Dr Tracey Mills BSc(Hons), RGN, RM, MA, PhD
Research Training Fellow / Honorary Lecturer in Midwifery
- Email: tracey.mills@manchester.ac.uk
- Telephone: +44 (0)161 701 6970
Memberships of Committees and Professional Bodies
Royal College of Midwives
Research
My research interest is in improving pregnancy outcomes, particularly in high risk pregnancies. During my PhD, I examined the pathophysiological processes underlying the clinical observation of poor placental blood flow in fetal growth restriction (FGR) and pre-eclampsia(PE); focussing on the role of oxidative stress in placental vascular dysfunction. In 2008, I was awarded a Research Training Fellowship from Action Medical Research. This prestigious award enabled me to continue laboratory and clinical studies examining the origin of placental vascular dysfunction in fetal growth restriction, towards the development of improved monitoring and therapy. In addition I have developed a series of research projects to examine why obese women are at significantly greater risk of poor pregnancy outcomes. These studies aim to understand why maternal obesity confers an increased susceptibility to major complication such as PE and disordered fetal growth and inform clinical practice by developing strategies to reduce risk of complications in these pregnancies.
I have also collaborated with Professor Tina Lavender (School of Nursing Midwifery and Social Work to develop studies focussed on the trend towards delayed childbearing and stillbirth. Advanced maternal age impacts on pregancy outcomes, but the lack of high quality prospective studies has led to inconsistencies in how these women are cared for. We have developed a programme of research utilising mixed methodologies, to provide an evidence base for optimal maternity care of women of advanced age. Currently, 1 in 200 pregnancies in the UK ends in stillbirth. Many women who have have experienced stillbirth embark on another pregnancy, these subsequent pregnancies are often associated with increased stress and anxiety, which may negatively impact on clinical psychological and social outcomes. We are currently investigating the experiences of women and health professionals of the care provided to women who have had previous stillbirth or neonatal death. These studies will improve our understanding of the needs of women and families and advance the provision of senstive appropriate maternity care.
Methodological Knowledge
Quantitative Research
Laboratory based studies
Vascular physiology small vessel myography
Teaching
I teach on the BMidwifery programme in the School of Nursing, Midwifery and Social Work, mainly focussing on the Complicated Childbearing modules in year 2. My teaching interests include high-risk pregnancy and maternal vulnerability to pregnancy complications.
I also supervise undergraduate dissertation students.
Qualifications
Registered Nurse, Registered Midwife
Collaborators and affiliated staff
Professor Tina Lavender, School of Nursing Midwifery and Social Work
Publications
2011
- Alison Cooke, Tracey A. Mills, Tina Lavender. (In-press). Advanced maternal age: Delayed childbearing is rarely a conscious choice: A qualitative study of women's views and experiences. International Journal of Nursing Studies, eScholarID:129413
- Tracey A. Mills, Tina Lavender. (2011). Advanced maternal age. Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Reproductive Medicine, 21(4), 107-111. eScholarID:122023 | DOI:10.1016/j.ogrm.2010.12.003
2010
- Cooke A, Mills TA, Lavender T. (2010). 'Informed and uninformed decision making'--women's reasoning, experiences and perceptions with regard to advanced maternal age and delayed childbearing: a meta-synthesis. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 47(10), 1317-1329. eScholarID:96118 | DOI:10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2010.06.001
- Higgins, L, Greenwood, SL, Wareing, M, Mills TA. (2010). Obesity and the placenta: A consideration of nutrient exchange mechanisms in relation to aberrant fetal growth. Placenta, eScholarID:96254 | DOI:10.1016/j.placenta.2010.09.019
- Kiernan, MF, Barrie A, Szkolar, J, Mills TA, Wareing M. (2010). Functional evidence for oxygen-sensitive voltage-gated potassium channels in human placental vasculature. Placenta, 31(6), 553-555. eScholarID:96248 | DOI:10.1016/j.placenta.2010.03.009
2009
- Mills TA, Wareing M, Shennan A, Poston L, Baker PN, Greenwood SL. (2009). Acute and chronic modulation of placental chorionic plate artery reactivity by reactive oxygen species. Free Radic Biol Med, 47( 2), eScholarID:1d20125 | DOI:10.1016/j.freeradbiomed.2009.04.019
2008
- Brownbill P, Mills TA, Soydemir D, Sibley CP. (2008). Vasoactivity to and endogenous release of vascular endothelial growth factor in the in vitro perfused human placental lobule from pregnancies complicated by preeclampsia. Placenta, 29( 11), eScholarID:1d19617 | DOI:10.1016/j.placenta.2008.08.020
- Sweeney M, Wareing M, Mills TA, Baker PN, Taggart M. (2008). Characterisation of tone oscillations in placental and myometrial arteries from normal pregnancies and those complicated by pre-eclampsia and growth restriction. Placenta, 29(4), 356-365. eScholarID:1d20126 | DOI:10.1016/j.placenta.2008.01.007
2007
- Mills TA, Baker PN, Wareing M. (2007). The effect of mode of delivery on placental chorionic plate vascular reactivity. Hypertension in Pregnancy, 26(2), eScholarID:1d16597
- Mills TA, Taggart MJ, Greenwood SL, Baker PN, Wareing MM. (2007). Histamine-induced contraction and relaxation of placental chorionic plate arteries. Placenta, 28( 11-12), eScholarID:1d20128 | DOI:10.1016/j.placenta.2007.05.008
2005
- Mills TA, Wareing M, Bugg G, Greenwood SL, Baker PN. (2005). Chorionic plate artery function and Doppler indices in normal pregnancy and intrauterine growth restriction. Eur J Clin Invest, 35(12), 758-764. eScholarID:1d15095