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Ph.D candidate and Co-Chair of the International Family Care Committee

Biography

Nadia Leake is a leading neonatal advocate, researcher, and expert by experience in neonatal care, with a particular focus on Family Integrated Care (FICare). Her work is grounded in both academic research and lived experience, following the premature birth of her twin sons at 23 weeks in 2012. During their 20-week journey across four neonatal units, Nadia gained first-hand insight into the emotional, psychological, and practical challenges faced by families. This experience has since shaped her commitment to improving neonatal care, particularly in advancing FICare, enhancing communication, and promoting trauma-informed and bereavement-sensitive practices.

In 2019, Nadia published Surviving Prematurity, offering a powerful and candid account of the parental experience in neonatal care. The book provides rare and valuable insight into the stressors and trauma parents may encounter, perspectives often inaccessible to healthcare professionals. Alongside her advocacy, Nadia is currently a PhD candidate at Newcastle University, where her research explores how healthcare professionals experience and implement FICare. Her work aims to support the ongoing cultural shift towards recognising parents as primary caregivers within neonatal settings for the betterment of their babies.

Nadia has held numerous influential roles shaping FICare policy and practice both nationally and internationally. She is Chair of the UK FICare Committee and Co-Chair of the International FICare Committee, and has contributed extensively to key initiatives, including co-authoring the British Association of Perinatal Medicine’s Family Integrated Care Framework for Practice (2021). Her contributions span multiple organisations and programmes, including the Northern Neonatal Network, Bliss, the Institute of Health Visiting, and the NIHR Challenge Maternity Disparities Consortium. Through her work, Nadia continues to champion family integrated, equitable, and evidence-based neonatal care.

Presentation

Barriers and facilitators to implementing Family Integrated Care: leveraging the power of parents

Thursday 26 November 08.30