FOETAL 4 Workshop in Oxford
CDT Researcher Thurga Navasaleen’s experience of the FOETAL 4 Workshop in April.
FOETAL, Forum on Obstetrics Engineering and Translation for Assisted Labour, is an annual workshop that facilitates connections, discussions and collaborations between clinicians, industry, and academic researchers. The first forum was hosted by University College London in 2022, and this year marked the fourth of the series, hosted at University of Oxford’s Mathematical Institute.
My research as a PhD researcher in the tech4health Centre of Doctoral Training and as a part of the Nanoengineered Systems Laboratory (NSL) surrounds the measurement and monitoring of forces during labour and delivery. A sub-team within NSL, including myself, work on the development of a force-sensorised surgical glove which aids in said monitoring of forces during the manual rotation of the foetal head when the foetus is in the incorrect position prior to labour. For this reason, I was fortunate to be invited to attend FOETAL 4 alongside my primary supervisor (Professor Manish K Tiwari), and members of the force glove team: Dr Carmen Salvadores Fernandez (post-doctoral research), Maryam Javidan (PhD researcher) and Dr Dawn Parris (clinician and academic).
The first day of the workshop consisted of three rounds of presentations starting with challenges, studies, and innovations with respect to (1) before labour from both the foetal and maternal perspectives, followed similarly by the same for (2) during labour and (3) after labour. Each round was concluded with an open discussion. Coming from an engineering and academic background, I found the presentations by the clinicians compelling. They presented the complications they sometimes can face and their questions and interests regarding various aspects of labour and its result and effect. It was also interesting to hear about other academic research and innovation in the field through a presentation by a PhD researcher from Columbia University and learn about how protocols for labour and delivery do differ slightly in the United States of America. Two members of our team (Dawn and Carmen) each presented some of the work we are involved in, and we were able to show a demonstration of our force sensorised glove.
The discussions were always engaging, and it was so great to see the different perspectives and expertise of the attendees come together to answer each other’s queries, brainstorm theories and look at routes for collaboration to tackle some of the challenges presented. The workshop day closed and was followed by a dinner hosted by the Oxford team at the Cosy Club, where some of the discussions continued.
The second and final day of the workshop was a structured discussion about the mechanics of birth, which was the theme of this year’s forum. Taking forward the presentations and discussions of the day before, we went through theories of how the mechanics of birth affect the baby, considerations for the mother and the classification of terms like ‘normal,’ ‘natural’ and ‘healthy’ when discussing labour and delivery. A personal point of interest for me was how challenging it was to classify what terms defined, especially when it could be different when considering which perspective you were looking from – foetal or maternal.
We were able to spend some time following the end of the workshop, visiting a highly recommended bakery known for its handmade seasonal treats. The amazing weather allowed for a nice, scenic walk around Oxford’s city centre, which served a brief calm break before heading back to busy London.
The FOETAL 4 workshop was a great insight into how the research I will be conducting could directly aid and impact the clinicians of the field and solidified how important cross-expertise dialogue is. The opportunity it provided to network with others within the field, and form working bonds for collaboration was and is so valuable and will influence my and the team’s research activities going forward. I look forward to any future workshops and the discussions that will bring.