Rate My Professor Allison Cummins

Professor Allison Cummins is a distinguished academic in the School of Nursing and Midwifery at the University of Newcastle, Australia, where she holds the position of Head of Discipline - Midwifery since her appointment in 2021. She earned a Doctor of Philosophy and a Master of Education in Adult Education from the University of Technology Sydney. Prior to her current role, Cummins served as Senior Lecturer in Midwifery at the University of Technology Sydney from 2016 to 2023 and as Elected Midwifery Director on the Board of the Australian College of Midwives from 2020 to 2023. Her career began as a practicing midwife in continuity of care models before transitioning into midwifery education, where she supported new graduate midwives. Renowned for her contributions to student learning, she has implemented innovative curricula, embedded transitional workshops, and coordinated whole-of-program designs to enhance midwifery education.

Cummins' research centers on midwifery continuity of care—defined as care provided by a known midwife or small group throughout pregnancy, birth, and early parenting—including transitions for graduate midwives, midwifery education, models of care, quality maternal and newborn care, and outcomes for women with perinatal mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression. Her extensive body of work, comprising over 70 publications, includes co-edited books like Stories in Midwifery: Reflection, Inquiry, Action (2023) and Stories in Midwifery (2023), as well as peer-reviewed articles such as "Midwifery continuity of care for women with perinatal mental health conditions: A cohort study from Australia" (2024), "'A safe space'; A statewide evaluation of Midwifery Antenatal and Postnatal Service (MAPS)" (2024), and "Transforming the Quality Maternal Newborn Care Framework into an index" (2023). She has garnered major awards including Life Membership of the Australian College of Midwives (2023), Vice-Chancellor's Award for Outstanding Service (2024), and Excellence in Research Mid-Career Researcher (2024). Cummins influences policy through roles on the Living Evidence for Australian Pregnancy and Postnatal Care Guidelines, the Quality Maternal Newborn Care Alliance steering committee, the Trans-Tasman midwifery education consortium, and as Associate Editor of Women and Birth International. Her keynote addresses and international collaborations have driven service redesigns and expanded continuity models nationally and globally, demonstrating benefits like reduced preterm births and interventions.