Kate Blake
Education: Bachelor of Midwifery (UBC), Health Sciences (McMaster), BA in Sociology (Queen’s)
(However, my greatest and most humbling learning has come from giving birth to and raising my own three amazing kids.)
Moment I knew I wanted to be a Midwife: I was born wanting to be a midwife! I started catching babies over 20 years ago and there is nothing else I could imagine doing.
Before I was a Midwife: I traveled internationally and learned with midwives in Guatemala, Togo and the Netherlands.
Kara Giesbrecht
Starting November 2020
Education: Bachelor of Midwifery (UBC), BA in Anthropology (UBC)
Moment I knew I wanted to be a midwife: I actually thought I wanted to be a nurse. When I was working on getting into nursing school, I discovered that midwives existed and I was sold – it was everything I thought I would get from nursing and more.
Before I was a midwife: I was a medical office administrator, a doula and volunteering with a variety of organizations – my favourite being a sexual health clinic!
Alison Humphrey
Education: Midwifery degree (Laurentian University), BA (UofT)
Moment I knew I wanted to be a Midwife: 10 years old, voraciously reading books about pregnancy and birth.
Before I was a Midwife: I lived in Toronto, worked as a youth employment counsellor and volunteered as a doula at June’s Center for Teenagers (formerly Jessie’s).
Sarah Knowlden
Education: Bachelor of Midwifery (UBC), BA in Psychology (UBC), MA (Kingston, UK),
Moment I knew I wanted to be a Midwife: The midwifery care I received when I had my own three children made me realize there simply isn’t a better or more important job!
Before I was a Midwife: I worked in the corporate world, developing community-based sustainability strategies. I was also a volunteer doula.
Katie McCallum
Joining Westside Midwives in January 2021
Education: Bachelor of Midwifery (UBC), Level II Dental Assisting (Discovery College)
Moment I knew I wanted to be a Midwife: I met a student midwife when my brother and his wife were expecting. It just seemed like the perfect combination of primary health care and relationship based continuity… and I was right, it is!
Before I was a Midwife: I spent 5 years working in dentistry, while juggling administrative work for midwifery clinics, teaching prenatal education and providing support for families as a doula.
Holly Parker
Joining Westside Midwives in January 2021
Education: Midwifery Bsc with Hons (City University, London, UK),American & Canadian Studies BA (University of Nottingham, UK).
Moment I knew I wanted to be a Midwife:In my mid-twenties, realising that I wanted a vocation with human connection and life-long learning. I love that midwifery encompasses so many spheres – biology, psychology, holistic care…and places value on intuition.
Before I was a Midwife: I worked at a Business School, organized conferences, was an international rower, and was able to travel abroad a lot.
Sonia Perez
Education: Bachelor of Midwifery (McMaster), BSc. Cellular, Molecular, Microbial biology (TRU). I deliver care in Spanish, German, English, and French.
Moment I knew I wanted to be a Midwife: I was a doula for a time, and when a family member of mine chose a midwife, I also serendipitously met many midwives in the same time period. I often say, I followed the signs toward midwifery.
Before I was a Midwife:I was born in Mexico and raised in BC/Germany, so have taken on many adventurous jobs, from mosquito controller to bank teller. I completed my first degree with the intention of working in science and health care, but life took me elsewhere and I found work at BC Hydro. Some years in, I started as a doula, and when midwifery came calling, I made the leap from marketing to midwifery. It was the right time to return to health care, and I’m so glad I did!
Lena Rowat
Education: Bachelor of Midwifery ( Texas/Ryerson University), BA, African American Studies.
Moment I knew I wanted to be a Midwife: Attending births with my mother – a GP who supported home births & midwives.
Before I was a Midwife: I indulged a fascination with world culture and adventure by travelling, working, and studying across the globe. I developed a strong passion for wilderness pursuits in the local mountains, which is still where I can most often be found if not at the clinic or attending births.
Elie Rushton
Education: Bachelor of Midwifery (UBC), Master of Public Health (SFU), BSC (UVic)
Moment I knew I wanted to be a Midwife: I’ve always loved babies! When my aunt and uncle had their two kids with midwives, and I learned how midwives get to take care of families and babies, I was hooked and never looked back!
Before I was a Midwife: I worked in women’s health research, working on projects that aim to improve access to reproductive and sexual health for women. I also taught yoga for many years and travelled as much as I could.
Jade Kassam
On maternity leave from
Nov 2020-Nov 2021
Education: Bachelor of Midwifery (UBC), Bachelor of Commerce (UVic)
Moment I knew I wanted to be a Midwife: When asked what I wanted to be when I grew up, starting from the age of 10, my response was always “deliver babies”. Midwifery is so much more than my profession, it is my calling. After every birth I attend, I can’t help but think “how did I get so lucky?”
Before I was a Midwife: I worked as a Midwifery Clinic Administrator, Childbirth Educator and Birth & Postpartum Doula. In addition to my private Doula practice, I provided Doula services for young mothers through SMILE and women with addictions.
Thea Parkin
On maternity leave from
Nov 2020- Jan 2022
Education: Bachelor of Midwifery (UBC), BSc in Nutrition (UBC).
Moment I knew I wanted to be a Midwife: 23 years old. The UBC Midwifery program was being developed and on paper it sounded like the most amazing career on the planet– and it is!
Before I was a Midwife: I used to help UBC students (prospective, current and former) get stuff done.
Marella Falat
On maternity leafe from June 2021-July 2022
Education: Bachelor of Midwifery (UBC) BSc in Global Resource systems (UBC)
Moment I knew I wanted to be Midwife: I was applying to the Masters of public health program and the mother I was nannying for said “Why don’t you apply to midwifery? It would be perfect for you?” All the pieces I cared about: public health, families and babies and education come together in this profession.
Before I was a Midwife: Studying agriculture, First Nations studies in Chiapas Mexico, Cuba and Nepal. I also Nannied and taught Yoga.