Meet Our Team

Agnes Agyepong

Founder & CEO

Agnes Agyepong is a mother of three and the founder and CEO of The Global Black Maternal Health Institute. As a maternal health advocate in the UK and former Head of Engagement at a national charity, Agnes has published articles and spoken extensively about the need for maternal health research to become more diverse and inclusive. As a key speaker her credits include the British Medical Association, The Royal College of Midwifery, Royal Society of Medicine, NHS and the Westminster Health Forum. She is also a named author on the Babies in Lockdown Report and supported the UK government on the flagship Early Years Healthy Development Review, a review into improving health and development outcomes for babies in England. Her work has been published by the World Health Organisation and her article “Why bias is key to stopping institutional and structural racism in healthcare and research” made it to the front page of international nursing journal, Nurse Researcher.

In 2018, she founded The GLOMAMA Awards, a prestigious annual awards celebrating the achievements of mums on social media, which encourages mothers to rediscover their “Glow” after pregnancy. She sits on the NIHR ARC Maternity and Perinatal Mental Health PPI strategy committee, is a founding member of the Maternity Mental Health SEL steering group and Service User Voice Representative (Patient and Public Voice PPV Partner) for the Maternity Transformation Programme in the UK.

Dr. Michelle Peter

Head of Research

Michelle Peter is a social scientist and researcher with over a decade’s worth of experience. As a Black researcher, but foremost as a Black mother, she is passionate about the drivers behind the racial inequalities that are prevalent in maternal health in the UK. Co-author of the landmark Five X More Black Maternity Experiences Survey Report, she is committed to working on projects that aim to address and improve equalities in healthcare.

She has experience of both quantitative and qualitative methods and currently works across a number of projects exploring the social and ethical considerations involved in implementing prenatal and paediatric genetic tests into routine NHS care, with a focus on how to make the services that offer these tests equitable and accessible to all.

Reyss Wheeler

Head of Implementation

Reyss Wheeler Reyss is a Qualified Independent Social Worker and Inequalities Researcher working closely with the non-profit sector to provide support to people impacted by UK and global inequality. As an alumni of The London School of Economics and The Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust, her trauma-informed research focuses on the lived-experience of the Black diaspora and Global Majority people in the UK.

Approaching 10 years experience, she provides tailored frontline support to people facing racial, gender, disability & socioeconomic barriers. Reyss’ body of work includes, amongst other things, research into the racialised experience of the UK grime music scene; educational outcomes and experiences of Black looked after children; racism within elite university settings and the lived-experience of racism within maternity care for Black women. Founder of the EqualityCo & The Black Superstore, she believes in socially impactful business and works collaboratively with communities and organisations pursuing positive change.

She is currently the Lead Researcher for a leading UK consultancy and the pioneering community organisation My Choice, working to diversify sports and bring about genuinely accessible opportunities. Reyss also works jointly with communities in East London to increase access to employment, health and advice services as she continues to pursue her passion of resolving inequality through evidence-based initiatives.

Expert Advisers

Dr Karen Joash

Expert Adviser

Dr Karen Joash is one of London’s leading and most dedicated Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist. She is known for her empathy, communication and personal approach to her patients and has been working in the field for over ten years. Practising at various of top clinics in the capital, including Portland Hospital, she aims to deliver care which is tailored to the needs of each individual woman. She is Director of Medical Education at Imperial College and has a track record of leading change and progression.

Dr Karen Joash is one of London’s leading and most dedicated Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist. She graduated from Imperial College, London University and successfully obtained a place on the London Postgraduate obstetrics and gynaecology training programme and has worked at most of the prestigious London teaching hospitals.

She is an obstetrician and gynaecologist who is passionate about delivering high quality care to all women. Her notable flair is in empathy, communication and personal approach to her patients.

She has been working in obstetrics and gynaecology for over ten years and is well known for being a skilled labour ward practitioner. Her aim is to help women achieve the type of delivery which is tailored to their wants and needs. With her holistic approach and knowledge of both low risk and high risk conditions she is able to provide this for all women.

Janet Fyle MBE

Expert Adviser - MBE | MA | RN | RM

Janet Fyle is the Royal College of Midwives’ (RCM) Professional Policy Advisor. She is a Registered Practicing Midwife, a Registered Nurse, and a Cardiff University School of Policy & Law accredited Expert Witness. Through her advice to the RCM, she partners with stakeholders on key policy areas of women’s and children’s health and well-being. Her interests lie in inequalities in maternity care and outcomes in their wider social, political, and economic contexts. Her work highlights how these issues have a direct and disproportionate impact on women and families, particularly those from BME communities.

Janet has for years played a leading role in national campaigns for change on wider health issues, for equal access to services for marginalized communities, and for improved pregnancy outcomes for Black, Asian, and ethnic minority women. Her publications, collaborations, and media appearances have advocated improved services for women with pregnancy-related mental illness and the safeguarding of children from exploitation. Janet has also worked on people trafficking and developed resources with others for midwives and maternity services to be aware and provide sensitive care and services for women and girls who have been trafficked into the UK.