About Robin
I am a DONA International approved Birth Doula Trainer who designs and delivers birth doula training for institutions building doula access into perinatal care.
At a glance
- DONA International approved Birth Doula Trainer (BDT)
- PhD, Healthcare Management and Systems Sciences
- MPH, Master of Public Health
- MSHPE, Master of Science in Health Professions Education
- CPH, Certified in Public Health
- Post-Master’s Certificate in Trauma-Informed Care, New York University
- Over 1,500 births attended
- Over 10,000 doulas trained
- Graduate and undergraduate teaching experience in public health and health professions education
- Author and writer on pregnancy, birth, and the postpartum period
Background
I have spent more than thirty years in birth work. What started as direct doula practice grew into trainer work, curriculum design, public health teaching, and writing. I have attended over 1,500 births and trained more than 10,000 doulas across the United States and internationally.
I came to public health through the work itself. After enough years at the bedside, the patterns of who has access to skilled birth support, and who does not, became impossible to ignore. I went back to school for an MPH, then an MSHPE, then a PhD in healthcare management and systems sciences. Those credentials matter for institutional work. They are how the curriculum, the assessments, and the reporting hold up to your evaluators, your accreditors, and your funders.
What I bring to institutional partners
My credentials combine the training institutional buyers usually have to find separately:
DONA International Birth Doula Trainer (BDT) credential. The standard credential in the field, held by a comparatively small group of trainers. Your participants leave eligible to certify with DONA International.
Public health training (MPH, CPH). I read population health data without translation. I write outcome measures that map to Title V, Healthy Start performance frameworks, hospital quality dashboards, and accreditation reviews.
Instructional design rigor (MSHPE, PhD in healthcare management and systems sciences). I design curriculum with backward design, mapped learning outcomes, and matched assessments. The materials I produce hold up in program review.
Trauma-informed care expertise (Post-Master’s Certificate, NYU). Trauma-informed practice is now a procurement requirement across federal grants, state Medicaid doula benefits, and hospital DEI work. The NYU certificate formalizes the trauma-informed framing that runs through my facilitation, my curriculum, and my outcome measures.
That combination is what lets me design programs that fit your funding model, your accreditation framework, your population, and your reporting requirements at the same time.
How I work
I work asynchronously by default. Written intake is the front door. I respond to project briefs within two business days. Real-time meetings happen on Zoom only when both of us think they will move the project forward.
I write clean reports. Procurement officers, program officers, and accreditation reviewers should not have to translate my work into their format.
I will tell you when something is outside my scope. Where I cannot help, I will say so. Where I know someone who can, I will make the connection.
Each cohort I design, I deliver. That keeps your program DONA-aligned and the quality consistent across cohorts.
Beyond institutional work
Outside of institutional partnerships, I run a birth doula training program for individuals pursuing DONA certification, mentor practicing doulas through doulabusiness.com, and write books, articles, and curriculum on pregnancy, birth, lactation, childbirth education, and the postpartum period.
I have spoken at national and international conferences on birth, doula work, perinatal mental health, and equity in maternity care.
Other credentials worth knowing
Beyond the academic and DONA credentials, I hold:
- AdvCD/BDT(DONA), Advanced Certified Doula and Birth Doula Trainer, DONA International
- CLC, Certified Lactation Counselor
- LCCE, Lamaze Certified Childbirth Educator
- PMH-C, Perinatal Mental Health Certification, Postpartum Support International
- FACCE, Fellow of the American College of Childbirth Educators
The lateral expertise matters. Doula work intersects lactation, childbirth education, perinatal mental health, and trauma-informed care. The credentials reflect a working understanding of all four.
Working on a program?
If you are building or expanding a doula training program and think we might be a fit, send me a project brief. I will reply within two business days.