Michigan Nurse-Midwife Receives Highest Honor From American College Of Nurse-Midwives

Main Category: Nursing / Midwifery
Article Date: 23 Jun 2008 - 3:00 PDT

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Joyce Roberts Honored for Lifetime of Contributions to Midwifery & Women's Health Silver Spring, MD - Joyce E. Roberts, CNM, PhD, FAAN, FACNM, a certified nurse-midwife from Ann Arbor, MI, is the recipient of the 2008 Hattie Hemschemeyer Award from the American College of Nurse-Midwives (ACNM). The "Hattie" is the College's most prestigious award and was presented to Dr. Roberts on May 24, 2008 at the ACNM 53rd Annual Meeting & Exhibit in Boston, MA.

A graduate of the nurse-midwifery program at the University of Utah, Dr. Roberts was selected in honor of her distinguished career as a researcher, educator, and midwife. Currently, Dr. Roberts is a professor and director of the nurse-midwifery education program at the University of Michigan. Previously she has taught midwifery at The Ohio State University, the University of Illinois at Chicago, and the University of Colorado. Dr. Roberts has a long-standing tradition of service to ACNM and the profession of midwifery. In addition to serving on the Bylaws Committee and the Division of Accreditation, she served as president of ACNM for six years total, the longest of any previous ACNM president.

"I could read you the very long list of accomplishments from the CV of this extraordinary practitioner, researcher, teacher and leader of our profession," said ACNM President Kitty Ernst during the award presentation. "But I recently had the privilege of witnessing a more important facet of this awardees' contribution to midwifery by sharing a train journey with her to the annual meeting of the Illinois nurse-midwives in Chicago, where she received a spontaneous ovation from more than 100 of her former students and colleagues gathered there. Their outpouring of respect, admiration, love and genuine appreciation for her impact on their lives told me more than any CV could possibly have told me."

Dr. Roberts' primary research is on improving care for women during the second stage of labor. She has been published in the Journal of Midwifery & Women's Health and has more than 45 peer-reviewed publications. She was appointed as a member of the Secretary of Health's Advisory Committee on Infant Mortality (SACIM) for a four-year term.

About the Hattie Hemschemeyer Award

The Hattie Hemschemeyer Award, named in honor of ACNM's first president and a pioneer of the profession, is given annually to an ACNM member who has been certified for at least ten years, has not previously been selected for the award, and has fulfilled one of the following categories: continuous outstanding contributions or distinguished service to midwifery and/or maternal child health; or, has made contributions of historical significance to the development and advancement of midwifery, ACNM, or maternal-child health.

With roots dating to 1929, the American College of Nurse-Midwives is the oldest women's health care association in the U.S. ACNM's mission is to promote the health and well-being of women and newborns within their families and communities through the development and support of the profession of midwifery as practiced by certified nurse-midwives and certified midwives. Midwives believe every individual has the right to safe, satisfying health care with respect for human dignity and cultural variations. More information about ACNM can be found at http://www.midwife.org.

American College of Nurse-Midwives