As a junior doctor specialising in obstetrics and gynaecology in the UK, the idea of conducting research had never crossed Katie Groom’s mind. That changed when one of her supervisors created a six-month research position to help her strengthen her CV at a time when registrar roles were scarce.
She quickly discovered a passion for research, going on to complete a PhD and reshape her career from purely clinical practice to leading clinical trials and translating research findings into everyday care.
Now Professor of Maternal and Perinatal Health at the University of Auckland’s Liggins Institute, Professor Groom, who moved to New Zealand in 2004, has been awarded the Health Research Council (HRC) joint Beaven Medal at the Royal Society Te Apārangi Research Honours in Auckland. The award recognises her contributions to improving outcomes for mothers and babies by integrating research on the leading causes of serious illness and death during pregnancy, birth and early infancy into clinical practice.
HRC Chief Executive Professor Hannah Buckley says Professor Groom, whose expertise spans preterm birth, fetal growth restriction and preeclampsia, has improved care for women, babies and their whānau through outstanding leadership in clinical trials, guideline development and national collaborations.
“Katie’s leadership of major randomised controlled trials has produced evidence informing what should, and should not, be used in clinical care, ensuring that interventions used in pregnancy are safe and effective,” says Professor Buckley.
Among her most influential studies was the HRC-funded STRIDER NZAus trial, which demonstrated that sildenafil was ineffective in treating severe early-onset fetal growth restriction. The findings helped stop widespread adoption of the treatment and redirected research and clinical efforts towards more promising approaches.
Professor Groom also led the international EPPI trial, which showed that the anticoagulant drug heparin did not reduce the recurrence of preeclampsia or fetal growth restriction, avoiding unnecessary and ineffective treatment and saving costs for the health system.
While neonatal intensive care has advanced significantly over the past 50 years, dramatically improving survival for babies born extremely preterm, Professor Groom notes that the rate of preterm birth remains stubbornly unchanged.
“In New Zealand, around 8 percent of babies are born too soon, and the numbers have risen, not fallen, in the past 10 years. Research provides great opportunities to make positive changes, but clinical trials need to be embedded into clinical practice,” she says.
“People often talk about having a world-class health system, but it’s never going to be world class if you don’t embed research. When research is part of the healthcare cycle, translation happens faster because services can adapt as soon as new evidence emerges. We often rely on research from other countries, but that is not always directly applicable to the whānau we serve.”
That commitment to embedding research within healthcare continues through Professor Groom’s current work. Her HRC-funded C*STEROID trial, involving more than 30 hospitals across New Zealand and Australia, is investigating the effects of corticosteroid treatment before planned caesarean section at term and late preterm gestations. While the treatment is widely accepted as lifesaving before preterm birth, uncertainty remains about its benefits and risks later in pregnancy.
She is also leading the HRC-funded PLATIPUS trial, which will establish a new clinical trials platform across New Zealand hospitals.
“We know there isn’t equitable access to preterm birth prevention in Aotearoa. This trial aims to change that. It is designed as an ongoing research platform where multiple trials can run simultaneously, sharing infrastructure, participating hospitals, research teams and even the same whānau. It’s about making trials available to whānau in their local hospitals and ensuring it is as simple as possible for clinicians to join in.”
Improving access to research is also central to the work of the Carosika Collaborative, a national transdisciplinary partnership established by Professor Groom to achieve the best outcomes for babies at risk of preterm birth, or born preterm, in New Zealand. Bringing together clinicians, researchers, Māori leaders, whānau with lived experience and community organisations, the collaborative helps ensure new research is informed by those who deliver and receive care.
Professor Groom describes the Carosika Collaborative as the culmination of the research-to-practice journey and a labour of love.
“I’m excited about a future where the evidence generated through clinical trials is readily used by clinicians, and where whānau can understand that evidence and make informed decisions.”
The collaborative’s national best-practice guide, Taonga Tuku Iho, provides nationally consistent, evidence-based guidance for preterm birth care across New Zealand. Its Community of Practice, developed to support clinicians, midwives and obstetricians caring for high-risk pregnancies, is already delivering measurable results.
“Within 12 months of implementing the Community of Practice, we had seen a significant increase in clinician knowledge and confidence, along with growth in the number of preterm prevention clinics and advisors throughout Aotearoa. More than 90 percent of our hospitals are now engaged with the programme.”
For Professor Groom, the ultimate goal is to ensure all New Zealand families can access the same high standard of care, regardless of where they live.
“Let’s do the care we do better and make sure everyone has the same opportunity to receive it, using research to help make that happen.”