Episode Overview

Courtney Julien of the Tampa Bay Midwives, and Alyssa Bedard, join us for another special edition episode of birthincolor in honor and celebration of Black Midwives Day and Women's History Month.

A growing body of evidence demonstrates the association between improved maternal health outcomes and midwifery and doula care. strategies we can employ to expand the birth worker workforce and improve Black maternal health by empowering and increasing access to doulas and midwives.

About birthincolor

birthincolor is a virtual learning miniseries created by the Florida Black Maternal Health Initiative at the University of South Florida College of Public Health. This project is supported by funding from the DeBartolo Family Foundation and HealtheVoice Impact Fun | Johnson & Johnson.

Referenced Literature

Hoyert, D. L. (2025). Maternal mortality rates in the United States, 2023. NCHS Health E-Stats, 289.

Kathawa, C. A., Arora, K. S., Zielinski, R., & Low, L. K. (2022). Perspectives of doulas of color on their role in alleviating racial disparities in birth outcomes: a qualitative study. Journal of Midwifery & Women's Health, 67(1), 31-38.

Thomas, K., Quist, S., Peprah, S., Riley, K., Mittal, P. C., & Nguyen, B. T. (2023). The experiences of Black community‐based doulas as they mitigate systems of racism: A qualitative study. Journal of Midwifery & Women's Health, 68(4), 466-472.

Vedam, S., Stoll, K., MacDorman, M., Declercq, E., Cramer, R., Cheyney, M., ... & Kennedy, H. P. (2018). Mapping integration of midwives across the United States: Impact on access, equity, and outcomes. PloS One, 13(2), e0192523.

Loewenberg Weisband, Y., Klebanoff, M., Gallo, M. F., Shoben, A., & Norris, A. H. (2018). Birth outcomes of women using a midwife versus women using a physician for prenatal care. Journal of Midwifery & Women's Health, 63(4), 399-409.

Recommended Citation

Wilson, R. (Host), Tatam, M., (Co-Host), Julien, C. (Guest) & Bedard, A. (Guest). (2025, March 14). Important Role of Midwives & Doulas (Ep. 5) [Audio podcast episode]. ⁠In birthincolor. ⁠DJ Brightlight Productions.

More Information

Learn More: ⁠Florida Black Maternal Health Initiative⁠

Support Our Work: ⁠Donate to the Florida Black Maternal Health Initiative