GOLD Speakers

Karen Lawford, PhD, RM, AM

• Country: Canada

Biography:

Dr. Karen Lawford (Ph.D., R.M., A.M.) is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Gender Studies at Queen’s University and an Adjunct Research Professor in the School of Indigenous and Canadian Studies at Carleton University. She is a member of Lac Seul First Nation

She is the first registered midwife and Indigenous midwife in Canada to obtain a doctoral degree and hold a university appointment. She advocates for maternity care that allows community members to give birth in their communities and on the land, and has explored the resiliency and resistance of women evacuated from their communities for birth. She also conducts research that examines the leadership of Indigenous women and Two Spirit people within health. She is a founding member of the National Aboriginal Council of Midwives.

Dr. Lawford is a 2020 Indspire Laureate in the category of Health. She also serves as a Senator for Queen’s University.