| Message
from the Dean | Do You Want
Shrink-Free Income? | Leading by Example
|
Midwives Bring Experience, Talent to CON |
Nursing Briefs | Seeking
Solutions
Supporting Students One Purchase at
a Time
By Amber Swardson
UNM’s Nurse-Midwifery Education Program (NMEP) faces hefty legislative budget cuts. As program leaders work to establish permanent funding through a department endowment, faculty continue to ensure students receive an outstanding education. Julie Gorwoda CNM, MSM and Dr. Leah Albers CNM expand and enhance the midwifery department through their experience as leaders and educators.
“Nurse midwives provide essential care for rural and underserved populations. The vast majority of our graduates are working with these people,” explains Nancy Ridenour, dean of the CON. “In fact, since 2003, New Mexico midwives have delivered nearly one-third of the state’s babies. Ensuring the future of midwifery through this endowment will mean uninterrupted care for those who need it the most.”
Julie Gorwoda CNM, MSM
Julie Gorwoda, concentration coordinator and lecturer for the NMEP, is a vocal proponent of nurse-midwifery in New Mexico. She is a graduate of the Frontier Nursing Service and has 30 years of experience in midwifery. Gorwoda joined the CON in 1995 and has helped elevate UNM’s midwifery program to third in the nation. “Midwifery is about caring for an entire community through the collaborative efforts of strong and passionate people,” explains Gorwoda. “Together we capitalize on the strengths of many to benefit women and families throughout New Mexico.”
Leah Albers CNM, DrPH, FACNM, FAAN
Dr. Leah Albers, an internationally recognized leader in nurse-midwifery research, joined UNM in 1991 as a researcher and assistant professor. She received her DrPH from the University of North Carolina and has more than 60 publications. She is a UNM Regent’s Lecturer and a UNM Regent’s Professor. In 2001, she became the first midwife to hold the Geoffrey Thorburn Visiting Professorship of the Perinatal Society of Australia and New Zealand. Albers also received the 2005 Dorothea Lang Pioneer Award for Research, recognizing her as the most outstanding midwifery researcher of the American College of Nurse-Midwives’ first 50 years.
