Background

Professor Caroline Homer AO is a leading midwifery researcher in Australia and has an international reputation as a scholar and leader in maternal and newborn health care and service delivery. She obtained her PhD in 2001 and since then has led research and development projects in Australia and internationally especially in relation to health services delivery, reproductive, maternal and newborn care, human resources for health workforce development and midwifery education. She has more than 25 years of experience in the sector – as a clinician, educator, researcher and leader.

Appointments

• 2017-2020: Member, World Health Organization (WHO) Maternal and Perinatal Health Executive Guideline Development Group
• 2008-current: Co-Chair, Australian Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing National Expert Advisory Executive, Development of National Pregnancy Guidelines
• 2012-current: Member, National Maternal and Perinatal Mortality Advisory Group, Australian Institute of Health and Welfare

Positions

• 2018: Co-Program Director, Maternal and Child Health; Working Group Head, Burnet Institute

Visiting Professorial roles: - University of Technology Sydney, Australia - Cardiff University Wales, UK - King’s College London, UK

Honorary Fellow, Menzies School of Health Research, Charles Darwin University, Northern Territory

Qualifications

• 2008: MMedSc (Clin Epi), University of Sydney, Australia
• 2001: PhD, University of Technology Sydney, Australia
• 1997: MNurs, University of Technology Sydney, Australia

Awards

• 2017: Order of Australia in the Queen’s Birthday Awards
• 2013: Australian College of Midwives’ Inaugural Writing Prize named the Caroline Homer Writing Prize in acknowledgement of contribution to academic writing and publication on the midwifery profession.
• 2013: Awarded Life Membership of Australian College of Midwives (NSW Branch).
• 2012: UTS Alumni Award for Excellence 2012 - Faculty of Health.
• 2011: Winner: Researcher Development (including Supervision) Award. UTS Vice-Chancellor’s Awards for Research Excellence.

Projects (2)

Current (2)

• Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies
  A collaborative research program aimed at providing life-saving health care for women and children in PNG.
• HMHB: Quality of Pregnancy, Childbirth and Newborn Health Services Study
  The ‘Gutpela Sevis’ study uses a participatory, partnership defined approach to improve care in East New Britain.

Publications (40)

2019 (18)

• Induction of labour indications and timing: A systematic analysis of clinical guidelines.
  Coates D, Homer C, Wilson A, Deady L, Mason E, Foureur M, Henry A
  Women Birth. 2019 Jul; Epub ahead of print
• Indications for, and timing of, planned caesarean section: A systematic analysis of clinical guidelines.
  Coates D, Homer C, Wilson A, Deady L, Mason E, Foureur M, Henry A
  Women Birth. 2019 Jun; Epub ahead of print
• Survey of Australian maternity hospitals to inform development and implementation of a stillbirth prevention 'bundle of care'.
  Andrews CJ, Ellwood D, Middleton PF, Homer CSE, Reinebrant HE, Donnolley N, Boyle FM, Gordon A, Nicholl M, Morris J, Gardener G, Davies-Tuck M, Wallace EM, Flenady VJ
  Women Birth. 2019 Jun; Epub ahead of print
• The cost of vaginal birth at home, in a birth centre or in a hospital setting in New South Wales: A micro-costing study.
  Scarf VL, Yu S, Viney R, Lavis L, Dahlen H, Foureur M, Homer C
  Women Birth. 2019 Jun; Epub ahead of print
• Point-of-care testing and treatment of sexually transmitted infections to improve birth outcomes in high-burden, low-income settings: Study protocol for a cluster randomized crossover trial (the WANTAIM Trial, Papua New Guinea)
  Vallely AJ, William S. Pomat WS, Homer C, Guy R, Luchters S, Mola GDL, Kariwiga G, Vallely LM, Wiseman V, Morgan C, Wand H, Rogerson SJ, Tabrizi SN, Whiley DM, Low N, Peeling R, Siba P, Riddell M, Laman M, Bolnga J, Robinson LJ, Morewaya J, Badman SG, Batura N, Kelly-Hanku A, Toliman PJ, Peter W, Babona D, Peach E, Garland SM, Kaldor JM
  Well Open Res. 2019 May; Epub ahead of print (Awaiting Open Peer Review)
• Recognising the challenges of providing care for Thai pregnant adolescents: Healthcare professionals' views.
  Jittitaworn W, Fox D, Catling C, Homer CSE
  Women Birth. 2019 Apr; Epub ahead of print
• Addressing preconception behaviour change through mobile phone apps: a protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis.
  Musgrave LM, Homer CSE, Kizirian NV, Gordon A
  Syst Rev. 2019 Apr; 8(1):86
• The experience of vasa praevia for Australian midwives: A qualitative study.
  Nasrin Javid, Jon A Hyett, Caroline S E Homer
  Women Birth. 2019 Apr; 32(2):185-192
• A review of midwifery in mainland China: Contemporary developments within historical, economic and sociopolitical contexts.
  Ling-Ling Gao, Hong Lu, Nicky Leap, Caroline Homer
  Women Birth. 2019 Apr; 32(2):e279-e283
• Scaling Up Misoprostol to Prevent Postpartum Hemorrhage at Home Births in Mozambique: A Case Study Applying the ExpandNet/WHO Framework.
  Hobday K, Hulme J, Prata N, Wate PZ, Belton S, Homer C
  Glob Health Sci Pract. 2019 Mar; 7(1):66-86
• Creating the first national linked dataset on perinatal and maternal outcomes in Australia: Methods and challenges.
  Cheah SL, Scarf VL, Rossiter C, Thornton C, Homer CSE
  J Biomed Inform. 2019 Mar; 93:103152
• A survey of opinion and practice regarding prenatal diagnosis of vasa previa among obstetricians from Australia and New Zealand.
  Nasrin Javid, Jonathan A Hyett, Susan P Walker, Elizabeth A Sullivan, Caroline S E Homer
  Int J Gynaecol Obstet. 2019 Mar; 144(3):252-259
• Obstetric anal sphincter injuries among women with gestational diabetes and women without gestational diabetes: A NSW population-based cohort study.
  Reem Zeki, Zhuoyang Li, Alex Y Wang, Caroline S E Homer, Jeremy J N Oats, Drew Marshall, Elizabeth A Sullivan
  Aust N Z J Obstet Gynaecol. 2019 Feb; Epub ahead of print
• Women's knowledge of maternal danger signs during pregnancy: Findings from a cross-sectional survey in Papua New Guinea.
  Vallely LM, Emori R, Gouda H, Phuanukoonnon S, Homer C, Vallely AJ
  Midwifery. 2019 Feb; 72:7-13
• Implementation of midwifery continuity of care models for Indigenous women in Australia: Perspectives and reflections for the United Kingdom.
  Fernandez Turienzo C, Roe Y, Rayment-Jones H, Kennedy A, Forster D, Homer C, McLachlan H, Sandall J
  Midwifery. 2019 Feb; 69:110-112
• The future in their hands: Graduating student midwives' plans, job satisfaction and the desire to work in midwifery continuity of care.
  Evans J, Taylor J, Browne J, Ferguson S, Atchan M, Maher P, Homer CS, Davis D
  Women Birth. 2019 Jan; Epub ahead of print
• Beyond the headlines: Fetal movement awareness is an important stillbirth prevention strategy.
  Flenady V, Ellwood D, Bradford B, Coory M, Middleton P, Gardener G, Radestad I, Homer C, Davies-Tuck M, Forster D, Gordon A, Groom K, Crowther C, Walker S, Foord C, Warland J, Murphy M, Said J, Boyle F, O'Donoghue K, Cronin R, Sexton J, Weller M, McCowan L
  Women Birth. 2019 Jan; 32(1):1-2
• Core outcome sets for prevention and treatment of postpartum haemorrhage: an international Delphi consensus study.
  S Meher, A Cuthbert, J J Kirkham, P Williamson, E Abalos, N Aflaifel, Z A Bhutta, A Bishop, J Blum, P Collins, D Devane, A-S Ducloy-Bouthors, B Fawole, A M Gulmezoglu, K Gutteridge, G Gyte, Cse Homer, S Mallaiah, J M Smith, A D Weeks, Z Alfirevic
  BJOG. 2019 Jan; 126(1):83-93

2018 (21)

• Getting evidence into practice - Managing hares and tortoises.
  Homer C
  Women Birth. 2018 Dec; 31(6):431-432
• Adverse pregnancy and neonatal outcomes associated with Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Mycoplasma genitalium, M. hominis, Ureaplasma urealyticum and U. parvum: a systematic review and meta-analysis protocol.
  Vallely LM, Egli-Gany D, Pomat W, Homer CS, Guy R, Wand H, Silver B, Rumbold AR, Kaldor JM, Low N, Vallely AJ
  BMJ Open. 2018 Nov; 8(11):e024175
• Updated clinical practice guidelines on pregnancy care.
  Homer CS, Oats J, Middleton P, Ramson J, Diplock S
  Med J Aust. 2018 Nov; 209(9):409-412
• Birthplace in Australia: Antenatal preparation for the possibility of transfer from planned home birth.
  Deborah Fox, Athena Sheehan, Caroline Se Homer
  Midwifery. 2018 Nov; 66:134-140
• "My job is to get pregnant women to the hospital": a qualitative study of the role of traditional birth attendants in the distribution of misoprostol to prevent post-partum haemorrhage in two provinces in Mozambique.
  Hobday K, Hulme J, Homer C, Zualo Wate P, Belton S, Prata N
  Reprod Health. 2018 Oct; 15(1):174
• Short-term and long-term effects of caesarean section on the health of women and children.
  Sandall J, Tribe RM, Avery L, Mola G, Visser GH, Homer CS, Gibbons D, Kelly NM, Kennedy HP, Kidanto H, Taylor P, Temmerman M
  Lancet. 2018 Oct; 392(10155):1349-1357
• Enabling new graduate midwives to work in midwifery continuity of care models: A conceptual model for implementation.
  Allison M Cummins, Christine Catling, Caroline S E Homer
  Women Birth. 2018 Oct; 31(5):343-349
• Multiple morbidities in pregnancy: Time for research, innovation, and action.
  Beeson JG, Homer CSE, Morgan C, Menendez C
  PLoS Med. 2018 Sep; 15(9):e1002665
• Asking different questions: A call to action for research to improve the quality of care for every woman, every child. (Longer Version)
  Holly P Kennedy, Melissa Cheyney, Hannah G Dahlen, Soo Downe, Maralyn J Foureur, Caroline S E Homer, Elaine Jefford, Alison McFadden, Michaela Michel-Schuldt, Jane Sandall, Hora Soltani, Anna M Speciale, Jennifer Stevens, Saraswathi Vedam, Mary J Renfrew
  Birth. 2018 Sep; 45(3):222-231
• Why ARRIVE should not thrive in Australia.
  Davies-Tuck M, Wallace EM, Homer CSE
  Women Birth. 2018 Aug; 31(5):339-340
• Asking different questions: A call to action for research to improve the quality of care for every woman, every child.
  Kennedy HP, Cheyney M, Dahlen HG, Downe S, Foureur MJ, Homer CSE, Jefford E, McFadden A, Michel-Schuldt M, Sandall J, Soltani H, Speciale AM, Sevens J, Vedam S, Renfrew MJ.
  Women Birth. 2018 Aug; 31(4):242-243
• Woman and Birth (June 2018).
  Caroline S E Homer
  Women Birth. 2018 Aug; 31(4):241
• Community-based misoprostol for the prevention of post-partum haemorrhage: A narrative review of the evidence base, challenges and scale-up.
  Hobday K, Hulme J, Belton S, Homer CS, Prata N
  Glob Public Health. 2018 Aug; 13(8):1081-1097
• Anaemia and depression before and after birth: a cohort study based on linked population data.
  Fenglian Xu, Lynette Roberts, Colin Binns, Elizabeth Sullivan, Caroline S E Homer
  BMC Psychiatry. 2018 Jul; 18(1):224
• Midwifery pre-registration education and mid-career workforce participation and experiences.
  Annabel Sheehy, Rachel M Smith, Joanne E Gray, Caroline S E Homer
  Women Birth. 2018 Jul; Epub ahead of print
• Maternal and perinatal outcomes by planned place of birth among women with low-risk pregnancies in high-income countries: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
  Vanessa L Scarf, Chris Rossiter, Saraswathi Vedam, Hannah G Dahlen, David Ellwood, Della Forster, Maralyn J Foureur, Helen McLachlan, Jeremy Oats, David Sibbritt, Charlene Thornton, Caroline S E Homer
  Midwifery. 2018 Jul; 62:240-255
• Maternity care experiences and health needs of migrant women from female genital mutilation-practicing countries in high-income contexts: A systematic review and meta-synthesis.
  Sabera Turkmani, Caroline S E Homer, Angela Dawson
  Birth. 2018 Jun; 46(1):3-14
• The implementation of the free maternal health policy in rural Northern Ghana: synthesised results and lessons learnt.
  Philip Ayizem Dalinjong, Alex Y Wang, Caroline S E Homer
  BMC Res Notes. 2018 May; 11(1):341
• Cesarean section and diabetes during pregnancy: An NSW population study using the Robson classification.
  Reem Zeki, Jeremy J N Oats, Alex Y Wang, Zhuoyang Li, Caroline S E Homer, Elizabeth A Sullivan
  J Obstet Gynaecol Res. 2018 May; 44(5):890-898
• Barriers to and strategies for addressing the availability, accessibility, acceptability and quality of the sexual, reproductive, maternal, newborn and adolescent health workforce: addressing the post-2015 agenda.
  Caroline S E Homer, Sofia Castro Lopes, Andrea Nove, Michaela Michel-Schuldt, Frances McConville, Nester T Moyo, Martha Bokosi, Petra Ten Hoope-Bender
  BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. 2018 Feb; 18(1):55
• Has the free maternal health policy eliminated out of pocket payments for maternal health services? Views of women, health providers and insurance managers in Northern Ghana.
  Philip Ayizem Dalinjong, Alex Y Wang, Caroline S E Homer
  PLoS One. 2018 Feb; 13(2):e0184830

2017 (1)

• The 'Dream Team' for sexual, reproductive, maternal, newborn and adolescent health: an adjusted service target model to estimate the ideal mix of health care professionals to cover population need.
  Petra Ten Hoope-Bender, Andrea Nove, Laura Sochas, Zoe Matthews, Caroline S E Homer, Francisco Pozo-Martin
  Hum Resour Health. 2017 Jul; 15(1):46

News Articles (17)

2019 (8)

• Burnet helps build WHO maternal health guidelines
• New Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies study begins
• Maternity emergency training kicks off in PNG
• Burnet moves to create Reconciliation Action Plan
• This Mother’s Day, help us save mothers' lives
• Helping Burnet's lifesaving work
• International Women's Day event focuses on young women most-at-risk
• A conversation on breastfeeding

2018 (9)

• Exploring challenges in global health
• Updated clinical guidelines for pregnancy care
• Alastair Lucas Prize for Professor Caroline Homer
• Increase in caesarean section births since 2000
• Burnet appointments to NHMRC
• Solutions for maternal mortality
• New appointment for Professor Caroline Homer AO
• Maternal and child health challenges
• Trailblazer in maternal health joins Burnet