Georgina Ferry interviews Marian Knight, Professor of Maternal and Child Population Health, 13 October 2022.
Topics discussed include (00:00:30) early interest in science and medicine, PhD and DPhil and training in obstetrics; (00:01:28) research interests, including pre-eclampsia and prevention of baby deaths; (00:04:03) work in Oxford since studies and training, including work in public health; (00:05:10) Confidential Enquiry into Maternal Deaths and UK Obstetric Surveillance System; (00:08:10) complications in pregnancy; (00:09:51) data relating to infectious diseases such as flu and how disease affects pregnant women, including collection of data during swine flu pandemic in 2009; (00:12:18) increased vulnerability to flu during pregnancy; (00:13:32) first awareness of COVID-19; (00:15:58) 'hibernated' studies; (00:18:40) analysis of hospital data relating to pregnant women with COVID-19; (00:22:38) exclusion of pregnant women in treatment trials; (00:26:00) collaboration with other research teams at Oxford on COVID-19, including RECOVERY trial; (00:28:32) consequence of pregnant women not being included in vaccine trials; (00:30:22) misinformation and barriers to access to vaccines for pregnant women; (00:33:15) lack of prioritisation of pregnant women by those in advisory roles; (00:34:07) JCVI guidance, including moving pregnant women to the priority group for vaccine booster dose; (00:35:21) immunity of pregnant women during pregnancy and heightened risk from COVID-19 infection; (00:37:08) impact of the pandemic on the experience of pregnant women in society; (00:40:41) attendance of partners during births; (00:41:41) studies on women's experiences during the pandemic; (00:42:45) protocol for study relating to babies and mothers infected with COVID-19; (00:44:33) support within research community, particularly the pregnancy care community; (00:45:17) international collaboration; (00:47:04) personal advocacy for pregnant women; (00:48:00) impact of the pandemic on work, including high levels of work and changes in family and home life, personal threat from COVID-19, including volunteering for trials; (00:51:41) wellbeing and impact of work on supporting personal wellbeing; (00:52:27) support for the wider team; (00:53:59) university regulations with regards to remote working and later return to offices; (00:57:50) changes in approach to work in the future, including becoming more vocal on behalf of pregnant women; (00:59:20) potential for future change, particularly relating to pandemic preparedness.
