معرفی
Dr Mairead Black is a Reader in the School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition at the University of Aberdeen, affiliated with the Institute of Applied Health Sciences and the Aberdeen Centre for Women’s Health Research. She is an honorary consultant obstetrician at Aberdeen Maternity Hospital, where she holds leadership roles in labour ward, quality, risk, and governance. Dr Black is academic lead for the Aberdeen Maternity and Neonatal Databank and co-leads the Aberdeen Clinical Academic Training pathway. She has served on the NICE Antenatal Care guideline committee (2018–2021) and is a member of an NHS England working group developing decision aids for maternity care.
Dr Black’s research is centered on improving maternity care through informed decision-making and reducing health inequalities. Her work integrates qualitative and quantitative methods, including systematic reviews, cohort studies, consensus methods, and health services research. Key areas include birth mode planning, induction of labour, maternal epilepsy, multimorbidity, polypharmacy, and care for refugee and asylum-seeking women. She has led and contributed to numerous studies using large linked datasets and evidence synthesis to inform clinical practice and policy.
Her recent publications highlight a strong trend in improving communication and decision-making in maternity care, particularly around caesarean birth and induction of labour. She has published on pharmacoepidemiology, perinatal outcomes, and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on maternity services. Her work often involves multi-stakeholder collaboration and the development of tools such as decision aids and core outcome sets to standardize and improve care.
Scientific Awards:
- HDRUK Research Team Award (2022) – MuM-Predict consortium
Dr Black supervises and mentors early-career researchers and contributes to clinical academic training. She has secured research funding and collaborates widely across the UK and internationally. Her work is supported by extensive datasets and collaborations, including with Public Health Scotland and national guideline bodies. She is actively involved in co-designing safer, more accessible maternity care through evidence-based innovation.
Dr Black leads and contributes to multiple research teams and initiatives, including the MuM-Predict consortium and the Aberdeen Maternity and Neonatal Databank. These teams focus on data linkage, multimorbidity, and improving outcomes for vulnerable populations. Her leadership in research infrastructure enhances the capacity for high-quality maternal and neonatal health research.
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