This May, NACPM made history. Our first-ever virtual conference, “Centering Midwives, Restoring Care,” brought together midwives, students, birth workers, funders, advocates, and allies from across the country for two transformative days of learning, connection, and community.

The conference opened with a powerful welcome from our very own board member, Autumn Cavender, setting the tone for everything that followed. Over two days, attendees engaged with eight dynamic sessions spanning the full landscape of community midwifery:

Autumn Cavender - LCPM, NACPM Board Member, Opening Speaker.png

Pennie Bumrungsiri - MSc, LM, CPM, Clinical Services Director of Healthy Mother Healthy Babies Coalition of Hawaii.png

Star August Ali - CPM, LM, ASM, CD, IL State Midwifery Board Chair, Executive Director & Founder of Black Midwifery Collective; Hilary Schlinger - CNM, MS, CPM-retired, Director of Midwifery Programs at Black Midwifery Collective.png

Jen Moffitt - CNM, MSN, MBCPTc, Co-Director of Training at Mindful Birthing.png

Jill Wodnick - MA, LCCE, IMH, doula, Assistant Director Maternal Health Policy & Early Relational Health at Montclair State University.png

Audra Post - Retired-CPM, BSM, MSM, Positions at Birth Future Foundation, Midwives College of Utah, National College of Midwifery.png

Jordana Frost - DrPH, MPH, Deputy Director at Institute for Medicaid Innovation.png

Melissa Cheyney - PhD, LDM, Co-Director at Uplift, Distinguished Professor of Clinical Medical Anthropology at Oregon State University.png

Kanika Harris - PhD, MPH, Executive Director of National Association to Advance Black Birth.png

Staysha Quentrill - CPM, Closing Speaker.png

Pennie Bumrungsiri challenged us to reimagine the reach of our profession in her session, “A Systems Integration Model for Midwifery-Led Care Across the Lifespan,” presenting the Mana Mama model.
Star August Ali and Hilary Schlinger painted a bold picture of what full access to midwifery care could look like in “A Midwife in Every Neighborhood.”
Jen Moffitt brought grounding and heart-based data in her talk about embodied mindful practices, which can be leveraged to decrease health disparities.
Jill Wodnick took attendees inside the policy arena with “Modernizing Midwifery Regulations,” connecting state-level legislative momentum to the day-to-day realities of practice from a consumer perspective.
Audra Post offered a fresh lens on power and investment in “Collaboration Towards Metrics of Participatory Grantmaking.”
Dr. Jordana Frost laid out a compelling roadmap for expanded access in “Leveraging FQHCs.”
Dr. Melissa Cheyney reminded us why the numbers matter in “Data That Delivers,” exploring how community-centered data has and continues to drive the change we need.
While we were sad that Dr. Kanika Harris wasn’t able to join us, Cassidy Spence was able to close out the educational sessions with “The Black Birthing Bill of Rights,” a presentation that left the room (virtual as it was) profoundly moved and called to action.

The conference closed with remarks from Staysha Quentrill, sending attendees off inspired and renewed.

If you missed the conference, we have great news! The recordings are now available and ready for you to explore at your own pace — and earn CEUs! Head over to our new NACPM Leadership Hub. The opening and closing sessions are available at no cost. Individual session recordings are available for purchase at the normal CEU rate ($45 for each 1.5-hour course). NACPM members get a 50% discount. With up to 12 continuing education contact hours available — equivalent to 1.2 MEAC CEUs — completing the full conference series is a meaningful investment in your practice, your clients, and yourself.

If you’re a NACPM member, but haven’t received an email with your membership discount, please email us at zev@nacpm.org. To earn CEU credit, be sure to complete the required evaluation for each session.

Of course, we would be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge with gratitude that none of this would have been possible without the generous support of our platinum sponsors: the Foundation for Health Care Quality's Community Birth Data Registry and Smooth Transitions Programs, Birth Center Equity, Every Mother Counts, Lactation Education Resources, and the Intersectionality Training Institute. We are also deeply grateful to our grant funders the Skyline Foundation, Pritzker Children's Initiative, and the Wagner Foundation, whose belief in this work made it real.

We are so proud of what our community built together at this first conference, and we hope these recordings bring that experience to even more of you! #NACPM26