Dr Jutta van den Boom
President
Dr Jutta van den Boom is a neonatal paediatrician at the neonatal unit at Waikato Hospital and an Honorary Senior Lecturer at the University of Auckland. With a diverse background in anaesthesia, general paediatrics, and neonatology, Jutta has gained valuable experience working across multiple centres in Germany, Canada, and New Zealand.
Jutta’s special interests are neonatal nutrition, quality improvement and recently the establishment of an Aotearoa NZ neonatal formulary. She is a principle investigator for COSI-2 and Protect research trials. She is also a member of the Aotearoa Nutrition Guidelines for Preterm Babies Project, National Maternity Clinical Network Governance Group, PSANZ Policy Endorsement & Review SIG, and ANZNN CPI committee.
Collaboration and research in perinatology have been at the heart of her professional journey, driving her commitment to advancing care in the field.
Dr Joe Livingston
Secretary
Dr Joe Livingston is a neonatal paediatrician at Waikato Hospital, an Honorary Senior Lecturer at the University of Auckland, and a recent law school graduate from the University of New Hampshire Franklin Pierce School of Law. He is a recent immigrant from the United States, and his career there included both academic neonatology and private practice. Before migrating to New Zealand, Joe was the medical director of a private NICU in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, taking care of a mostly Amish and Mennonite population, and he worked part time for Johns Hopkins. He is interested in ethics, intellectual property, health policy, and artificial intelligence.
Emma Leaver
Treasurer
Emma Leaver has spent plenty of time in the NICU after the birth of her son at 24 weeks. An accountant by profession, Emma finds fulfilment in giving back to the organisations that have helped her during her journey. Emma has been working on the boards of health aligned community organisations for years and looks to continue supporting them to meet their goals
Robin Cronin
Executive Committee Member
Dr Robin Cronin is a Research Midwife Specialist and Clinical Midwifery Educator at Te Whatu Ora Counties Manukau and an Honorary Lecturer in Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the University of Auckland. Robin is a member of the Auckland Health Research Ethics Committee, the JBI Women’s and Children’s Health Expert Reference Group, and the Australian Stillbirth Centre of Research Excellence Steering Committee. Her PhD contributed to the change from a back to a side-sleeping position for women in the third trimester of pregnancy to reduce the risk of stillbirth, and this is incorporated into NZ, Australian, and UK pregnancy guidelines. Her recent involvement in research includes stillbirth prevention, bereavement care, induction of labour and the impact of bigger bodies, caesarean section at full dilatation, sleep-disordered breathing during pregnancy, and fetal movements.
Rachel Taylor
Executive Committee Member
Rachel is currently employed as a Midwifery Clinical Coach at Te Whatu Ora Waikato Women's Hospital and is embarking on her PhD journey with a focus interest on the relationship between poverty, environmental factors, and the incidence of preeclampsia in Aotearoa/New Zealand. Previously to rejoining the midwifery team at Waikato, Rachel was employed as a Senior Lecturer of Midwifery at Wintec in Hamilton. She has been Co-Director of NZ Action on Preeclampsia since 2019 and has recently joined both the PSNZ team and the GAP National Governance Board. In her spare time, she likes hanging out with friends and family, walks on the beach with Maisie the crazy Vizsla and holidays!
Dr. Beth Murrill
Executive Committee Member
Beth Murrill is an Obstetrician and Gynaecologist at Christchurch Women's Hospital and a Clinical Senior Lecturer at the University of Otago. Her career has included previously working in private practice in the United States but has recently transitioned to academic medicine in Christchurch. Beth enjoys practicing and teaching evidence-based medicine for all aspects of high-risk obstetrics.
Adele Sullivan
Executive Committee Member
Adele Sullivan, Nurse Practitioner working in Wellington NICU currently. Completed Masters in 2009.
Previously RN in most fields, manager, acting service manager, CNS/NP in Auckland and Middlemore, treasurer for NPNZ.
I am a change agent keen to improve neonatal care provision and quality services in NZ.