We’d be remiss to not acknowledge the H.E.A.L.I.N.G. Midwifery Project origin story. Conversations around integrating the midwifery profession and midwifery education have occurred over decades of time, ever since midwifery was marginalized and the different pathways were developed to gatekeep the profession.
For our particular journey, conversations started between faculty at the University of Washington and Bastyr University in 2019, in which we brainstormed ideas for how to combine our midwifery programs. After George Floyd’s murder in 2020, we paused our conversation and separated ways to focus on addressing racialized harm within each respective program. The University of Washington chose to undertake a truth and reconciliation process, which led to a community-driven priority setting project to understand harms within midwifery education and prioritize strategies to re-envision midwifery education. With integrating different midwifery pathways identified by community stakeholders as a priority, and simultaneous work to envision an integrated faculty practice model and the successes of integrated practice within our local community, the H.E.A.L.I.N.G. Midwifery Project was conceptualized. Each member of our team played a role in this previous work – whether as an educator in midwifery education, a practice partner in the integrated clinic, a community stakeholder in the Midwifery Re-Envisioning Project, or a thought partner in the faculty practice.
Trying to learn the lessons of past midwives who have tried to do this work, we knew that building something without understanding community perspectives and addressing harms would not succeed, hence our community-driven and healing-focused approach.
We thank all of those who contributed to the brain trust, including faculty at Bastyr University, Cedar Medicine School of Midwifery, and University of Washington; students, alumni, and stakeholders in midwifery education; and fellow midwives who joined forces to try to envision a future where all midwives work together.