Loretta Musgrave

1. Teaching and Learning Excellence

Dr. Musgrave has driven crucial advancements in midwifery education since becoming the Graduate Diploma of Midwifery (GDM) Course Director in 2022.

• Curriculum Leadership: She significantly contributed to the successful re-accreditation of the GDM and the Bachelor of Midwifery (BMid) curriculum between 2020 and 2021, aligning them with international standards.

• Student Outcomes: She exhibits a deep passion for teaching, employing innovative methods like flipped and hybrid learning. Her effectiveness is demonstrated by consistently high student satisfaction scores (SFS), maintaining an average above 4.60 across all subjects in 2022.

• Workforce Development: In consultation with stakeholders, she worked to increase GDM enrolments to 85 midwifery students per year in response to workforce demand and extended the program to 14 months to better prepare students for clinical employment.

2. Research, Innovation, and Funding

Dr. Musgrave focuses her research on mHealth applications and preconception care, generating high-quality outputs and securing substantial funding.

• Research Outputs: She completed her PhD in May 2023. Her thesis was with publication and contained five published papers, four of which appeared in Q1 journals. In the three years prior to May 2023, she exceeded benchmarks for her academic level, being the first author of five papers and co-author of nine papers. She also co-edited the Midwifery textbook, "Stories in Midwifery," which translates research into evidence-based teaching.

• Funding and Collaboration: She successfully secured $ 69,000 in funding for seven projects between 2020 - 2024. This includes serving as the Chief Investigator (CI) for a $35,000 project with the South West, Western Australia, Aboriginal Health Service (SWAMS) investigating pregnant women’s access to culturally safe care via a mobile app. Furthermore, Loretta is currently leading an innovative teaching and learning grant that is investigated the design of perineal repair trainers for midwifery teaching (funding to date $30,000).

• Translational Impact: Her work has led to collaborations, including generating evidence to support resources for the Stillbirth CRE and contributing to research associated with the UK NHS mHealth app ‘Baby Buddy’.

3. Service and Recognition

Dr. Musgrave’s commitment to service is recognised by external bodies and regulators.

• Professional Recognition: She received the National Council of Women of NSW Australia Day Award in 2023 for her contribution to preconception research.

• Regulatory Contribution: She contributes to the safe practice of the profession as a regulatory assessor for the Nursing and Midwifery Council of NSW and a consultant for the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (APHRA).

• Indigenous and Community Engagement: Her teaching includes a dedicated subject on Indigenous health, and she supports First Peoples students. She actively engages with industry partners, including clinical maternity hospitals, and the wider community through platforms such as Big W and Red Nose Australia.