Gergana NikolovaMy first shift as a qualified midwife was more than 25 years ago. I completed my midwifery degree in Bulgaria and throughout my career; I have had the opportunity to work in 3 different countries  and the  privilege to support thousands of women and their families during one of the most important time of their lives: the birth of their babies.

For a number of years, I was a columnist for one of the biggest midwifery journals in Bulgaria. I have publications in different international journals and spoken on different national and international forums including ICM Congress 2017; EMA Conference and National midwifery and student’s conferences.

I received my Masters of Science in Advance Practice from the University of West London in 2014. In 2016 I received the “Mary Seacole” award for my work on ensuring the provision of equal and accessible antenatal education for mothers from BME communities. In 2017 I become one of the first RCM Fellows and a member of the Alliance of the Bulgarian Midwives.

Currently I am a Deputy Director of Midwifery  at Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust UK. I strongly believe that as we are living in an era where the challenges facing our Maternity services are no longer only financial but, cultural and ethical too. Now, more than ever, we as midwives have to make sure that our mothers will each have equal opportunities and access to health education; maternity services and most importantly midwifery support no matter where they live or what their social status is.