Claire Hooks

Claire has been a midwife for over 20 years, with a particular interest in women’s health, health access and inequalities.

[email protected]

Background

Claire is an experienced researcher, lecturer and Registered UK Midwife. She qualified as a midwife in 2001 and has worked in a variety of practice, educational and research settings and roles since. Claire’s particular interest is in women and families facing social and health inequalities and challenges.

Claire has a variety of UK and international research experience, utilising both qualitative and quantitative methods and analysis. Claire’s research, and research supervision (MSc and Doctoral), focuses in the area of women’s health and experience and education.

Complementing her research she has previously been a volunteer recovery worker at a local drug and alcohol charity; open road, where she was involved in running a joint project with Essex probation service for women.

Research interests

• Substance misuse in pregnancy
• Impact of socio-economic deprivation on maternal and infant outcomes
• Health and health care experience and access for military connected women
• Healthcare education
• Physiology of birth
• Inter-professional learning
• Women's health
• Health inequalities and stigma
• End of life legal decisions involving neonates

Claire’s recent maternity/education-related research projects have included: sexual/reproductive health experience of drug-addicted/misusing women; attitudes of student midwives toward drug addicted pregnant women; awareness of hyperemesis gravidarum among student HCPs; women’s experiences of HCP encounters with hyperemesis gravidarum; exploration of routinely collected maternity data to identify health inequity; midwives and birthing women’s views of postnatal contraception; End of life decision making involving neonates and the barriers and challenges to advanced practice roles in the UK.

Her military-related research includes: female military veterans’ physical health needs and healthcare experiences; exploring the reproductive health needs and experiences of females in the military population (veterans, spouses, or serving personnel – UK and internationally); understanding and awareness of NHS staff working with military populations and understanding the needs and experiences of military families within UK maternity services.

Areas of research supervision

• A range of doctoral and Masters-level supervisions across education, public health and midwifery; including systematic review, primary research, data review and literature review.

Teaching

Teaching experience has been on a range of courses and levels since 2008, from levels 4-8.

Positions held at ARU:

• Associate Professor in Midwifery and Women’s Health
• Director of Interprofessional Learning (HEMS)
• Course Leader MSc Advanced Clinical Practice
• Course Leader MSc Advanced Midwifery Practice
• Senior Lecturer in Midwifery
• HeMS School Research Ethics Panel
• HeMS Athena Swan self-assessment team
• ARU Women's Network steering group

Qualifications

• BSc (Hons) Biomedical Science (pharmacology), Kings College London, 1997
• BSc (Hons) Midwifery, Anglia Ruskin University, 2001
• LLM Medical Law and Practice, Anglia Ruskin University, 2007
• PG Cert Higher Education, Anglia Ruskin University, 2011
• NLS (Newborn Life Support) Provider, Resuscitation Council UK
• EdD (Educational Doctorate), 2017

Memberships, editorial boards

• Midwifery Research Network for the East of England, Co-Lead. East of England Midwifery Research Network | Midwives & Health Professionals
• RCM, Royal College of Midwives
• UCU, University and Colleges Union
• FHEA, Fellow of Higher Education Academy
• NMC (Nursing and Midwifery Council, UK), Registered Midwife, 2001
• NMC (Nursing and Midwifery Council, UK), Registered Teacher, 2012
• Academic Peer Reviewer; Advances in Dual Diagnosis; Midwifery; Sage; Routledge; NIHR; BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth, Canadian Institute for Military and Veteran Health (CiMVHR)
• The Wellcome Trust, Career Development Award panel assessor
• CAM-DTP Consortium and Partnerships Group
• NiHR EoE RRDN Careers and Capability Group Advisory board for NMAHP research
• Chair of Governors, Notley High School and Braintree Sixth Form

Selected recent publications

Ingram, H; Boyce, M; Wilson, C; Hooks, C. 2026. Hyperemesis Gravidarum Awareness Amongst Healthcare Professionals. The Practicing Midwife, 18(1), pp.14-18.

Godier-McBard, L., Hooks, C., Adams, A., Fossey, M., Bhaskaran, A., Lambert, B., Liston, J., Smith, A., Stevelink, S., Fear, N. 2025. The physical health and healthcare experiences of UK ex-servicewomen. Available at: www.centreformilitarywomensresearch.com/physicalhealthukexervicewomen.

Edwards, CM; Bouchard, ME; Fossey, M; Gaumond, I; Godier-McBard, L; Gray, Guest, R; L; Hooks, C; Kinkaid, V; King, K; Kuiper, M; Morris, K; Paquette, S; Piper, A; Rousseau, C; Walker, S; Morin, M. 2025. Barriers to access and use of contraception in military and Veteran personnel. (INPLASY202520086). doi: 10.37766/inplasy2025.2.0086

Morris, Kirsten A. L., Magdalena Thiel, Beck Taylor, Ruth Guest, Lauren Godier-McBard, Claire Hooks, Victoria E. Kinkaid, and Kate King. 2024. A Scoping Literature Review Protocol: Health-related Research on Service Women in the UK Armed Forces Between 1990 and 2024. OSF. July 25. doi:10.17605/OSF.IO/YBJE5

Morris, K, Hooks, C., Godier-McBard, 2024. Response to Schmitt et al. “Effect of Serial Pregnancies on Physical Fitness” Military Medicine 2024. https://doi.org/10.1093/milmed/usae459.

Morgan, L., Hooks, C., Buxton, E., & Godier-McBard, L.. 2024. UK Female veterans’ physical health: perceived impact of military service and experiences of accessing healthcare. Findings of a qualitative study. BMJ Mil Health 2024;0:1–5. doi:10.1136/military-2024-002713 http://militaryhealth.bmj.com/cgi/rapidpdf/military-2024-002713.

Rose, L., Palmer, C., Hooks, C. and Downe, S. 2024. A digital invention in midwifery education, the Newborn and Infant Physical Examination app (NIPE), a textbook in your pocket. Journal of Qualitative Research in Sports Studies, 18(1), 113-122.

Hooks, C., Morgan, L., Fossey, M., Buxton, E., & Godier-McBard, L. 2023. ‘Where are all the women?’ Recognition and representation – UK female veterans’ experiences of support in civilian life. Available at: Female veterans experience of government and charities.

Walker, S.H., Hooks, C. & Blake, D. 2021. The views of postnatal women and midwives on midwives providing contraceptive advice and methods: a mixed method concurrent study. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth, 21, 411. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12884-021-03895-2.

Larner, L., Hooks, C., 2020. Against the grain: Midwives experiences of facilitating homebirth outside of guidelines. British Journal of Midwifery, 28(6):370-376. http://doi.org/10.12968/bjom.2020.28.6.370.

Hooks, S., Walker, S., 2020. An exploration of the role of Advanced Clinical Practitioners in the East of England. British Journal of Nursing, 29(15). https://doi.org/10.12968/bjon.2020.29.15.864.

Hooks, C., 2019. Attitudes toward substance misusing pregnant women following a specialist education programme: an exploratory case study. Midwifery. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.midw.2019.05.011.

Godier, L., Ibbitson, L., Hooks., C., Fossey, M., 2019. Military spouses with deployed partners are at greater risk of poor perinatal mental health: a scoping review. Journal of the Royal Army Medical Corps. http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/jramc-2018-001069.

Hooks, C., 2018. The problems for babies born to opioid addicted mothers. The Conversation. 21st August, 2018. [Online accessed 25.1.19] https://theconversation.com/the-problems-for-babies-born-to-opioid-addicted-mothers-101533.

Hooks, C., 2015. Paranoid or Persecuted? The stigmatisation of pregnant drug users: a literature review. The Practising Midwife, 18(1), pp.14-18.

Recent presentations and conferences

Hooks, C., Godier, L., Adams, A., 2026. Experiences of reproductive health in and out of service among United Kingdom women veterans. Serving with Equity: Women’s Voices in the Uniformed Public Services Conference. March, 2026, Cambridge, UK.

Hooks, C., Godier, L., Adams, A., 2025. Experiences of reproductive health in and out of service among United Kingdom women veterans. Canadian Institute for Military and Veteran Health (CiMVHR). October, 2025, Ottawa, Canada.

Hooks, C., Walker, S., 2025. Using PPIE to develop research for military connected women. Health Services Research, UK Conference. Newcastle, 2-3rd July 2025.

Hooks, C., Walker, S., 2025. Participatory Research funding Case Study. The importance and the practical and ethical challenges of including women with drug addiction issues in PPIE. Let’s Shape Research Together, Annual Conference, 10 June 2025. Cambridge , UK.

Hooks, C; Walker, S; Fowler, K. 2025. Maternity Healthcare and Working with Miitary Spouses Workshop. Centre for Military Womens Research Conference - Cambridge, UK, 25 April 2025.

Edwards, C.M., Donovan, M., Hooks, C., Hill MacEachern, K., Godier-McBard, L., Gray, L., Simard, C., Tousignant, A., Morris, K., Rodrigues, S., Tu, L.-M., Bouchard M.-É., Sams, A., Debouter, K., Fossey, M., Morin, M. 2025 Pelvic floor dysfunctions in female military personnel and Veterans: A Scoping Review. Centre for Military Women’s Research. Cambridge, UK, 2025.

Edwards, C.M., Donovan, M., Hooks, C., Hill MacEachern, K., Godier-McBard, L., Gray, L., Morris, K., Rodrigues, S., Tu, L.-M., Bouchard M.-É., Sams, A., Debouter, K., Fossey, M., Morin, M. (10 November 2024). Pelvic floor dysfunctions in female military personnel and Veterans: A Scoping Review [Conference presentation]. Discoveries and Innovations in Pelvic Health. Montréal, Canada.

Hooks, C., 2023. Female Veteran Identity in the UK. Canadian Institute for Military and Veteran Health (CiMVHR). October, 2023, Ottawa, Canada.

Hooks, C., Walker, S., 2023. An exploration of the role of Advanced Clinical Practitioners in the East of England. Oral presentation. Health Services Research Conference, University of Birmingham, July 2023.

Hooks, C., Walker, S., 2023. An exploration of the role of Advanced Clinical Practitioners in the East of England. Poster presentation. Health Services Research Conference, University of Birmingham, July 2023.

Hooks, C., 2023. Education as a tool to reduce stigmatisation of pregnant drug users. Chief Midwifery Officers Research Strategy Launch Event for Eastern Region. University of East Anglia. January 2023.

Hooks, C., 2023. The acceptability of midwives giving postnatal contraception. Chief Midwifery Officers Research Strategy Launch Event for Eastern Region. University of East Anglia. January 2023.

Hooks, C., Walker, S., 2022. Women with Addiction workshop with local NHS Trust and Local Government partners. EELGA (East of England Local Government Association) Equity and Equality; Making Improvements and Celebrating Successes (within Maternity and Neonatal Services) conference, Bury St Edmunds. 20 July 2022.

Hooks, C., 2022. Reducing stigmatisation of pregnant drug users; an education approach. EELGA (East of England Local Government Association) Equity and Equality; Making Improvements and Celebrating Successes (within Maternity and Neonatal Services) conference, Bury St Edmunds. 20 July 2022.

Harrison, N., Hooks, C., 2022. Learning gained from scoping the inclusion of genomics in nursing and midwifery programmes at ARU. Making a Difference: Genomics in Nursing and Midwifery. Cambridge, UK. 13 July 2022.

Hooks, C., Walker, S., 2022. The views of women on midwifery provision of contraceptive advice and methods; a mixed method study in one region of the UK. In Maternal Care and Family Relationships theme – Cambridge University Hospitals and Cambridge University Nursing, Midwifery and Allied Health Professional Research Conference. 6 May 2022.

Hooks, C., 2017. E-Learning Pedagogy in Healthcare. Higher Education Academy Conference Generation TEF: Teaching in the Spotlight. 5-7 July, Manchester.

Hooks, C., Galloway, F., 2017. Improving Student Engagement and Retention Through Field Trips. Higher Education Academy Conference Generation TEF: Teaching in the Spotlight. 5-7 July, Manchester.

Hooks, C., 2016. Education to reduce stigmatisation of Pregnant Drug Users. Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) managing substance misuse in primary care conference. 4 November 2016, Euston, London.