Jennie Joseph

Jennie Joseph is a midwife active in the field of maternal health, particularly regarding social and ethnic birthing disparities.

Early life Joseph studied midwifery in the United Kingdom, her home country. In 1989, she moved to Orlando, Florida, following her partner. Once in the United States, she realized that she had fewer career prospects, due to a lack of knowledge about what midwives do in the country and regulations in the field. Joseph advocated for regulations preventing certified professional midwives (CPM) from practicing. In 1995, she opened a midwifery school. Joseph created the term "materno-toxic" to describe the ways the life-threatening impact birthing disparities have on marginalized mothers. Her methods have seen success, with almost all of her patients– most of whom are in groups that face birthing disparities– giving birth to healthy, full-term babies.

Awards

2022: Time (magazine) Woman of the Year