Dr Mandie Scamell
Contact details
About
Overview
Dr Mandie Scamell is a medical anthropologist and midwife specialising in risk and the maternity services in the UK. Mandie joined City in 2013 as lecturer having previously taught at the Florence Nightingale School of Nursing and Midwifery at Kings College London, and Brighton University. Mandie has carried out maternal health research at City and St George's University of London, Kent University of Canterbury and the University of Durham.
Mandie is senior tutor for research for the Maternal and Child Health research centre where she supports PhD candidates working on topics such as group ante natal care; maternity care for those with female genital cutting; midwifery-led units; intra-partum care in the UK, Germany, Saudi Arabia and Malawi; perinatal mental health and breech birth.
During her career, Mandie has worked on different maternal health research projects funded by the Economic and Social Research and National Institute for Health research councils and is currently a principal investigator on a multi-centre, NIHR Health Technology Assessment project. Mandie's main areas of research interest are in participatory and emancipatory research methods, intra-partum care, with a particular interest in spontaneous physiological labour, birth and recovery, clinical governance, institutionalised risk management and the social and culture context of maternity care.
PhD students welcome!
Please contact me if you are interested in doing a PhD in the areas above.
Requirements: Clinical or research experience in maternity care and expertise/passion in one of the following areas: participatory research methods; critical social theory; medical anthropology; bioethics, social semiotics - CDA and or critical studies of risk. Potential applicants would need demonstrate how their ideas align with my research outputs.
Qualifications
- PhD, University of Kent, United Kingdom, 2008 - 2012
- Masters in research methods, University of Kent, United Kingdom, 2006 - 2008
- Diploma in Midwifery, University of Brighton, United Kingdom, 1995 - 1998
- MRes, Durham University, United Kingdom, 1993 - 1995
- BA Anthropology (1st class Hons), Durham University, United Kingdom, 1989 - January 1993
Employment
- Senior lecturer, City, University of London, United Kingdom, September 2016 - present
- Lecturer, City, University of London, United Kingdom, May 2013 - September 2016
- Lecturer, King's College London, United Kingdom, October 2010 - May 2013
- Midwifery, Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells Trust, Kent, November 1995 - September 2008
- Social Work, Kent Social Services, Kent, September 1982 - September 1986
Administrative roles
- Senior Tutor for Research, City, University of London, 2018 - present
- Module leader, City, University of London, 2013 - present
- Programme director (MSc), City, University of London, 2013 - 2022
Memberships of committees
- School of Health and Psychological Sciences, Research Sustainability Committee, 2017 - 2019
Memberships of professional organisations
- Member, Royal College of Midwives, 1995 - present
Awards
- City, University of London (2023). Staff Enhancement Award
- City, University of London (2018). Academic Impact Award
- City, University of London (2016). Health’s Got Talent
- King's College London (2012). Lecturer of the Year Award
Teaching
Module leader
Risk in midwifery practice (level 7)
Module leader
Professional issues in midwifery practice - Advocate and Ambassador (level 6)
Module leader
Advancing midwifery prcatice - group ante natal care (level 7)
Research
Research Overview
Mandie's recent research has focussed on the acceptability of induction of labour and routine midwifery care for the detection of breech presentation. Her research interests also include critical studies in risk and maternity care, critical anthropology of female genital cutting, physiology of spontaneous labour and birth, bioethics and maternity services, embodiment of technology during labour and birth and social semiotics of maternal health documentation including policy, guidelines and service user facing information.
Research Areas
- Maternity care
Risk in maternity care
Intrapartum care
Breech birth
- Medical anthropology
Participatory research methods
Culture of maternity care
Female genital cutting
Grants
- NIHR programme development grant
- NIHR programme for patient benefit
- NIHR Health Technology assessment
- ESRC PhD funding
Research Centre
- Centre for Maternal and Child Health research
Principal Collaborators
- Michelle Quashie, maternity improvement campaigner
- Professor Raymond De Vries, University of Michigan
- Professor Christoph Lees, Imperial College London
- Professor Soo Downe, University of Central Lancashire
- Professor Kate Walker, University of Nottingham
- Professor Andy Alaszewski, University of Kent
- Dr Amah Bhide, St Georges NHS Trust
PhD examination
2024 – Florence Darling The influences of facilitators and barriers on the implementation of a physiological approach: A mixed methods study in two obstetric settings
2021 – Laura Gabriel How do midwives conceptualise intrapartum risk?
2017 – Afnan Abdultif Albokhary WHO Ten Steps to successful breastfeeding. Progress, barriers and opportunities in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
2016 – Lucia Rocca-Ihenacho An ethnographic study of the philosophy, culture and practice of an urban freestanding midwifery unit.
Research students
Shawn Walker
Attendance: 2014 - 2017, part-time
Thesis title: The midwife's role in breech pregnancy and childbirth: developing standards of competence and expertise for specialist practice
Role: 1st Supervisor
Roa Altaweli
Attendance: 2010 - 2015, full-time
Thesis title: Interventions during the second stage of labour: An exploration of what may affect their use in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Role: 2nd Supervisor
Kristienne McFarland
Attendance: 2021, full-time
Thesis title: A confluence of caring: A hermeneutic phenomenological study of midwives and obstetricians in collaborative care
Role: External Supervisor
Publications
Publications by category
Book
- Coxon, K., Scamell, M. and Alaszewski, A. (2017). Risk, Pregnancy and Childbirth. Routledge. ISBN 9781138290563.
Chapters (3)
- Scamell, M. and Alaszewski, A. (2023). Sociology of the pregnant and birthing body. In Petersen, A. (Ed.), Handbook on the Sociology of Health and Medicine (pp. 393-393). Edward Elgar Publishing. ISBN 9781839104749.
- Alaszewski, A. and Scamell, M. (2016). Social policy for midwives. In Lindsay, P.A. and Peate, I. (Eds.), Introducing the Social Sciences for Midwifery Practice (pp. 130-143). UK: Routledge. ISBN 9781138015548.
- In Crichton, J., Candlin, C.N. and Firkins, A.S. (Eds.), (2016). Communicating Risk. In Palgrave Macmillan UK. ISBN 9781349556595.
Conference papers and proceedings (2)
- Coates, R., Cupples, G., Scamell, A. and McCourt, C. Decision-making, care and emotion in a randomized controlled trial of two methods of outpatient induction of labour. .
- Scamell, M. (2016). She can’t come here. Ethics of Birth Centre admission policies in the UK. Positive Birth Conference, City University London 19 July-, City University London.
Journal articles (26)
- Scamell, M., Meades, R. and Foya, V. (2024). Embodiment and the technologies of induction of labour. Midwifery, 138, pp. 104144-104144. doi:10.1016/j.midw.2024.104144
- Scamell, M., Thornton, J., Hales, K., Renfew, M., Dahlen, H., Jowit, M.... Burns, E. (2022). Impact of a quality improvement project to reduce the rate of obstetric anal sphincter injury: a multicentre study with a stepped‐wedge design. BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, 129(1), pp. 174-175. doi:10.1111/1471-0528.16885
- Coates, R., Cupples, G., Scamell, A., McCourt, C. and Bhide, A. (2021). Women’s experiences of outpatient induction of labour with double balloon catheter or prostaglandin pessary: A qualitative study. Women and Birth, 34(4), pp. e406-e415. doi:10.1016/j.wombi.2020.07.006
- Coates, R., Cupples, G., Scamell, A. and McCourt, C. (2021). Re: BJOG Debate. Induction of labour should be offered to all women at term. FOR: Induction of labour should be offered at term. BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, 128(5), pp. 935-935. doi:10.1111/1471-0528.16628
- Altaweli, R., McCourt, C., Scamell, M. and Curtis Tyler, K. (2019). Ethnographic study of the use of interventions during the second stage of labor in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Birth, 46(3), pp. 500-508. doi:10.1111/birt.12395
- Scamell, M. and Ghumman, A. (2019). The experience of maternity care for migrant women living with female genital mutilation: A qualitative synthesis. Birth, 46, pp. 15-23. doi:10.1111/birt.12390
- Coates, R., Cupples, G., Scamell, A. and McCourt, C. (2019). Women's experiences of induction of labour: Qualitative systematic review and thematic synthesis. Midwifery, 69, pp. 17-28. doi:10.1016/j.midw.2018.10.013
- Walker, S., Scamell, M. and Parker, P. (2018). Deliberate acquisition of competence in physiological breech birth: A grounded theory study. Women and Birth, 31(3), pp. e170-e177. doi:10.1016/j.wombi.2017.09.008
- Walker, S., Parker, P. and Scamell, M. (2018). Expertise in physiological breech birth: A mixed‐methods study. Birth, 45(2), pp. 202-209. doi:10.1111/birt.12326
- Scamell, M. and Hanley, T. (2018). Midwifery education and technology enhanced learning: Evaluating online story telling in preregistration midwifery education. Nurse Education Today, 62, pp. 112-117. doi:10.1016/j.nedt.2017.11.036
- Scamell, M. and Hanley, T. (2017). Innovation in preregistration midwifery education: Web based interactive storytelling learning. Midwifery, 50, pp. 93-98. doi:10.1016/j.midw.2017.03.016
- Walker, S., Breslin, E., Scamell, M. and Parker, P. (2017). Effectiveness of vaginal breech birth training strategies: An integrative review of the literature. Birth, 44(2), pp. 101-109. doi:10.1111/birt.12280
- Scamell, M., Altaweli, R. and McCourt, C. (2017). Sarah's birth. How the medicalisation of childbirth may be shaped in different settings: Vignette from a study of routine intervention in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Women and Birth, 30(1), pp. e39-e45. doi:10.1016/j.wombi.2016.08.002
- Walker, S., Scamell, M. and Parker, P. (2016). Principles of physiological breech birth practice: A Delphi study. Midwifery, 43, pp. 1-6. doi:10.1016/j.midw.2016.09.003
- Scamell, M. and Olander, E. (2016). Teaching about obesity: Caring, compassion, communication and courage in midwifery education. British Journal of Midwifery, 24(7), pp. 494-499. doi:10.12968/bjom.2016.24.7.494
- Scamell, M. (2016). The fear factor of risk - clinical governance and midwifery talk and practice in the UK. Midwifery, 38, pp. 14-20. doi:10.1016/j.midw.2016.02.010
- Olander, E.K. and Scamell, M. (2016). Teaching students about maternal obesity without creating obesity stigma. Nurse Education Today, 42, pp. 59-61. doi:10.1016/j.nedt.2016.04.009
- Walker, S., Scamell, M. and Parker, P. (2016). Standards for maternity care professionals attending planned upright breech births: A Delphi study. Midwifery, 34, pp. 7-14. doi:10.1016/j.midw.2016.01.007
- Scamell, M. (2014). ‘She can't come here!’ Ethics and the case of birth centre admission policy in the UK. Journal of Medical Ethics, 40(12), pp. 813-816. doi:10.1136/medethics-2013-101847
- Scamell, M. (2014). Childbirth Within the Risk Society. Sociology Compass, 8(7), pp. 917-928. doi:10.1111/soc4.12077
- Scamell, M. and Stewart, M. (2014). Time, risk and midwife practice: the vaginal examination. Health, Risk & Society, 16(1), pp. 84-100. doi:10.1080/13698575.2013.874549
- Stewart, M., Scamell, M. and McFarlane, A. (2013). Professionals respond to GBS article. Practising Midwife, 16(9), pp. 8-9
- Scamell, M., Macfarlane, A., McCourt, C., Rayment, J., Sunderland, J. and Stewart, M. (2013). NICE says caesarean section is not available on demand unless clinically indicated. BMJ, 347(jul30 5), pp. f4649-f4649. doi:10.1136/bmj.f4649
- Coxon, K., Scamell, M. and Alaszewski, A. (2012). Risk, pregnancy and childbirth: What do we currently know and what do we need to know? An editorial. Health, Risk & Society, 14(6), pp. 503-510. doi:10.1080/13698575.2012.709486
- Scamell, M. and Alaszewski, A. (2012). Fateful moments and the categorisation of risk: Midwifery practice and the ever-narrowing window of normality during childbirth. Health, Risk & Society, 14(2), pp. 207-221. doi:10.1080/13698575.2012.661041
- Scamell, M. (2011). The swan effect in midwifery talk and practice: a tension between normality and the language of risk. Sociology of Health & Illness, 33(7), pp. 987-1001. doi:10.1111/j.1467-9566.2011.01366.x
Poster
- Scamell, M. and Walker, S. The discourse of breech as a paradigm shift. Physiological Breech Promoting Normality Conference, 2014.
Professional activities
Editorial activity
- Midwifery; Health Risk and Society, Peer reviewer.
Events/conferences (5)
-
Time Risk and midwifery practice. The case of the vaginal examination. (2014).
Description: International Confederation of Midwives 2014 Conference. -
I can't bare it! Insider methodological dilemmas. (2012).
Description: The Doctoral Midwifery Research Society - invited speaker. -
Risk society and 'the ever closing window of normality'. (2011).
Description: UCLAN Normal Birth Conference - paper presentation -
'If it isn't documented, you never done it' Midwifery work at the margins of risk. (2011).
Description: BSA Med Soc Conference - paper presentation. -
The Swan Effect. In midwifery talk and practice. (2010).
Description: British Sociology Association (BSA) Med Soc Conference - paper presentation.
Keynote lecture/speech
- Vaginal breech birth: shifting ideologies. (2011). Royal College of Midwives student conference (key note).
Other (3)
- Registered Teacher , Nursing and Midwifery Council ( 2012 - present).
- Registered Midwfe , Nursing and Midwifery Council ( 1998 - present).
- Senior Fellowship Advanced Higher Education , Advance HE ( 2024).