Dr Sally Pezaro awarded Churchill Fellowship to research inclusion in childbearing in Australia and New Zealand

Friday 11 July 2025

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Dr Sally Pezaro, Assistant Professor at the Research Centre for Healthcare and Communities at Coventry University, has been awarded a prestigious Churchill Fellowship for 2025.

Her research explores how to achieve greater diversity and inclusion in perinatal care — drawing lessons from leading specialists and communities in New Zealand and Australia.

Dr Pezaro is one of 118 Churchill Fellows announced this year by the charity as it celebrates its 60th anniversary. Each Fellowship supports people across the UK to lead change through international learning.

Dr Pezaro will investigate how more inclusive, equitable care models in the perinatal space can be applied to UK maternity services.

I’m deeply honoured to receive this award. Too many people continue to experience exclusion or poorer outcomes during pregnancy and birth due to race, gender, or other inequalities. Learning from global leaders in inclusive practice and Indigenous communities will help shape a more just and compassionate approach here in the UK.
Dr Sally Pezaro

Her Fellowship will take her to leading institutions including Otago Polytechnic and Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand and Flinders University in Adelaide, Australia. Dr Pezaro will engage with midwives, scholars and Indigenous health practitioners to learn from their long histories of inclusive family care and gender diversity.

Dr Pezaro’s research focuses on gender-inclusive perinatal care and how colonial legacy continues to influence healthcare delivery, observing how new approaches can dismantle these barriers to improve outcomes for all.

Her recent publications include co-authored articles on inclusive language, the experiences of trans and non-binary birthing people and visionary thinking around the future of midwifery.

We’re delighted to welcome Sally to our 2025 cohort. This is an important and timely area of research, and we look forward to seeing the impact of her work in the UK and beyond.
Julia Weston, Chief Executive of the Churchill Fellowship

Dr Pezaro joins a growing network of more than 4,000 Churchill Fellows whose work has influenced policy, services, and practice across the UK for the last 60 years.