Dr Tina Harris

Tina Harris is Lead Midwife for Education, Faculty Head of Research Students and Principal Lecturer in Midwifery within the School of Nursing and Midwifery at De Montfort University in Leicester.

Tina completed her nursing and midwifery training in the early eighties and then worked in hospital and community posts as a midwife. She completed an Advanced Diploma in Midwifery in 1986 and, following a three year period working in parent education in the USA, completed her honours degree in education in 1993. At this time she moved into an academic post as a midwifery lecturer.

In 2005 Tina successfully defended her PhD thesis, a grounded theory study which explored practice variation and decision making in third stage care among midwives. Her academic interests are now focused on supervising and supporting PhD students, researching and leading midwifery education at De Montfort University.

Tina’s research interests focus on the development of theory for midwifery practice and education utilising qualitative methodologies, with a particular interest in Grounded Theory approaches.

Nursing and Midwifery Research Centre

Reproduction Research Group

Mary Seacole Research Centre  

Click here to view a full listing of Tina Harris' publications and outputs.

• Midwifery practice
• Midwifery education
• Decision making in clinical care
• Practice variation
• Care of childbearing women from ethnic minority and migrant backgrounds
• Parent education
• Obesity.

• NRMW 3010 Professional Enquiry Module
• MPHE 5007 Dissertation Module
• Supervision of undergraduate students completing their dissertations
• Supervision of postgraduate students completing their dissertations
• Supervision of MPhil and PhD students
• Undergraduate and post graduate teaching in midwifery.

PhD, RN, RM, ADM Recordable Teaching Qualification

BSc Hons Education Studies (Midwifery) 1st Class

• BSc Hons Midwifery
• BSc Hons Midwifery (shortened)
• MSc Midwifery Practice
• BSc Hons Nursing

• Member of validation panel as external reviewer for Masters in Midwifery programme at Liverpool John Moores University 2004
• External advisor on research project at Liverpool John Moores University with Irene Walton: A study of the decision making processes of the midwife in the care of low risk women in labour 2005-2007
• Member of the LME Strategic Reference Group at the NMC 2006-date
• Member of panel for revalidation of curriculum at University of Manchester on 2 occasions as external reviewer 2008/2009
• Participant in NMC consultation on changes to the constitution rules 2008
• External examiner University of Bedfordshire 2007-2009
• External examiner University of Bournemouth 2009-present
• External advisor for periodic review at University of Manchester 2009
• External specialist advisor for revalidation of midwifery programmes 2008/9
• UCLAN 2009
• External Specialist advisor for revalidation of graduate degree and postgraduate diploma in midwifery. University of Hull 2009
• Leader for Initial and Higher Education Group of the Education Standing Committee for the International Confederation of Midwives 2009-date
• Member of Leading Midwifery Services Programme Advisory Panel NHS East Midlands Strategic Health Authority 2010
• Expert Advisor to the NHS Evidence (NICE) specialist collection on ethnicity and health 2011-
• Member of ICM Midwifery Research Advisory Network 2003 to date
• Member of ICM Midwifery Education Advisory Network 2008 to date
• Specialist member of validation panel for revalidation of curricular Edgehill 11/3/11
• Specialist member of validation panel for revalidation of midwifery curriculum Liverpool John Moores University 30/6/11

• CMB/UKCC/NMC 1982 to date
• RCM 1982 to date
• NATFE which became UCE 1996 to date
• ILT which became HEA 2000 to date
• ICM Midwifery Research Advisory Network 2003 to date
• ICM Midwifery Education Advisory Network 2008 to date

• Certificate in Research Supervision De Montfort University, Leicester June 2003
• Update attended 2011
• Advanced Diploma in Midwifery Birmingham Maternity Hospital (ADM) 1986
• State Certified Midwife (SCM) King’s College Hospital, London 1982
• State Registered Nurse (SRN) Normanby College, London 1980

• Harris T (2000) Oral presentation “Midwifery Practice in the third stage of labour” Midwives Marking the Millennium: the diversity of Practice. Two day International Conference 8-9 June, Highcliffe Hotel, Bournemouth.
• Crompton A and Harris T (2000) Oral presentation “Defining and understanding birth to skin-to-skin” Are Midwives losing the art of keeping birth normal? Conference 27 November Hayes Conference Centre, Swanwick, Derbyshire.
• Harris T (2001) Oral presentation “The use of an egalitarian paradigm in a qualitative research project entitled Midwifery Practice in the Third Stage of Labour” 2nd International Qualitative Evidence-Based Practice Conference 14-16 May 2001 Coventry.
• Harris T (2002) Lecture "Midwifery practice in the third stage of labour" International Confederation of Midwives 26th triennial Congress April 14-18 2002 Vienna Austria Centre, Vienna.
• Harris T (2002) Oral presentation "The use of qualitative research to inform midwifery practice" International Confederation of Midwives 26th triennial Congress April 14-18 2002 Vienna Austria Centre, Vienna.
• Harris T (2002) Poster presentation."Normality for the third stage of labour" International Confederation of Midwives 26th triennial Congress April 14-18 2002 Vienna Austria Centre, Vienna.
• Harris T (2002) Oral presentation “Deciding what we mean by active and expectant management of the third stage of labour” 1st Normality in Midwifery Conference. 29th October 2002 University of Central Lancashire, Preston .
• Harris T (2002) Oral presentation. “The use of qualitative research to inform midwifery practice on the third stage of labour”. 3rd Annual International Research Conference: Transforming healthcare through research, education and technology 13-15 November 2002. University of Dublin Trinity College, Dublin
• Harris T (2002) Oral presentation. “Practice variation among midwives during the third stage of labour”. 3rd Annual International Research Conference: Transforming healthcare through research, education and technology 13-15 November 2002. University of Dublin Trinity College, Dublin.
• Harris T (2002) Poster presentation. “Normality for the third stage of labour: a critique of active management in women at low risk”. 3rd Annual International Research Conference: Transforming healthcare through research, education and technology 13-15 November 2002. University of Dublin Trinity College, Dublin.
• Harris T (2006) Poster presentation “Midwives decision making in third stage care” RCM annual conference 9-12 May 2006 Riviera International Conference Centre, Torquay.
• Harris T (2006) Oral presentation “An explanation for third stage practice variation: the theory of contingent decision making Normal Labour and Birth: 3rd Research Conference 7-9 June 2006Grange Hotel, Grange-over-Sands.
• Harris T (2006) Oral presentation in concurrent session “Midwifery practice in the third stage of labour”. 6th European Qualitative Research Conference in Health and Social Care 4-6 September 2006 : Bournemouth University, Bournemouth .
• Harris T (2006) Oral presentation in maternity care stream “Models of care among midwives and their influence on the management of the third stage of labour: results from a grounded theory study”. 7th Annual Interdisciplinary Research Conference: transforming healthcare through research, education and technology. 8-10 November 2006.
• Doughty R, Harris T and McLean M (2006) Oral presentation at concurrent workshop “Tripartite Assessment of Learners during Practice Placements in Midwifery Pre-Registration Programmes”. UVAC Annual Conference. 30/11/06-1/12/06. Royal York Hotel, York.
• Harris T ( 2008) Third stage practice variation-midwives individualising care? ARM Annual conference. Mencap: Sheffield. Keynote speaker.
• Muxlow A, Harris T (2008) Aspects of organisational culture which enable midwifery practice. ICM 28th Triennial Congress: Midwifery: A worldwide commitment to women and the newborn. 1-5 June 2008: Glasgow SEEC Oral presentation within concurrent session.
• Harris T, Doughty R, Addo A, Mee K (2008) The return of the midwifery viva: an innovation to assess fitness for practice. ICM 28th Triennial Congress: Midwifery: A worldwide commitment to women and the newborn. 1-5 June 2008: Glasgow SEEC Oral presentation within concurrent session.
• Harris T and Garratt R (2008) Grading of practice at De Montfort University. LME workshop on grading clinical practice. Invited speaker. City University, London. 30 September 2008.
• Bawadi H, Culley L, Harris T (2008) Migrant Arab Muslim women’s experience of childbirth in the UK. Concurrent paper 11th Annual conference. Making midwives and women’s health matter. 2 October 2008. Liverpool Women’s Hospital.

As an experienced midwifery lecturer with a recordable teaching qualification, Tina is regularly invited to be a member of revalidation and periodic review panels for midwifery programmes across the UK. She is also an active member of the Lead Midwives for Education Strategic Reference Group and leads the Initial and Higher Education group for the International Confederation of Midwives Education Standing Committee. She is an external examiner at Bournemouth University.

Tina has a number of years experience successfully supervising PhD students to completion and has also examined PhD students. She has been a specialist advisor on research projects with other Universities and has worked collaboratively across institutions on research projects.

Tina is available as a consultant in the following areas:

• Midwifery education
• Midwifery practice
• Midwifery research (including PhD supervision and examining)
• Qualitative research methodologies, particularly grounded theory
• Practice variation in clinical care
• Decision making in clinical care

• Fran Mills (1st supervisor)
• Rowena Doughty (2nd supervisor)
• Aveen Haji Mam (1st supervisor)

An evaluation of the effect of NHS Trust financial support on pre-registration mentorship and preceptorship in midwifery – a collaborative project with Nottingham University and University of Northampton East Midlands Healthcare Workforce Deanery funded project 2008

• Breast feeding baby ‘on the go’ – A De Montfort University funded project as part of the University Square Mile project.  £6050 2011-date
• Evaluation of the tripartite assessment process in midwifery A De Montfort University funded project £1500 2012-date

• Reviewer for Journal of Advanced Nursing 2003-date
• Reviewer for Nurse researcher 2009-date
• Reviewer for Midwifery 2009-date
• Reviewer of ICM abstracts for Triennial ICM Congresses 2005-date
• Invited speaker at the RCM debate “The quest for graduate education has led to the demise of the midwifery profession and the loss of the essence of being with woman”. 30 April 2012 National Liberal Club London – presented opposing the motion