Sian is a clinical academic, currently undertaking an NIHR Doctoral Research Fellowship within the Department of Health Sciences at the University of York. She is conducting research to evaluate the co-location of welfare benefits and rights advice in maternity services and its potential to improve maternal and child health and wellbeing and reduce health inequalities during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Sian studied medicine and graduated from the Hull York Medical School in 2011. She has a long-standing interest in global health and health inequalities in the areas of child and maternal health. Her experience also demonstrates skills in strategic and organisational development, medical education, project management and emergency planning.
After completing foundation training in the Yorkshire and Humber Deanery she spent a year working at Public Health England as a Faculty of Medical Leadership and Management (FMLM) National Medical Director's Clinical Leadership and Management Fellow. Here she contributed to research in the area of utero transmission to chronic hepatitis B infection in infants and effectiveness of antivirals during pregnancy in preventing perinatal transmission. She led on the preparation of the first global health strategy for the health and wellbeing directorate. During this time she also contributed significantly to the national public health response and leadership to the West African Ebola outbreak.
From 2015, Sian undertook an NIHR Academic Clinical Fellowship in Primary Care alongside completing clinical training to become a General Practitioner. Sian studied secondhand smoke exposure during pregnancy using a cross-sectional analysis of data from Demographic and Health Survey from 30 low- and middle-income countries with the Department of Health Sciences at the University of York. During this time, Sian was awarded a Masters in Public Health from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
Sian also has significant experience in the third sector working with an award winning international children's charity, Students for Kids International Projects. Some of her work has included the development of sustainable community based projects in Tanzania aimed at improving the health, education and welfare of vulnerable children. From 2014-2018 she chaired the charity's board of trustees and was responsible for their overall strategic vision and organisational development.
Sian is conducting research to evaluate the co-location of welfare benefits and rights advice in maternity services and its potential to improve maternal and child health and wellbeing and reduce health inequalities during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Sian is involved in the regular clinical training of Hull York Medical School medical students and foundation doctors in the region. Prior to commencing her doctoral research fellowship she was a Phase 1 clinical tutor at the Hull York Medical School. She is also has extensive experience as a national trainer for the charity SKIP.
Sian is an FMLM National Medical Director's Clinical Leadership and Management Fellow and is an Honorary Clinical Fellow at Public Health England.
Sian was awarded a place in the 100 Women Leaders in Global Health by The Graduate Institute Geneva: Global Health Programme. She was also awarded the Keele University prize for medicine and the Staffordshire University prize for medicine in 2007 in recognition of academic distinction. In 2010, Sian was awarded the the FAMILeY Award by the Female and Maternal Health Issues Locally in East Yorkshire (FAMILeY) charity for her research on the management of female urinary incontinence across the region.