Mrs Danielle Jacob

Research interests

Danielle Jacob is a Clinical PhD Fellow at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM) and a registered midwife with clinical experience across both hospital and community maternity services in the United Kingdom. Originally from North Wales, she has combined clinical practice with a growing research portfolio focused on improving maternal and newborn health in low- and middle-income countries.

Danielle completed her BSc (Hons) in Midwifery at Bangor University, graduating with First Class Honours, before practising as a hospital and community midwife. She later completed an MSc in Global Health at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, graduating with Distinction. Her clinical experience across diverse maternity care settings has shaped her commitment to conducting research that addresses the realities of practice and improves the quality of care for women and families.

Her interest in global maternal health developed through clinical placements in Ghana and participation in National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR)-funded global health research. She has contributed to research exploring healthcare professionals’ confidence in providing perinatal bereavement care in low- and middle-income countries and the implementation of evidence-based maternity guidelines in Zimbabwe, using participatory approaches to engage healthcare professionals and key stakeholders.

Danielle is currently undertaking a Clinical PhD at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine. Her doctoral research, Exploring postnatal care experiences of adolescent mothers: A sequential mixed-methods study in Ghana, aims to generate an in-depth understanding of adolescent mothers’ experiences of postnatal care and to co-develop an intervention to strengthen postnatal services. The study uses sequential mixed methods to explore how health systems, social context, and cultural factors influence care experiences and access to support during the postnatal period.

Her research interests include adolescent maternal health, postnatal care, implementation science, qualitative and mixed-methods research, health systems strengthening, and global maternal and newborn health. She is particularly interested in understanding how health systems, policy, and culture influence women’s experiences of maternity care and in translating research findings into interventions that improve health outcomes in resource-limited settings.

Danielle is committed to advancing respectful, equitable, and evidence-informed maternity care through collaborative research that bridges clinical practice, policy, and implementation to improve outcomes for women, babies, and families globally.

 

PhD Project: Exploring postnatal care experiences of adolescent mothers: A sequential mixed-methods study in Ghana

Adolescent childbearing carries significant health risks, including maternal and neonatal complications. Ten percent of global births are to women aged under 20 with 90%occurring in LMICs. The risk of maternal mortality and neonatal deaths during the postnatal period is higher in LMICs including Ghana and many deaths could be prevented with enhanced care. Approximately 70,000 adolescent mothers die annually from complications which often occur in the postnatal period. Addressing poor outcomes requires strategies for providing quality maternity care for young mothers and babies, including the often-overlooked postnatal period.

Whilst previous research has focused on reducing adolescent pregnancies, this study aims to develop a theoretically-informed intervention in Ghanaian Ghana to improve postnatal care for adolescent mothers. This study will be conducted in three phases. Firstly, existing literature on adolescent postnatal care in LMICs and interventions will be reviewed. In the second phase, a grounded theory methodology will be used to conduct interviews and observations with adolescent mothers, health workers, and other individuals identified as being involved in the care process to explore the related social processes and influences. Finally, findings will be used to inform a consensus process to coproduce a protocol tailored to the needs of adolescent mothers in Ghana.