A day in the life of… Hannah Dahlen
Hannah Dahlen is a Professor of Midwifery in the School of Nursing and Midwifery (opens in a new window), lecturing in the Graduate Diploma and the new Bachelor of Midwifery. Hannah has been working at UWS since 2008.
Before Work
What do you have for breakfast and is there anything you do before you come to work?
I have two organic boiled eggs every morning that my chickens lay – they live life happily pecking around outside. I have two daughters (14 and seven years old) that I get ready for school each morning and usher out the door. My mornings are all about sandwiches! I then make my way to UWS, where I have a lovely office at the Parramatta campus that looks over an avenue of trees.
What do you usually do when you first arrive at UWS?
I have 10 PhD and Masters Honours students who I meet with to discuss their research. I also meet with colleagues about how to run courses and some meetings may involve teaching matters.
I’m also on-call as I work with a small practice, so there’s always the chance I may be called out at any time to catch a baby and then return to work. This is my high – I love the experience of working with women. I am hoping to take student midwives through this way of working – providing antenatal, birthing and postnatal care to women they get to know. This is the gold standard of maternity care. Women are so satisfied – in fact, several applicants who applied for the Bachelor of Midwifery course are former clients.
Other things that may start my day include a meeting with NSW Health or interacting with the media as part of my role as Spokesperson for the Australian College of Midwives. Almost every day I have some interaction with the media – whether it is a magazine calling for a quote for a parenting article or Channel Seven needing a quote for television. I love the flexibility and excitement this brings to my day.
At Work
Who do you work with?
I work with Virginia Schmied, Professor of Maternal, Infant and Family health, and share higher-degree research students with her. I work with Margie Duff, Director Academic Program Midwifery – she is a fantastic asset within the midwifery team as she formerly worked in New Zealand, where the only way to practice midwifery was through a Bachelor of Midwifery degree. I also work with Elaine Burns, Leanne Luck and Fiona Arundell, who are all passionate lecturers.
The team has grown from two to six and we have some casuals, too. It’s always exciting when we watch the students we have mentored grow and come back to work at the faculty.
What are the two or three most important things you are currently working on?
One is my research into the impact of rates of intervention during childbirth in different birth settings and the implications of that intervention, which I’m very passionate about. We are looking at using nationally collected data to find some answers and provide direction for maternity services.
I’m also looking at ways to keep birth normal and improve the childbirth experience for women to ensure they have the best physical and emotional outcomes. In 2010, I was involved in the establishment of a group called EPIIC (Epigenetic Impact of Childbirth) that brought together a group of experts and wrote a paper about the impact of what happens during childbirth on epigenetic remodelling (how our genes are switched on and off), which has been accepted for publication in Medical Hypothesis.
What regular meetings do you attend, who are they with and what are they about?
I am a member of the UWS Research Committee, where we look at governance and new applications for higher degree research.
Once a month, I also attend a midwifery committee, where we look at students who may need additional support. I also have a lot of meetings with higher-degree research students as well as meetings with the Department of Health and other government meetings.
What is something that can make a positive difference to your day?
My children – sometimes I get a text from my 14-year-old saying that she loves me. Also, watching the face of a woman when she scoops her newborn into her arms. I honestly feel that I have the best job in the world – I combine clinical research with practice and education. I have the opportunity to have a well-rounded life and feel that I am privileged and lucky. However, I know when I’m hitting a wall and need to stop and take a break.
After Work
What might we find you doing outside of work?
I enjoy reading and going for walks. I write some fiction and have been working on a novel, which I am determined to finish one day. I also love movies, travel (I wish I could do a lot more of it) and being with my daughters, who ground me and make me realise the most important job is being a mother.
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