Midwife on a mission: Doctoral student champions global maternal health

A midwife by training and now a development studies researcher, Jolene is exploring how maternal healthcare is deeply intertwined with women’s empowerment and systemic justice. Her fieldwork has taken her to remote clinics where, despite harsh conditions, local midwives serve as lifelines to their communities.

Jolene decided to do her doctoral study after learning that Development Studies at Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa Massey University is ranked among the top 30 globally. Since enrolling, she’s been struck by the way the programme challenges linear thinking and encourages collaboration across disciplines, sectors and cultures.

“I have come to understand at a deeper level how every player is needed. Sustainable change is achieved through the interdependence between system-wide action, cultural change and the agency of individual actors,” Jolene says.

Fieldwork in Ethiopia brought unforgettable moments such as cold mountain births where newborns were born steaming in the crisp air, long stretches without electricity or internet and deeply emotional encounters with women and babies in crisis. She lived and worked alongside midwives for weeks at a time, an experience that has left a lasting impression.

“I cannot possibly express the depth of my admiration for their skill, stamina, courage and compassion. They face extraordinary challenges in vastly under-resourced and isolated conditions.”

Jolene credits her supervisors for supporting her return to study after a decade working in international development, following her earlier midwifery practice in Aotearoa New Zealand. Her work across the sector has deepened her understanding of the systemic barriers to maternal health. Winning a DevNet Field Research Award helped fund her fieldwork abroad and ease the financial pressures of doctoral study. But her passion goes beyond academic achievement.

“The heart of my work has always been justice issues. Once you see the reality, you cannot unsee it.”

While Jolene is making strides in her research, she is also thinking about what comes next, possibly working to build stronger bridges between the Global North and South, advocating for midwives and using her voice to influence change.

Development Studies Senior Lecturer Dr Maria Borovnik says Jolene’s work stands out for its academic quality and real-world relevance.

“Jolene brings deep empathy and critical insight to her research. Her longstanding midwifery practice and personal experience working with communities in Ethiopia play a strong role in her doctoral research. Her ability to connect this lived experience with her research analysis makes her work not only academically significant but deeply impactful for the communities she engages with.”