Mary Steen is a Professor of Midwifery at UniSA Clinical and Health Sciences. She is the Chair of the Mothers, Babies and Families Research Group and facilitates the promotion of research and scholarly activities both nationally and internationally.
Mary qualified as a registered general nurse in 1986 and as a registered midwife in 1988 in the UK. She has a vast amount of nursing and midwifery clinical experience in hospital and community settings. She became interested in research in 1990 and undertook her first Randomised Controlled Trial (RCT) in 1993. Her PhD research studies investigated and explored the care and consequences of perineal trauma after childbirth. This research involved the designing and development of a patented cooling pain relief treatment known as the ‘femepad’ which is now commercially available throughout the world.
Mary is interested in a wide remit of midwifery and family health issues such as: raising the profile of midwifery care and research, maternal health and well-being, healthy diet and nutrition, antenatal and postnatal exercises, active birth and natural pain management options, holistic approaches to birth, perineal and continence care, managing emotions and family relationships; self compassion for better mental and physical health, disadvantaged women, parenting, family violence, involving fathers and the family in maternity care, digital communication and technologies for maternity services. Her wide remit of interests has led her to undertake several service development projects and research studies in developed and developing countries, with the overall aim to improve the care and services for women, babies and their families.
Mary’s has received several awards for clinical innovation, original research, leadership, partnership working and outstanding services to midwifery. She is a well recognized midwifery researcher who has presented at numerous national and international conferences, written over 100 peer reviewed articles (85 as first author), 18 chapters and authored, edited and contributed to a variety of books entitled: Pregnancy and Birth, everything you need to know, Ask a Midwife, Pregnancy: Day by Day, Baby Care: Day by Day (Dorling Kindersley), The Handbook of Midwifery Research (Wiley-Blackwell), Supporting Women to Give Birth at Home: a practical guide for midwives, Mental Health Across the Lifespan (Routledge), Key Concepts in Healthcare Research (Sage publications) and 16th edition of Myles Midwifery (Churchill-Livingstone). She has also undertaken lecture tours in Australia, Brazil and Nigeria and developed good working relationships and networks to collaboratively undertake national and international research. She is presently working in collaboration with clinicans and researchers in the UAE, UK, USA, Brazil, Nigeria.
During her career as a midwife, whilst employed by the NHS in the UK she managed to undertake clinical, educational, research and supervisory activities. She has an excellent track record of obtaining grants and funding to undertake both service development and research projects. In 2008, she was appointed as a Reader in Midwifery and then successfully became a Professor of Midwifery, in 2010 at the University of Chester, UK. These previous appointments has given Mary valuable experience to enable her to mentor and support both undergraduate and post-graduate students whilst undertaking their studies.
Mary is presently a Visiting Professor of Midwifery at the University of Chester (UoC), UK, University of Port Harcourt (Uniport), Nigeria. University of Sao Paulo, and University Federal of Sao Paulo (UNIFESP) Brazil. In addition: A professorial chair has been endowed in her name at the University of Port Harcourt, Nigeria in recognition for her numerous contributions to the study and practice of midwifery. Mary has successfully worked and plans to work in the future with industry partners to improve maternity care and services.