Irina Radu
Irina Radu
ZHAW
School of Health Sciences
Institute of Midwifery and Reproductive Health
Katharina-Sulzer-Platz 9
8400 Winterthur
Work at ZHAW
Position
Research Associate
Focus
- Vulnerable families and support in early childhood
- Social dimensions of risk in perinatal health
- Health equity and inequalities
Experience
- Research and teaching assistant
University of Geneva, Institute of Sociology
08 / 2014 - 06 / 2017 - Teaching assistant
University of Geneva, Global Studies Institute
08 / 2015 - 01 / 2017
Education and Continuing education
Education
Master of Arts in Sociology / Sociology
University of Geneva
08 / 2013 - 12 / 2015
Continuing Education
Good Clinical Practice
Zurich Universiy Hospital
04 / 2019
Network
Membership of networks
- Swiss Research Network for Reproductive Studies
- Swiss Network of Young Migration Scholars
- European Society of Health and Medical Sociology
- Swiss Association of Migration and Mobility Studies
Projects
- Nutrition and body image in the transition to motherhood: a qualitative study of the experiences of women and healthcare professionals in Switzerland / Team member / ongoing
- Disparities in peripartum care / Team member / ongoing
- Family Outcome of Early Intervention / Team member / completed
- Digital Health for parents facing language and cultural access barriers to the Swiss health system / Deputy project leader / completed
- Couples’ perception of maternal drinking: a sociocultural approach to an «ordinary risk» / Team member / completed
- Networking of independent midwives in Switzerland: access to early childhood promotion programs for families with newborn babies / Team member / completed
Publications
Articles in scientific journal, peer-reviewed
- Radu, I. et al. (2023) 'Digital health for migrants, ethnic and cultural minorities and the role of participatory development : a scoping review', International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 20(20), p. 6962. doi: 10.3390/ijerph20206962.
- Hammer, R. et al. (2022) 'Uncertainty, manageability and individuation : a longitudinal qualitative study of women's conceptualisations of risk from pregnancy to breastfeeding—the case of alcohol consumption', SSM - Qualitative Research in Health, 2(100152). doi: 10.1016/j.ssmqr.2022.100152.
- Pehlke-Milde, J. et al. (2022) 'Women's views on moderate and low alcohol consumption : stages of the subjective transition from pregnancy to postpartum', BMC Pregnancy & Childbirth, 22(1), p. 902. doi: 10.1186/s12884-022-05247-0.
- Gouilhers, S. et al. (2021) 'Quand la (non-)consommation d'alcool fait le genre : une enquête sur les récits d'expériences de mères allaitantes', Nouvelles Questions Féministes, 40(1), pp. 52–66. doi: 10.3917/nqf.401.0052.
- Meyer, M. et al. (2019) 'Six sociologues sur un (beau) bateau : l'esthétique comme passager clandestin dans un corpus photographique', Revue Française des Méthodes Visuelles, 2019(3). doi: 10.21256/zhaw-21083.
Written conference contributions, peer-reviewed
- Polidori, A. et al. (2025) 'Equity in maternal care during pregnancy, birth and postpartum', in 5th ISA Forum of Sociology "Knowing Justice in the Anthropocene", Rabat, Morocco, 6-11 July 2025.
- Radu, I. (2025) 'Pregnancy, birth and postpartum as a unique transition to (not) belonging', in 8th Neuchatel Graduate Conference of Migration and Mobility Studies, Neuchâchtel, Suisse, 8-9 Juillet 2025.
- Polidori, A. et al. (2025) 'Equity in maternal care during pregnancy, birth and postpartum', in 22nd IMISCOE Annual Conference "Decentering Migration Studies", Paris-Aubervilliers, France, 1-4 July 2025.
- Polidori, A. et al. (2025) 'Institutional and systemic barriers to equitable maternity care', in Jahreskongress der Schweizerischen Gesellschaft für Gynäkologie und Geburtshilfe, Basel, Schweiz, 26.-28. Juni 2025.
- Gemperle, M. et al. (2024) 'Klassifikationspraktiken in der Geburtshilfe : eine qualitative Analyse ihres Beitrags zu gesundheitlichen Ungleichheiten', in Sektionenkonferenz der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Soziologie, Osnabrück, Deutschland, 23.-25. September 2024.
- Radu, I. et al. (2023) 'Digitale Gesundheitsinterventionen für Migrant:innen und kulturellen Minderheiten : ein Scoping Review', in 7. Winterthurer Hebammensymposium, Winterthur, Schweiz, 21. Januar 2023.
- Radu, I. et al. (2021) '"I will not put myself above my child" – managing alcohol risk and (re)producing gendered norms of good parenthood during pregnancy', in 2021 Congress of the Swiss Sociological Association : 'Social Justice in Times of Uncertainty', Geneva, Switzerland (online), 28-30 June 2021.
- Krahl, A. et al. (2018) 'Networking of independent midwives in Switzerland', in COST Action BIRTH Conference 2018, Lisbon, Portugal, 17-18 September 2018. ZHAW Zürcher Hochschule für Angewandte Wissenschaften. doi: 10.21256/zhaw-4011.
- Pehlke-Milde, J. et al. (2018) 'Netzwerkarbeit im Bereich der Frühen Förderung : Erfahrungen freipraktizierender Hebammen in der Schweiz', in 1. Schweizerischer Perinatalkongress, Baden, 17. Mai 2018. ZHAW Zürcher Hochschule für Angewandte Wissenschaften. doi: 10.21256/zhaw-4247.
- Pehlke-Milde, J. et al. (2017) 'Wie vernetzt sind Hebammen, wenn sie sozial benachteiligte Familien in der Schweiz nach der Geburt betreuen?', in 28. Deutscher Kongress für Perinatale Medizin, Berlin, 30. November - 2. Dezember 2017. Thieme. doi: 10.1055/s-0037-1607918.
Other publications
- Grylka, S., Radu, I. and Breitenmoser, I. N. (2024) Entwicklung von Massnamen zur Verbesserung des Zugangs zur Hebammenversorgung für Familien in der Stadt Zürich : Abschlussbericht. Winterthur: ZHAW Zürcher Hochschule für Angewandte Wissenschaften. doi: 10.21256/zhaw-30429.
- Radu, I. et al. (2023) 'Vernetzen sich Fachleute, nützt das den Familien', Obstetrica, 120(8/9), pp. 28–31. doi: 10.21256/zhaw-28869.
- Radu, I. (2020) 'Book review of Natasha Goldman: Memory passages: Holocaust memorials in the United States and Germany', Visual Studies, 38(3-4), pp. 735–736. doi: 10.1080/1472586X.2020.1854055.
- Radu, I. et al. (2019) 'Parents' experience of risk and health recommendations for alcohol consumption during pregnancy and breastfeeding', in Swiss Public Health Congress 2019, Neuchâtel, 7. November 2019.
- Pehlke-Milde, J. et al. (2018) 'Interdisziplinäre Zusammenarbeit im Bereich der frühen Förderung', Obstetrica, 116(9), pp. 22–26. doi: 10.21256/zhaw-4831.
- Krahl, A. et al. (2018) Netzwerkarbeit der freipraktizierenden Hebammen in der Schweiz : Zugang der Familien mit Neugeborenen zu weiteren Angeboten der Frühen Förderung. Winterthur: ZHAW Zürcher Hochschule für Angewandte Wissenschaften. doi: 10.21256/zhaw-4239.
Oral conference contributions and abstracts
- Radu, I. et al. (2025) 'Erwartungen an werdende Mütter und Chancengleichheit während Schwangerschaft, Geburt und Postpartum', in 8. Winterthurer Hebammensymposium, Winterthur, Schweiz, 25. Januar 2025.
- Radu, I. et al. (2024) 'Boundary making through "deservingness" in Swiss maternal care', in 7th Neuchâtel Graduate Conference (NGC), Neuchâtel, Switzerland, 11-12 July 2024.
- Radu, I. et al. (2024) '"Ideal" versus "difficult" clients in Swiss maternity care : inequalities and normative views', in 20th Biennal Conference of European Society of Health and Medical Sociology (ESHMS): Intersectionality & Inclusion in Health, Antwerp, Belgium, 3-5 July 2024.
- Radu, I. and Pehlke-Milde, J. (2021) 'Digitale Tools für Frauen mit Migrationserfahrung in der Schwangerschaftsversorgung', in 6. Winterthurer Hebammensymposium, Winterthur, 11. September 2021.
- Pehlke-Milde, J. et al. (2021) 'Moderater Alkoholkonsum während Schwangerschaft und Stillzeit', in 6. Winterthurer Hebammensymposium, Winterthur, 11. September 2021.
- Pehlke-Milde, J. et al. (2019) 'Transition to parenthood : alcohol consumption during pregnancy', in NJF congress 2019 : Abstract book. Available at: https://www.njfcongress.is/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/NJF-2019-Abstractbook.pdf.
- Radu, I. et al. (2019) 'Moderater Alkoholkonsum während der Schwangerschaft und Stillzeit : zwischen Abstinenznorm und sozialem Umfeld', in Zeitschrift für Geburtshilfe und Neonatologie. Thieme. doi: 10.1055/s-0039-3401098.
- Radu, I. et al. (2019) 'Couples' construction of boundaries of risk and responsibility during pregnancy', in 14th ESA Conference: Europe and Beyond: Boundaries, Barriers and Belonging, Manchester, United Kingdom, 20-23 August 2019.
- Radu, I. et al. (2019) 'Alkoholkonsum während Schwangerschaft und Stillzeit : zwischen Abstinenznorm, Eigenwahrnehmung und sozialem Umfeld', in Dreiländerkongress Gesundheits- und Medizinsoziologie 2019, Winterthur, 27.-28. August 2019. Available at: https://www.zhaw.ch/de/gesundheit/ueber-uns/news/news-detailansicht/event-news/dreilaenderkongress-gesundheits-und-medizinsoziologie-2019/.