GOLD Speakers

USA

Shafia M. Monroe, DEM, CDT, MPH

  • Country: USA
Biography:

Monroe became a Direct-Entry Midwife in the 70’s, to empower the women in her community. In 1991, she founded the International Center for Traditional Childbearing (ICTC), the first US-based Black Midwives and Doulas Professional Organization. In 2002, she developed the ICTC Full Circle Doula program and trains thousands of persons, with one-third becoming midwives. In 2012, she received her Master of Public Health from Walden University. She is featured in numerous articles for her work, including the Bill HB3311 (2011)  Doula Report, “Into These Hands, Wisdom of Midwives,” and recently completed the foreword for “Birthing Justice: Black Women, Pregnancy and Childbirth.” In 2014, she opened Shafia Monroe Consulting, a cultural competency training service. Shafia receives numerous awards for her work, including the Life Time Achievement Award, and the Midwife Hero Award. Shafia is a wife, a mother, and a grandmother. She enjoys gardening, writing, riding horses and cooking for family and friends.”