The South/South West of Ireland Mother’s Experiences of Adaptat

Dr Leahy-Warren’s philosophy is that all women, infants and their families should be facilitated to have a positive pregnancy and child birth experience, receiving evidence based care from all healthcare professionals. Improving maternal health during pregnancy directly influences and enhances infant outcomes. Using her clinical and methodological expertise her specific areas of research focus include: (1) Promoting Positive Maternity Experiences for Women, Infants & Partners improving breastfeeding outcomes; (2) Improving Breastfeeding Outcomes; (3) Maternal, Paternal and Infant Perinatal Mental Health; and (4) Parental and Child Health in the Community. Dr Leahy-Warren has over 60 peer review publications and a number of ongoing research projects that strive to enhance maternal, paternal and infant health in Ireland. She has developed a theoretically based social support instrument that is unique in that it is contextualised within infant care practices, which has been used internationally to devise theoretically sound perinatal interventions to facilitate the transition to motherhood.