The #QualWorld2017 virtual international conference, hosted by the International Institute for Qualitative Methodology (IIQM) @theIIQM is the first online conference focused on the subject of qualitative research. I gravitated towards this as something new, exciting and inclusive. Plus, as my new daughter has just been born….a virtual online conference seemed to be the perfect way to share my latest work and breastfeed at the same time.

The poster I presented was:

Exploring the perceptions of new mother’s in relation to psychological distress and workplace support in midwifery. A Patient and Public Involvement study

I was representing The Centre for Innovative Research Across the Life Course at Coventry University. This work was formed in partnership with Dr. Gemma Pearce and Dr. Elizabeth Bailey, also from Coventry University.

The conference theme was: Qualitative Research Across Boundaries

Keynote Speakers:

Prof. Amanda Kenny, La Trobe University, Australia
Prof. Trish Greenhalgh, University of Oxford, UK
Prof. Martyn Hammersley, The Open University, UK
Prof. Babette Babich, Fordham University, The Jesuit University of New York City

Here are a few snapshots of the keynote speeches…

As an early career researcher (post-doc) I really appreciated the insights shared in relation to progressing an academic career and thriving in a research centre. The idea that collaborations and publications can be planned to achieve maximum impact really appeals to me…. a few hints and tips in the right direction were very welcome.

I have yet to use or explore storytelling and narratives in my research career thus far in any great depth. As such, it was really inspiring to see how these have been used in other qualitative work. Ethnography is also an area fairly new to me, and so being introduced to new topics in this way really helped me to digest and think about new directions for my own research.

Then, to  fall in love with philosophy again was wonderful…looking at what makes science….science….within the terminology of the postmodern? Lot’s to think about here. And certainly lot’s to discuss. The online chat room was on the go throughout the conference, and on Twitter. The conversations really made me think about my own future directions in research and how it may be grounded.

Yet the best thing about this conference for me was the fact that it has been so accessible for me. Having just had a new baby girl, this conference gave me the chance to share new findings from our PPI study from the comfort of home. This meant that I could care for my baby and breastfeed whilst not missing out on the career I love. Thank you to the conference organizers for making this possible. …and thank you to the Centre for Innovative Research Across the Life Course for funding my place.

As you can see, this tweet of my experience was the most popular one of the conference… I think that these accessible conferences are really making history and showing the way for future conferences of this type.

History was made today. This could be the future of [some] conferences.#qualworld2017 https://t.co/UdkWKjGs4E

— Trisha Greenhalgh (@trishgreenhalgh) 29 November 2017

In conclusion…I would like to reiterate the following tweet:

If you would like to follow the progress of my work going forward..

Follow me via @SallyPezaro; The Academic Midwife; This blog

Until next time…Look after yourselves and each other