The School of Nursing and Midwifery currently has over 60 higher degree research (HDR) students. Please read the below profiles of two of our current HDR students. If you are interested in undertaking higher degree research in the school, please visit the UTS Future Research Students website for further information.
Soudabeh Niroomand, Nursing
Soudabeh Niroomand is an international HDR candidate from Iran pursuing her doctoral studies in the School of Nursing and Midwifery. She is a recipient of the International Research Training Program (IRTP) Scholarship, working on a project that focuses on a critical social and health issue: intimate partner violence (IPV) among Iranian women living in Australia. Alongside her PhD studies, she is working on gender equality projects at the WHO Collaborating Centre for Nursing, Midwifery, and Health Development. Before coming to Australia, she was a university lecturer in medical sciences for eight years and published papers mostly about women’s health. This experience heightened her concern for women’s health and led her to commit to shedding light on the complexities of IPV within the Iranian immigrant women. For the first time in Australia, she aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the prevalence of IPV within this community, the impact of immigration on IPV, and the effect of IPV on women’s health and well-being. She emphasises, “Immigrants carry their beliefs and pasts while facing the challenges of a new country. Starting over is tough, especially for couples with pre-existing intrarelationship issues.”
Soudabeh Niroomand's journey at UTS has been marked by a commitment to excellence and a passion for learning. In 2024, she showcased the collective scope of her research topic by publishing a literature review in the Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health. The supportive environment at UTS has been pivotal in her development, with her supervisors playing a crucial role as guiding mentors for her research. “I see my PhD journey as a smooth flight, with my supervisors as the wings that make it possible,” she reflects. Their knowledge, experience, and unwavering support have been instrumental in guiding her toward academic success.
The expertise and insights she developed, along with her experiences, have equipped her for the next stages of her academic and professional journey. She is confident that the strong foundation she established at UTS will continue to support her as she aims to make significant contributions to the field of women’s health. In societies where deep-rooted cultural and religious beliefs silence women and turn taboos into invisible chains, she is contributing to understanding how these social anomalies can be reversed. “Intimate partner violence is not merely a cultural issue- it is a fundamental women’s health crisis. This is not confined to a single ethnicity; it concerns the well-being and dignity of women everywhere. My mission is to support their voices, ensuring that no woman endures suffering in silence”, says Soudabeh.
Jiasi Yao, Midwifery
Jiasi Yao is an international HDR student from China, currently perusing her PhD supported by the Joint UTS-CSC (Chinese Scholarship Council) Doctor of Philosophy Scholarships Program. Under the supervision of Professor Kathleen Baird, Dr Heike Roth and Professor Debra Anderson, her research focuses on a critical issue in maternity care: shifting the approach to pushing strategy during labour from a routine commanding approach to a woman-centered approach within the Chinese context.
Adopting a pragmatist lens, Jiasi’s doctoral research evaluated the feasibility of supporting women to push spontaneously, aiming to enhance the understanding of physiological labour and birth in the Chinese context. Her innovative mixed-methods approach combined quantitative data from a cohort study with qualitative narratives from midwives, offering holistic insights into barriers and enablers of physiological childbirth care in China. A critical component of her PhD study, a cohort study involving 224 Chinese women, demonstrated that spontaneous pushing was associated with fewer episiotomies, reduced blood loss, and higher maternal satisfaction. Importantly, it posed no additional risks to women and newborns, thereby challenging the prevailing routine practice of directed pushing practices.
Complementing these findings, the qualitative component of the study revealed strong midwifery endorsement of spontaneous pushing as a return to physiological childbirth, aligning with core midwifery ethics. Themes emerging from the midwifery interviews emphasized women’s empowerment, reduced medical interventions, and the need to reframe routine practices such as instructing women when and how to push. Jiasi’s research also highlighted “transitioning to woman-centered care requires systemic changes—enhanced prenatal education, interdisciplinary training, and policy reforms to bridge evidence-practice gap.” Her work underscores the vital role of empathy and professional competency in fostering respectful, woman-centered maternity care.
Jiasi is very grateful for her experience at UTS and extends her appreciation to the School of Nursing and Midwifery, particularly for supporting her in presenting her research at the 2024 Australian National Conference of Midwives. Now nearing the completion of her PhD, she is preparing to return to her previous position as a lecturer and researcher in Hebei Medical University, China. Jiasi remains committed to advocating her respectful, woman-centered maternity care within the Chinese context. Reflecting on her journey, Jiasi credits the unwavering support from the UTS community and her supervisors for helping her through PhD journey.