UCC Midwifery Lecturer Elected Secretary of the European Midwives Association

Dr Maeve O’Connell has been elected to the Board of the European Midwives Association as Secretary, representing midwifery leadership at European level.

Dr Maeve O’Connell, Lecturer in Midwifery at University College Cork’s School of Nursing and Midwifery, has been elected Secretary of the European Midwives Association (EMA).
Dr O’Connell was elected at the EMA General Meeting held in Helsinki, Finland, in September 2026. She was nominated by the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) and elected by delegates representing midwifery associations from across Europe. She will serve a four-year term on the EMA Board.
The European Midwives Association represents midwives and midwifery organisations across Europe and works to advance the profession and influence European policy relating to midwifery, maternal and newborn health, education and workforce development.
Dr O’Connell is a registered midwife and nurse, researcher and educator whose work focuses on quality maternal and newborn care, midwifery workforce and professional development, perinatal mental health, infant feeding, and sustainable maternity care. She joined UCC in March 2026 following an international academic and clinical career in Ireland, the UK, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates.

Speaking about her appointment, Dr O’Connell said:

“It is a great privilege to have been elected Secretary of the European Midwives Association. I look forward to working with colleagues across Europe to strengthen the voice of midwives, advance our profession and ensure that midwifery is represented in the European conversations and policies that shape maternity care. I am also delighted to bring this European role to UCC and to create opportunities for greater collaboration between our School and the wider European midwifery community.”