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Leading expert on health equity awarded top midwifery honour

on 28 March 2023 RCM Maternity Services MSWs - Maternity Support Workers Midwifery RCM Fellowship Education Research

Dr Alison Callwood, a leading expert in admissions to health professions education programmes, has received a prestigious Royal College of Midwives (RCM) Fellowship for her contribution to midwifery. She received her Fellowship at the RCM’s Education and Research Conference in Birmingham on 28 March.

Dr Callwood has been working in midwifery for over 30 years. She gained her Doctor of Philosophy in 2015 at the University of Surrey and is currently doing post-doctoral research exploring admissions to health professions education programmes focusing on ensuing equity.

Among her many achievements, Dr Callwood helped design and develop the first known online automated interview (MMI) system. She has been awarded multiple grants from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and is member of the Council of Deans for Health Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Strategic Policy Group.

Alongside this Dr Callwood is a member of the UK Medical Schools Council Selection Alliance Multiple Mini Interview (MMI) Expert Group, a Fellow of the Institute for People-Centred Artificial Intelligence (AI) at the University of Surrey and Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.

On receiving her award, Dr Callwood said: “It is a real honour to receive this award recognising my work on equity, diversity and inclusion across health professions recruitment. Ensuring that our healthcare workforce represents societal diversity so that we are better able to meet every individual’s needs is not only a huge challenge but a moral imperative.”

Rebeccah Davies, President of the RCM, said: “Alison has been involved in midwifery education and research for over three decades. She has championed health equity and equality in midwifery education and I am very grateful for the dedication she has shown to the midwifery profession. She thoroughly deserves to be recognised for her contribution to midwifery.”

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