Sara Bayes

Professor Sara Bayes is a Vice-Chancellor's Professorial Research Fellow at Edith Cowan University's School of Nursing and Midwifery. Her role involves leading research initiatives, supervising Higher Degree by Research students, and developing clinical midwives' research capabilities. She maintains professional membership with the Australian College of Midwives.

Qualifications include:

• Doctor of Philosophy, Curtin University of Technology (2010)
• Master of Midwifery, Curtin University of Technology (2006)
• Post Graduate Diploma in Midwifery, Curtin University of Technology (2002)
• Diploma in Nursing, England (1995)

Her research focuses on optimizing midwifery practice through qualitative methodologies like Glaserian Grounded Theory, Participatory Action Research, and Implementation Science. She investigates workforce sustainability, job satisfaction, and midwives' capacity to practice at full scope. Current projects examine emotional safety in maternity care, ethical frameworks for education, and interventions for neurodivergent perinatal experiences.

Publications consistently explore midwifery practice environments, maternity service improvements, and clinical education innovations. Recent work demonstrates strong emphasis on qualitative methodologies, workforce sustainability, woman-centered care models, and translational implementation science in perinatal settings.

Active research grants address:

• Midwives' occupational motivation and retention (2024-2026)
• Interprofessional education for maternal deterioration recognition (2024-2025)
• Fathers' mental health in NICU settings (2024-2025)
• Midwifery ethics implementation (2024-2025)
• Graduate mentoring programs for workforce retention (2020-2022)

She supervises multiple doctoral candidates investigating topics including homebirth practices, neurodiversity in perinatal care, cultural decision-making in maternity services, and midwifery practice barriers. Completed supervisions include PhDs on Ghanaian midwifery care quality, evidence-based practice implementation, and remote area primary healthcare delivery.