Overview
Key publications
Research funding
Supervising & teaching
Career
Section: Overview
Overview
Key publications
Research funding
Supervising & teaching
Career

Key details

Areas of expertise

  • Midwifery
  • Cultural diversity
  • Gestational diabetes
  • High risk pregnancy
  • Qualitative research

Available to supervise research students

Available for media queries

About Mary Carolan-Olah

Mary Carolan-Olah is a Professor of Midwifery, in the College of Health and Biomedicine at Victoria University, and a midwife with 30 years experience, mostly in acute hospital settings. She teaches all areas of Midwifery and research methods in Nursing and Midwifery.

She is also an established researcher in Midwifery and Women’s Health, with a strong history of leading interdisciplinary and individual research projects.

Mary’s key research foci are in the region of gestational diabetes, ethnicity and ‘at risk’ pregnancy. Mary is well published nationally and internationally with more than 70 publications to date and 30 international conference presentations.

Qualifications

  • Phd, University of Melbourne, Australia, 2004
  • Master of Public Health, RMIT University, Australia, 1998
  • Bachelor of Nursing, Monash University, Australia, 1996
  • Post Doc University of Toronto, Canada, 2005

Key publications

Mary has over 85 publications, with a selection listed here.


A more comprehensive list of Mary's publications is available in the VU Research Repository.

Year Citation
2022 Vasilevski, V., & Carolan-Olah, M. (220601). Understanding midwifery student needs and expectations of peer-mentoring for clinical placement: a qualitative questionnaire study. Collegian, 29(3), (357-363).

doi: 10.1016/j.colegn.2021.10.001
2021 Carolan-Olah, M., Vasilevski, V., Nagle, C., & Stepto, N. (210901). Overview of a new eHealth intervention to promote healthy eating and exercise in pregnancy: Initial user responses and acceptability. Internet Interventions, 25

doi: 10.1016/j.invent.2021.100393
2021 Carolan-Olah, M., & Vasilevski, V. (210801). Development and validation of the Knowledge of Gestational Diabetes (GDM) questionnaire among a sample of women with GDM in Australia. Patient Education and Counseling, 104(8), (2112-2118).

doi: 10.1016/j.pec.2021.01.029
2019 Carolan-Olah, M., & Sayakhot, P. (190101). A randomized controlled trial of a web-based education intervention for women with gestational diabetes mellitus. Midwifery, 68 (39-47).

doi: 10.1016/j.midw.2018.08.019
2018 Kyei-Onanjiri, M., Carolan-Olah, M., Awoonor-Williams, J. K., & McCann, T. V. (180315). Review of emergency obstetric care interventions in health facilities in the Upper East Region of Ghana: A questionnaire survey. BMC Health Services Research, 18(1),

doi: 10.1186/s12913-018-2980-6
2018 Carolan-Olah, M., Kruger, G., Brown, V., Lawton, F., Mazzarino, M., & Vasilevski, V. (180301). Communicating out loud: Midwifery students' experiences of a simulation exercise for neonatal resuscitation. Nurse Education in Practice, 29 (8-14).

doi: 10.1016/j.nepr.2017.10.027
2018 Carolan-Olah, M., & Cassar, A. (180301). The Experiences of Older Italian Migrants With Type 2 Diabetes: A Qualitative Study. Journal of Transcultural Nursing, 29(2), (172-179).

doi: 10.1177/1043659617696974
2017 Carolan-Olah, M., Duarte-Gardea, M., & Lechuga, J. (171001). A systematic review of interventions for Hispanic women with or at risk of Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare, 13 (14-22).

doi: 10.1016/j.srhc.2017.02.006
2017 Kyei-Nimakoh, M., Carolan-Olah, M., & McCann, T. V. (170606). Access barriers to obstetric care at health facilities in sub-Saharan Africa-a systematic review. Systematic Reviews, 6(1),

doi: 10.1186/s13643-017-0503-x
2017 Carolan-Olah, M., Duarte-Gardea, M., Lechuga, J., & Salinas-Lopez, S. (170601). The experience of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) among Hispanic women in a U.S. border region. Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare, 12 (16-23).

doi: 10.1016/j.srhc.2016.11.003

Research funding for the past 5 years

Please note:

  • Funding is ordered by the year the project commenced and may continue over several years.
  • Funding amounts for contact research are not disclosed to maintain commercial confidentiality.
  • The order of investigators is not indicative of the role they played in the research project.

Growing a healthy baby: Getting the balance right in pregnancy
From: Lord Mayor's Charitable Foundation (LMCF)
Other investigators: Prof Nigel Stepto
For period: 2015-2017
 $49,849

Supervision of research students at VU

Available to supervise research students

Available for media queries

Completed supervision of research students at VU

No. of students Study level Role
6 PhD Associate supervisor
1 PhD by Publication Principal supervisor
2 Masters by Research Principal supervisor
1 PhD Integrated Principal supervisor

Completed supervision of research students at VU

Students & level Role
PhD (6) Associate supervisor
PhD by Publication (1) Principal supervisor
Masters by Research (2) Principal supervisor
PhD Integrated (1) Principal supervisor

Key academic roles

Dates Role Department / Organisation
Jan 2013 - Present
Professor of Midwifery
Victoria University
Sep 2017 - Sep 2019
Leader, Clinical and Community Health Research Unit
Victoria University
Sep 2013 - Sep 2015
Coordinator (Research and Training)
College of Health and Biomedicine, Victoria University
Jan 2009 - May 2010
Professor of Research, Nursing and Midwifery
University of Limerick
Sep 2004 - Nov 2005
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
University of Toronto
Show more academic roles
Dates Role & Department/Organisation
Jan 2013 -
Present
Professor of Midwifery
Victoria University
Sep 2017 -
Sep 2019
Leader, Clinical and Community Health Research Unit
Victoria University
Sep 2013 -
Sep 2015
Coordinator (Research and Training)
College of Health and Biomedicine, Victoria University
Jan 2009 -
May 2010
Professor of Research, Nursing and Midwifery
University of Limerick
Sep 2004 -
Nov 2005
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
University of Toronto
Show more academic roles

Key industry, community & government roles

Dates Role Department/Organisation
Sep 2005 - Sep 2019
Research Leader, advisor and reviewer
International Confederation of Midwives Research Advisory Network
Sep 2007 - Sep 2014
Practice Review Advisory Committee member
Australian College of Midwives Incorporated
Dates Role & Department/Organisation
Sep 2005 - Sep 2019
Research Leader, advisor and reviewer
International Confederation of Midwives Research Advisory Network
Sep 2007 - Sep 2014
Practice Review Advisory Committee member
Australian College of Midwives Incorporated

Keynote and invited speeches

Year Title/Description
2019

Development of an online intervention for GDM

International Diabetes Federation Congress, Busan, South Korea, 2-6 December.

Professional memberships

  • Member, Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency
  • Professional member, International Confederation of Midwives
  • Professional member, Midwifery Academics Victoria
  • Professional member, Australian College of Midwives Incorporated

Media appearances

19th September 2014

Comment on Mothering over 35 years

Radio ABC