Projects per year
Personal profile
Biography
Alison is a senior research fellow and Director of the Mother and Infant Research Unit in the School of Health Sciences at the University of Dundee.
Alison qualified as a midwife in 1981 and has worked in clinical midwifery in Bristol and Middlesbrough in England. She spent three years in Malawi working as a midwife teacher and clinical midwife. Qualifying as a midwifery tutor in 1989, she was awarded the Robert Peer’s Prize for Adult Education by the University of Nottingham, and spent 17 years lecturing in midwifery and women’s health at the University of Teesside. She was awarded a Masters in Applied Educational Studies by the University of York in 1993.
In 2005 she joined the Mother and Infant Research Unit at the University of York and gained a NIHR Researcher Development Award to undertake a PhD which was completed in 2009 at the University of York. Her doctoral research examined the breastfeeding support needs and experiences of women of Bangladeshi origin living in the UK.
Alison joined the University of Dundee as a research fellow in January 2013.
Research
Alison’s research focusses on improving the health and health care experiences of childbearing women, babies and families and reducing health inequities.
She has particular interests in global infant feeding policy and evidence-based support to enable women to breastfeed, in improving the quality of midwifery care nationally and internationally; and in improving health care for women, babies and families from marginalised/socially excluded groups.
Her methodological expertise is in qualitative methods, evidence synthesis, multi-method studies, implementation of evidence into practice and including participants in research who are often excluded.
Alison is the lead author of the flagship Cochrane review 'Support for healthy breastfeeding mothers with healthy term babies' and is an Expert Panel Member for the WHO Guideline Development Group – Nutrition Actions 2016-2018.
Alison is a co-author on the influential Lancet Series on Midwifery published in 2014.
McFadden, Symon: Developing a research collaboration to reduce maternal and neonatal mortality and morbidity in India through high quality midwifery services: July – September 2019 UoD GCRF fund £7,880 (PRF 35553)
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
Education/Academic qualification
Doctor of Philosophy, University of York
Award Date: 1 Jan 2009
Master of Arts, University of York
Award Date: 1 Jan 1993
Keywords
- RG Gynecology and obstetrics
- Public Health
- RT Nursing
- Midwifery
- Culturally appropriate care
- Maternal and infant health and nutrition
- Qualitative methods
Fingerprint
- 1 Similar Profiles
Network
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Exploring Homeless Women's Experiences Of Pregnancy Whilst In Temporary Accomodation
1/04/22 → 31/03/23
Project: Research
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Community Health Matters: Evaluation of Gypsy/Traveller Community Health Workers
14/06/21 → 13/06/23
Project: Research
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Co-Production of an NHS-Tailored Implementation and Evaluation Strategy Framework to Support Women in the UK to Breastfeed with a Focus on Reducing Health Inequities: Evidence Synthesis with Stakeholder Engagement (joint with Queen's University Belfast, Huddersfield University, Open University, University College London and Public Health Wales)
Farre, A., Gavine, A. & McFadden, A.
National Institute for Health Research
1/02/21 → 31/07/22
Project: Research
Research output
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Implementing the Becoming Breastfeeding Friendly Initiative in Scotland
McFadden, A., Kendall, S. & Eida, T., 11 Jan 2022, (E-pub ahead of print) In: Maternal and Child Nutrition. 9 p., e13304.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile1 Citation (Scopus)15 Downloads (Pure) -
Remote provision of breastfeeding support and education: Systematic review and meta‐analysis
Gavine, A., Marshall, J., Buchanan, P., Cameron, J., Leger, A., Ross, S., Murad, A. & McFadden, A., 18 Mar 2022, In: Maternal and Child Nutrition. 18, 2, 23 p., e13296.Research output: Contribution to journal › Review article › peer-review
Open AccessFile12 Downloads (Pure) -
A Conceptual Framework for a Proposed Research about Focused Ethnography on Kangaroo Care Intervention from Health Care Providers and Parents Perspectives
Almutairi, A., Gavine, A. & McFadden, A., 2021.Research output: Contribution to conference › Other › peer-review
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Cue-based feeding for preterm infants transitioning from tube to oral feeding: intervention development and feasibility study (Cubs)
McFadden, A., Fitzpatrick, B., Shinwell, S., Tosh, K., Donnan, P., Wallace, L., Johnson, E., MacGillivray, S., Gavine, A., Farre, A. & Mactier, H., Dec 2021, In: Health Technology Assessment. 25, 74, p. 1-145 145 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile22 Downloads (Pure) -
Evaluation of the implementation of a new model of clinical supervision for midwives in Scotland: a qualitative case study
McFadden, A., Allum, K., Cameron, J. & Gray, N., 1 Jun 2021, p. 599-599. 1 p.Research output: Contribution to conference › Paper › peer-review
Prizes
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Digital health, healthcare service design and marginalisation
Gray, Nicola (Recipient), McFadden, Alison (Recipient), Farre, Albert (Recipient), Sixsmith, Judith (Recipient), Fang, Mei (Recipient), Rodriguez, Andrea (Recipient) & Hannah, Beth (Recipient), 1 Apr 2021
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)
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Digital health, healthcare service design and marginalisation. Award £4,986.
Gray, Nicola (Recipient), McFadden, Alison (Recipient), Farre, Albert (Recipient), Sixsmith, Judith (Recipient), Hannah, Beth (Recipient) & Rodriguez, Andrea (Recipient), 2021
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)
Activities
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Implementing cue-based feeding: a feasibility study
Alison McFadden (Speaker) & Karen Tosh (Speaker)
28 Jan 2022Activity: Talk or presentation types › Oral presentation
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Utilising linked administrative datasets to explore the developmental pathways of children born to women who use opioids in pregnancy
Alison McFadden (Member)
11 Jul 2021 → 10 Jul 2024Activity: Other activity types › Other
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Dalarna University (External organisation)
Alison McFadden (Member) & Renee Flacking (Chair)
4 Oct 2021 → …Activity: Membership types › Membership of network
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World Health Organization (External organisation)
Alison McFadden (Participant)
3 Dec 2021Activity: Membership types › Membership of panel
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Systematic review of cue-based feeding for preterm infants transitioning from tube to oral feeding
Alison McFadden (Speaker)
1 Nov 2021Activity: Talk or presentation types › Invited talk
Press / Media
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Dundee Influences Pregnancy Health in India
Alison McFadden & Andrew Symon
18/12/18
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media: Research
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Breast is best for older babies too: Rebecca McQuillan tackles a persistent taboo
8/08/16
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media: Research
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Massive health benefits from more breastfeeding
29/01/16
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media: Research
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Experts in call to halt adverts for infant formula
29/01/16
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media: Research
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Fruit and vegetable vouchers could buy poorer people a more nutritious diet
18/03/15
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media: Research
Thesis
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How can breastfeeding support services best meet the needs of women of Bangladeshi origin living in the UK?
Author: McFadden, A., 2010Supervisor: Renfrew, M. (Supervisor) & Atkin, K. (External person) (Supervisor)
Student thesis: Doctoral Thesis › Doctor of Philosophy