Twins Trust & BMFMS joint funded Bursaries

2021/ 2022

The bursary recipient for 2022 was Dr Lisa Story who was awarded £18,190 for the project "Evaluation of the impact of fibronectin and cervical length monitoring in triplet pregnancies."

2020/ 2021

Due to financial uncertainties resulting in reduced income for the Society due to the Covid-19 pandemic, no bursaries will be offered this year. The BMFMS committee will keep this decision under review.

2019/ 20

Dr Andrew Sharp was awarded a Joint bursary with Twins Trust of £20,000 for the project 'The role of the vaginal microbiome and cervical length at 16 weeks in the prediction of preterm birth in twin pregnancy'.

2018/ 19

Dr Brenda F Narice of the Academic Unit of Reproductive and Developmental Medicine, University of Sheffield was awarded £19,614.1 for the project Exploring Novel Techniques for the Prediction of Spontaneous Preterm Birth in Multiple Pregnancies.

Lindsay M Kindinger of the Department of Fetal and Maternal Medicine, Institute for Women's Health, University College London was awarded £19,608.00 for the project Quantitative fetal fibronectin, cervical length and vaginal microbiota for the prediction of preterm birth in twin pregnancies undergoing fetal laser surgery.

This bursary was awarded in memory of Eva Boyle, a much-missed, forever-loved twin.

2017-18 round

Dr R. Katie Morris

Academic Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology,Birmingham Women’s Hospital
£18,375
Development of a core outcome set (COS) for multiple pregnancy studies: part of the ‘COMET’ initiative to standardise outcomes collected in research.
Please see progress report here

Prof. Alexander Heazell

Maternal and Fetal Health Research Centre, University of Manchester
£19,878
Evaluating Risk Antenatally in Twin Pregnancies – A Pilot Study
Progress report here

Final report here

2016-17 round

Dr Asma Khalil
Fetal Medicine Unit, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, St. George's Hospital, London
£19,809
Emergency Cerclage in Twin pregnancies at Imminent Risk of Preterm Birth: an Open-Label Randomised Controlled Trial.
Please see the interim report HERE.

Dr Andrew Sharp and Dr Sarah Arrowsmith
Department of Women’s and Children’s Health, Liverpool Women’s Hospital.
£19,880
Examining the myometrial transcriptome in twin pregnancy.
Please see interim report HERE

Applicants were asked to meet some/all of the following TAMBA recommended research themes.

Comparing different approaches to the implementation of the NICE multiple birth guidance with a focus on outcomes, cost, skill mix and service model.
Use of cerclage (cervical stitch) in multiple pregnancies.
Fetal medicine developments aimed at improving the management of multiple pregnancies.

2015-16 round

Dr Katie Morris Senior Lecturer Maternal Fetal Medicine
Professor Mark Kilby, Professor of Fetal Medicine ,Centre for Women’s and Newborn’s Health, Institute of Metabolism and Systems Research, University of Birmingham
Professor Marian Knight, NIHR Professor of Maternal and Child Population Health, NPEU, University of Oxford
£20,000
A prospective observational study using UKOSS of cases of single twin demise (SIUFD) (>14 weeks) in MC twin pregnancies in the UK, including adverse maternal, fetal and perinatal consequences and prognostic factors.
Please see interim report HERE.

Dr Asma Khalil Consultant in Fetal Medicine and Obstetrics, Fetal Medicine Unit, St George's University of London
£19,809
A case-control study of neurodevelopmental outcome in twin pregnancies with complications. including twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome single intrauterine death, selective intrauterine growth restriction, twin reversed arterial perfusion sequence and twin anaemia polycythemia sequence.
Please see interim report HERE.

Dr Therese Hannon Consultant in Fetal Medicine and Obstetrics, Department of Fetal Medicine, Newcastle upon Tyne NHS Foundation Trust
£19,972 – this bursary is fully funded by TAMBA
A retrospective study to determine the prevalence of MCMA twin and triplet (any chorionicity) pregnancies using population-based NorSTAMP and STORK data for 2000-2013, and to compare birth outcomes and clinical management of these pregnancies across the NE and with those from the STORK multiple pregnancy cohort and also before and after the publication of the NICE guidelines.
Please see Dr Hannon's interim report HERE. Please see published report HERE