Keynote Speakers

Professor Ellen Aagaard Nøhr

Ellen Aagaard Nøhr has a clinical background as a midwife and a distinguished academic career. She was the first Danish professor of midwifery and currently holds this position at the University of Southern Denmark and Odense University Hospital. Over the past two decades, she has conducted substantial reproductive epidemiologic research on maternal and child health, particularly through the Danish National Birth Cohort (DNBC), where she is a member of the Scientific Management group. In 2013, she led a large-scale follow-up study examining the health of 50,000 mothers 12–15 years postpartum. Today, she has authored more than 300 peer-reviewed publications and chairs several research projects.

Ellen actively fosters collaborations with midwives both nationally and internationally, driving research on improving long-term health outcomes in pregnancy, childbirth, and motherhood. She is also deeply committed to advancing midwifery, working to strengthen its practice through constructive critique of both midwifery practice and research, while advocating for its central role in healthcare policy.

https://portal.findresearcher.sdu.dk/da/persons/eanohr

Researcher Malin Hansson

Malin Hansson is a midwife and a full-time researcher at the University of Gothenburg’s Sahlgrenska Academy, Institute of Health and Care Sciences, and at Region Västra Götaland, Research and Development Primary Healthcare in Gothenburg, Sweden. Malin’s research spans a broad range of topics, including healthcare professionals' work environments and roles, the integration of digital practices, sexual health, and parenting and couple relationships. In addition to her research, she leads innovation initiatives.

Malin's primary focus is on the GoodWEM (Good Work Environment for Midwives) project, a longitudinal study exploring the organizational and psychosocial conditions of midwives across Sweden. By turning her research lens on midwives working conditions, she aims to address the critical issue of midwife turnover – a challenge throughout the Nordic countries – in order to foster a sustainable, healthy working life that benefit both midwives and the women they care for.

https://www.gu.se/en/about/find-staff/malinhansson2

https://www.gu.se/forskning/brama-bra-arbetsmiljo-at-barnmorskor

Head of Advocacy for ICM Daniela Drandić

Daniela Drandić has a background in civil society advocacy and extensive experience in global health communications. Since 2022, she has served as Head of Advocacy and Communications at the International Confederation of Midwives (ICM), where she contributes to ICM’s strategic priorities and overall leadership as part of the Leadership Team.

For over 15 years, Daniela has focused on improving maternity services and advancing sexual and reproductive health and rights, particularly in Central and Eastern Europe. She has led international campaigns to raise awareness of human rights in childbirth and obstetric violence, leveraging global networks and fostering collaborations. An advocate for participative leadership, she brings expertise in strategic resource mobilisation, coalition building, and stakeholder engagement.

Daniela has authored numerous publications on maternity care quality and is the author of Pregnant: Your Guide to the Next Twelve Months, a free resource for expectant families. She holds a Master’s degree in Maternal and Infant Health from the University of Dundee and an Honours Bachelor of Arts in European Studies from the University of Toronto.

Neuroscientist Dr. Elseline Hoekzema

Elseline Hoekzema is the director of the Pregnancy and the Brain Lab at the Amsterdam University Medical Center. She leads a research group dedicated to understanding brain plasticity in the peripartum period, focusing on how pregnancy induces changes in the human brain.

Her academic career has included pioneering work investigating brain plasticity in both human and rodent models in response to internal and external triggers, with a particular emphasis on the profound neurobiological transitions associated with pregnancy and motherhood. In a landmark study, her group was the first to demonstrate that pregnancy leads to enduring changes in the anatomy and function of the human brain.

At the Amsterdam UMC, Elseline directs research on the neurobiological adaptations of pregnancy, exploring how these changes affect brain anatomy, microstructure and function, the factors driving them, and their implications for the mother-infant dyad. This line of work builds on her earlier research at Leiden University and is supported by the European Research Council (ERC), the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO), and the Brain and Behavior Foundation.

Elseline’s research sheds light on the remarkable plasticity of the maternal brain and its role in shaping the transition to motherhood, contributing to a deeper understanding of long-term maternal and child health.

https://www.pregnancyandthebrain.com/team/