Alice Kavati

I am a part-time PhD student at the University of Leicester and an Advanced Neonatal Nurse Practitioner (ANNP) at the University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust. I trained as a nurse in New Zealand many years ago, initially looking after people with burns before become specialised in neonatal nursing – looking after babies born early or born at term but unwell.  I emigrated to the United Kingdom in 2004. I have since worked in many different roles in the neonatal unit including in nurse education, neonatal transport and neonatal end-of-life care. I graduated with a Master of Medical Science from the University of Sheffield in 2020, and have since been working as a nurse practitioner in the Leicester Neonatal Service. My interest in research stems from my desire to deliver the best care, and to improve outcomes in babies that have had a difficult start to life.

My PhD project looks at the relationship between early feeding methods and how babies born slightly before their due date grow and develop. I also plan to talk with their mothers to find out more about their experiences in the first few months after birth might affect their feeding choices’.