A full audience gathered in the Canada Room on 20th May 2025 to attend the inaugural lecture of Professor Kenda Crozier, Head of the School of Nursing and Midwifery at Queen’s University Belfast. Appointed on 19th August 2024, Professor Crozier’s arrival has been warmly welcomed across the university and healthcare community.

The lecture drew a diverse crowd including university colleagues, postgraduate research students, representatives from the Department of Health, patient and carer partners, and Professor Crozier’s family and friends—all eager to engage with her vision for the future of nursing and midwifery.

Professor Crozier’s talk, “Expecting the Unexpected: advancing practice in midwifery and nursing” explored how healthcare professions and professional education must adapt in response to societal change and population need. She opened with a reflection on cultural representations of midwifery—evoking the iconic image of midwives on bicycles from popular television dramas—and contrasted this idealised image with the complex realities facing maternity services today.

Referencing the findings of major reviews including Ockenden, Kirkup, and Renfrew, she highlighted systemic issues that have persisted for over a decade—particularly around patient safety, the dominance of bureaucratic systems, and the silencing of women’s voices. Central to her message was the need to cultivate a culture of enquiry among health professionals.

She shared insights from the Innovations in Nursing and Midwifery Practice Project, a four-year initiative that enhanced research capability and capacity within nursing and midwifery teams at an NHS Trust in England. The project, she demonstrated, had a lasting impact on service delivery and professional development.

The lecture then turned to Advanced Midwifery Practice. Professor Crozier underscored that professional advancement requires not only clearly defined skills and regulatory frameworks but also the creation of new knowledge. Her work on developing a capability framework for advanced midwifery practice aims to strengthen career pathways  for midwives and improve outcomes for women and babies—especially those in vulnerable and socially disadvantaged groups. She argued that advanced practice is key to delivering continuity of care in complex pregnancies and ensuring equity in maternity services.

Reflecting on her own professional journey, Professor Crozier charted the evolution of nursing and midwifery—and the transformation still needed to retain public trust and meet the demands of modern healthcare.