The Marion Peckham Egan School of Nursing and Health Studies' Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Nurse Midwifery program has been awarded a grant of $1.22 million over four years (2023-2027) from the Health Resources Services Administration (HRSA) through the Maternity Care Nursing Workforce Expansion (MatCARE) Program.

Jenna LoGiudice '06, PhD, CNM, RN, FACNM, FAAN, associate professor of nursing and DNP in Nurse Midwifery program director, is the project director of the grant, which she titled "Trauma-Informed Care for Midwifery Education & Diversity (TICMED)."

“Through the TICMED grant, students will be immersed in evidence-based, culturally competent practices to address maternal health disparities, using the approach of trauma-informed care (TIC) to reduce maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality," said Dr. LoGiudice.

The goals of the grant are:

• to increase diversity within the midwifery community to create racial concordance between patients and providers,
• to work to eliminate the maternal health crisis that exists in the United States,
• and, to incorporate more trauma-informed care and implicit bias education for all students in the program. 

"As the program director of TICMED," Dr. LoGiudice continued, "I am thrilled to bring opportunities to students through the financial support the grant provides, as well as to recognize our clinical midwifery preceptor partners with funding and training opportunities, all with the goal of working to eliminate maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality, particularly for Black birthing persons.”

Fairfield University’s DNP in Nurse Midwifery program prepares students as expert nurse midwives for every stage and in every setting in which midwifery care is delivered. It is a degree that focuses on the assessment and application of existing evidence to improve practice. Taught as a cohort program, students are educated in the fundamental skills necessary to make a difference in the discipline of midwifery and in the healthcare of birthing people, women, and newborns.

The program is a full-time, three year, partially front-loaded program, designed to meet the competencies for the practice doctorate in midwifery set forth by the American College of Nurse-Midwives (ACNM) and to meet the ACNM Core Competencies for Basic Midwifery Practice.

The Health Resources and Services Administration is an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and is committed to improving health and access to healthcare for the medically underserved through quality services, a skilled health workforce, and innovative programs.

Learn more about the program at fairfield.edu/midwifery.