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Congratulations to Niamh Howard-Jones and Gráinne McSteen
Many congratulations to Niamh Howard-Jones and Gráinne McSteen who graduated with Masters of Science in Loss & Bereavement on Monday, 24 November 2025.
The MSc Loss & Bereavement is a two-year programme delivered by the Irish Hospice Foundation, in association with the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI).
For her master’s thesis, Niamh examined the communication and management of pregnancy-related tissue in first trimester miscarriage within the 19 maternity units in the Republic of Ireland to inform service improvements. Niamh is a Candidate Advanced Midwife Practitioner - Early Pregnancy Loss/Miscarriage Services at Cork University Maternity Hospital (CUMH) and member of the Pregnancy Loss Research Group. Until recently she was a Clinical Midwife Specialist in Bereavement and Loss at CUMH.
Gráinne used action research in her thesis which explored midwives’ confidence in providing perinatal bereavement care and how to implement sustainable improvements. Gráinne is a Staff Midwife at Sligo University Hospital.
Congratulations also to Dr Órla Power who graduated with a MSc in Leadership Innovation & Healthcare from the RCSI on the same day. Órla is a Junior Registrar, Obstetrics & Gynaecology at CUMH. Her MSc project involved the development of a perinatal bereavement care education programme for medical students.