Dr Sophie Hickey is a mixed-methods early career researcher. Her background is Sociology and Public Health and works in health service research. She currently manages a large longitudinal cohort study of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mothers and children designed to provide feedback to local service providers on best practice maternity care, that has seen a profound reduction in preterm birth for women accessing the new model of care. As an applied sociologist based in a large hospital, Sophie works in a very multidisciplinary team and uses institutional ethnography, participatory action research and implementation science to improve health services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.