McMaster University Midwifery

03/16/2026

Are you an Indigenous, Black and/or Person of Colour who has left Midwifery in Ontario?

Your experience matters! Follow the link below to read more about participating in Phase I of our study, "Experiences of Attrition in Ontario Midwives"

https://surveys.mcmaster.ca/limesurvey/index.php/853514?lang=en

03/16/2026

Midwives’ Attitudes About Abortion Provision: the MAAAPs study

Invitation to participate in national study regarding Canadian midwives’ attitudes about abortion provision (the MAAAPs study)

Are you a registered or Indigenous midwife practicing in Canada?

We need your input for a research study. Share your ideas about midwives as abortion providers. Contribute to important research that could inform future decisions about scope of practice. The survey will be open until June 11, 2026.

English: https://maaaps.mcmaster.ca/surveys/?s=7RJDFWLTTDE3EDPY
French: https://maaaps.mcmaster.ca/surveys/?s=KHYAXYE3YTNR4WDT

03/13/2026

What are you doing Friday, March 27th? Logging on the to the MMRC's Midwifery's Research Symposium, that's what!

At 14:30 we welcome Meagan Furnivall and Lauren Columbus to the virtual stage to present "Skin-to-Skin Contact as a Health System Intervention: Evidence, Policy, and Impact After Cesarean Birth"

This talk will present findings from a scoping review on early skin-to-skin contact during the first hour after birth, highlighting benefits for both the birthing person and the infant, including after cesarean birth. Using a health systems lens, the presentation will explore how hospital policy and clinical workflows shape the implementation of skin-to-skin contact in practice and position it as a low-cost, high-impact health system intervention.

Q&A to follow lecture.

Please Register here: https://mcmaster.zoom.us/meeting/register/J3rtX2IxRlq9VkMzYLH2Gg

More information found here: https://mmrc.mcmaster.ca/event/mmrc-research-symposia/2026-research-symposium/

03/11/2026

Dr. Kate Kennedy will presenting her work "Your second isn’t your first: birth order, intrapartum antibiotic prophylaxis, and infant health outcomes in the Baby & Mi cohort study" at 14:00pm EST March 27th during out Midwifery Research Symposium!

This presentation will share findings from the Baby & Mi study, a longitudinal cohort following 243 infants from birth to 3 years of age. We found that intrapartum antibiotic prophylaxis (IAP) affects infant gut microbiome development and that early microbiome patterns were associated with growth and atopy outcomes at age 3. We also found that birth order matters: first-born infants showed greater and more prolonged microbiome disruption following IAP, while later-born infants appeared more resilient.

Q&A to follow lecture.

Please Register here: https://mcmaster.zoom.us/meeting/register/J3rtX2IxRlq9VkMzYLH2Gg
All information can be found here: https://mmrc.mcmaster.ca/event/mmrc-research-symposia/2026-research-symposium/

03/09/2026

March 27th is coming FAST!

We are so excited to have Dr. Elise Erickson as our Keynote Speaker.

This talk will consider how research on risk factors for adverse maternal outcomes falls short of guiding person-centered care, centered on postpartum hemorrhage. We will examine and reframe existing knowledge and present emerging evidence of precision-based methods applying a biosocial and pharmaco(epi)genetic framework to advance understanding of oxytocin function and postpartum hemorrhage.

Q&A to follow lecture.

Please register here: https://mcmaster.zoom.us/meeting/register/J3rtX2IxRlq9VkMzYLH2Gg
All information also found via our website www.MMRC.McMaster.ca

02/27/2026

We are just a month away from our annual Midwifery Research Symposium!

We are so excited to showcase brilliant research and researchers.

From Radical Kinship to Reframing Risk - these presentations will give you your fill of cutting-edge midwifery research.

Please register here: https://mcmaster.zoom.us/meeting/register/J3rtX2IxRlq9VkMzYLH2Gg?fbclid=IwY2xjawPR9sxleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETF0VzN4WE5LbUwyb002MVI4c3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHttaEbBapsEPnp_PPs5ecQKrtqZgUzlSL043gCCdWhuNH1D3XfxmNQm-bZm1_aem_OakK_EW3JZTqmY5Ssp4VBg #/registration

02/24/2026

2SLGBTQ+ Family Building Canada Symposium
https://familybuildingcanada.com/symposium

Event Address: IN-PERSON, CSI SPADINA Lounge
Event Date: April 19, 2026
Event Time: 9:00-5:00
Contact us at info@familybuildingcanada.com

This Symposium is FREE to attend, with lunch, snacks, and coffee provided at no cost.

Donations Welcome: 2SLGBTQ+ Family Building Canada is part of Birth Mark, a registered charity that supports underserved families from preconception through postpartum. If you’re able and interested, optional donations to support Birth Mark’s work can be made.

Registration: Registration is required for all attendees for this event.

Childcare: We are not able to provide childcare, but children are welcome to attend with their parents.

02/24/2026

Tune in tomorrow at 12:30pm EST!!

This month we welcome Sue Faber and Liz Darling to the MMRC Speaker Series Stage!

Join us on February 25th at 12:30 pm for an hour on "Beyond the Bite: Perinatal Transmission of Lyme Disease"

For more information, check out the link https://mmrc.mcmaster.ca/events/mmrc-speaker-series-beyond-the-bite-perinatal-transmission-of-lyme-disease/!

In-utero transmission of Borrelia burgdorferi, the infectious spirochetal agent of Lyme disease (LD) has been described in both humans and animals. Currently, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Health Canada acknowledge the risk of this alternate mode of transmission. Adverse pregnancy outcomes reported with gestational LD include miscarriage, stillbirth, perinatal death and children born with varying clinical manifestations of congenital disease. Prompt diagnosis and treatment of gestational LD is associated with a significant decrease in the rate of adverse pregnancy outcomes. Limited research examining both gestational and congenital LD has resulted in significant research gaps, limited medical knowledge, and a lack of clinical resources for healthcare professionals. In addition, impacted patients and families face barriers to timely diagnosis, treatment and comprehensive medical care. Goals: We will review evidence pertaining to perinatal transmission of Lyme disease in both animals and humans; findings of our international survey about LD in pregnancy that aimed to investigate the impact of LD in pregnancy for the birthing person and their newborn; and key recommendations from an expert think tank on perinatal transmission of LD to advance the field.

02/23/2026

🗣 New publication out now!

⭐️ Check out our team’s article: Perspectives on gender-inclusive language in Canadian sexual and reproductive health care: findings from a modified Delphi survey. ⭐️

Based on the data of 303 participants, our studies highlighted widespread support for gender-inclusive language (GIL) in sexual and reproductive health care.

However, there are still barriers including , charting systems, relying on patients and provider discomfort...

🖇️ To learn more, click here: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12913-025-13776-5

02/19/2026

Left Midwifery in Ontario?

Your experience matters! Follow the link below to read more about participating in Phase I of our study, "Experiences of Attrition in Ontario Midwives"

Check it out here: https://surveys.mcmaster.ca/limesurvey/index.php/853514?lang=en

02/10/2026

Make sure to tune in to our upcoming REDEFINE Webinar on Gender-Inclusive Language in Sexual & Reproductive Healthcare!

📆 March 18th, 2026
⏰ 12-1:00pm EST
📍Online via Zoom
Register here: https://mcmaster.zoom.us/meeting/register/Mlbb4zqXSISTboBQ00FQSA #/registration

We will be sharing an overview of our study, findings, website launch, and answering your questions!

02/09/2026

Are you an undergraduate or graduate midwifery student at McMaster University with an accepted research abstract for a national or international conference?

Apply for the Midwifery Student Travel Award and receive $1,000 to help cover:
Conference registration, travel, accommodation, meals, and incidentals!

Application deadline March 1st, 2026.

For the application, click here or the link in our bio!
https://forms.office.com/r/mPsecL744s