Global Health PhD student Susana Ku receives Mentored Midwifery Research Grant

Provided through funding from the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, the Mentored Midwifery Research Grant supports Ontario-relevant research that improves care for midwifery clients and their families.  With a focus on normal pregnancy, birth, postpartum and early newborn care, midwifery-led research is essential to supporting reproductive and social justice locally and globally.

Peruvian and Canadian Registered Midwife, Susana Ku, is currently a Global Heath PhD student at McMaster University and a fellow member at the McMaster Midwifery Research Center. This year, her research on the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on midwifery services in GTA, Ontario, Canada and Lima Metropolitana, Lima Peru has been selected for funding.

Before starting her career in Canada, Ku obtained her degree as a Registered Midwife in Peru and she also holds a master’s degree in Sexual and Reproductive Health. Passionate about advocating for midwives, Ku highlights that, “midwifery has been present across the globe for centuries”. She further states that, “midwives have and continue to work tirelessly during the most pressing humanitarian crises.”

“Midwifery-led research is not only important but crucial to explore and understand issues of reproductive justice, health equity, universal health coverage, among others”

In addition to her clinical responsibilities, Ku also practices as a clinical preceptor and midwifery instructor in the midwifery education program and is involved in global health projects. For the past several years, she has been organizing member at the global midwifery conference Virtual International Day of the Midwife.  With the aim to break all the geographical and economic barriers, the conference allows people to enrich their knowledge in maternity, neonatal, and reproductive health. Most recently, Ku has joined the Critical Midwifery Studies Collective, a collective of birth-workers and academics studying maternity care, where is one of the organizing committee members of the first summer school of the Critical Midwifery Studies, co-hosted by the Chilean Observatory for Obstetric Violence, the University of Cape Town, Department of Midwifery Science Amsterdam VUmc & AVAG, and City University London.

Taking place this Friday, February 11 from 11:00 am-1:00 pm, Ku will be discussing her work and research as part of a student-developed speaker series “Health equity for (in)visible minorities: envisioning change” which will showcase the work of the women of colour from the Ph.D. program. Her talk is titled Post-colonial feminism from a Latino-Asian women’s perspective: Yes, we also have a voice!

For more information and link for the speaker series click here.