Jennie Joseph — a midwife with vision and plan to make it real

Every Mother Counts

Jennie Joseph interviewed as part of the Cycle Breaker Series

Smithsonian Channel

Oprah sends special message to Jennie Joseph, Cycle Breaker

Smithsonian Channel

Dispatches from the field: Pioneering midwife Jennie Joseph

The Burke Foundation

We had the privilege of speaking with Jennie Joseph, a fierce advocate for midwifery. Founder and executive director of Commonsense Childbirth Inc. and creator of The JJ Way®, — an innovative approach to patient-centered care that markedly improves birth outcomes. Last March, she was named one of TIME Magazine’s Women of the Year for her remarkable contributions to midwifery as a practitioner, educator, and changemaker. Here are highlights of our discussion.

Jennie Joseph: Compassionate Midwife

Onyx Magazine

Jennie Joseph is a well-respected health advocate for women and newborn babies. The JJ Way, a patient-centered model of care, is effective in reducing disparities and improving outcomes because it operates from the premise that every woman wants a healthy baby and that every woman deserves one. Joseph created, upholds, and stands by this standard of care. A British-trained midwife, Joseph has become one of the world’s most respected midwives and authorities on women’s health: healthy pregnancies, healthy deliveries, and healthy babies. She has become a true advocate for systematic reform that puts women and babies first in healthcare; before profit, convenience, and the numerous reasons America trails other developed nations in healthy births.

Midwife Jennie Joseph Honored In TIME Magazine’s 12 Women Of The Year

Kindred | One Family, One World

Deeply horrified by the American medical model’s treatment of pregnant women and babies when she arrived in the United States in the 80s, British-trained midwife Jennie Joseph successfully worked to create an evidence-based model of prenatal care for women, especially women of color who are three to five times more likely to die in childbirth in the US than white mothers. Her pioneering work includes providing human connection and empowering education, while also training mothers, fathers and extended family members to identify and arrest the cascade of interventions inside the hospital birth system that lead to complications and death.

Jennie Joseph Wants to Fix the Black Maternal Mortality Crisis One Midwife at a Time

TIME Magazine

Webinar: Improving Maternal and Fetal Health: Taking Action for Better Outcomes

U.S. News live

Experts say women have not been featured equitably enough in the planning and strategic design of the U.S. health system, resulting in vast unmet needs. Worse, the U.S. has an abysmal record when it comes to maternal health, and research shows that the country has the highest maternal mortality rate among developed nations. The problem is especially pronounced among Black and minority women, who are generally considered two or three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than white women. This discussion will explore the roots of the issue and the practices that are making a difference in some clinics and communities. Attendees will also learn how advances in fetal medicine are improving outcomes and quality of life for both mothers and babies.

Interview with Midwife Jennie Joseph

Journal of Prenatal and Perinatal Psychology and Health

Thank you so much for taking the time to speak with me, Jennie, and to share your knowledge with APPPAH. We really appreciate it. I am on APPPAH’s journal team and I am also on the Diversity Committee. So, I do a little bit of work on both committees. I would love to know a little bit more about you and your work, and working with underserved populations.