Building Strong Foundations for Midwifery Education: The World Needs Midwives, Now More Than Ever!

About Author: Vicki Penwell

Vicki Penwell, LM, CPM, MSM, MA, has provided clinical maternity care for decades in low-resource, high-mortality countries and regularly teaches on midwifery best practice, dividing her time between living in the USA and the Philippines. She is the founder and Executive Director of Mercy In Action, a global NGO sponsoring birth centers in the Philippines, and Mercy In Action College of Midwifery, a MEAC-accredited school in the USA that promotes a global perspective on the provision of maternity care. Through the college, Mercy In Action offers many accredited CEU courses for practicing midwives, as well as offering a post-graduate diploma in midwifery & maternal/child health. Vicki has earned a master’s degree in midwifery and another master’s degree in intercultural studies. She is married to Scott, her husband of 42 years, and together they have raised three “Third Culture Kids” and now have two daughters-in-law and five second-generation TCK grandkids. Among their descendants are three CPMs, one MD, and one in medical school now; they all work for or volunteer with Mercy In Action in some capacity!