Melissa Cheyney, PhD, CPM, LDM, is an associate professor of medical anthropology and reproductive biology at Oregon State University (OSU) in Corvallis, Oregon. Dr. Cheyney is also a certified professional midwife, licensed in Oregon, Chair of the Midwives Alliance of North America (MANA) division of research and director of the OSU Reproductive Health Laboratory. Dr. Cheyney’s research centers on the US homebirth movement, and she is the author of the ethnography, Born at Home: The Biological, Cultural, and Political Dimensions of Maternity Care in the United States.
Despite spending $111 billion annually on maternity care, the United States is plagued by poor maternal and infant health outcomes, ranking thirty-third on the 2015 Mother’s Index—a global measure that evaluates the well-being of mothers and children by nation (Save the Children 2015). Read more…. Doulas and Midwives: Transforming the Landscape, Together
