FOUNDER
Dr. Elle Annalise L. Schnetzler
Elle currently serves as a Colonel in the United States Army and is an American Midwifery Certification Board (AMCB) Certified Midwife who is committed to reducing racial and ethnic healthcare disparities among women. She received her commission as an officer in the United States Army through the Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) Program as a Medical Service Officer in 2004 from Fayetteville State University, Fayetteville, NC, where she also earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology graduating with honors (Cum Laude). She continued her education earning a Master of Science Degree in Midwifery from Philadelphia University in 2014 and made history alongside 8 fellow midwives as one of the first graduates to earn a Doctor of Midwifery in the United States. Her doctoral work is focused on developing pipeline programs and initiatives from undergraduate programs at Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) to graduate midwifery programs, thereby growing the profession and increasing the number of midwives of color. Increasing the number of midwives of color is vital to dismantling healthcare disparities among women as research has shown that quality of, and access to, healthcare for people of color has been improved by increasing racial diversity in the healthcare workforce. Further, fully integrating midwives into health care systems could prevent more than 80 percent of maternal and newborn deaths worldwide by preventing overuse of medical technologies that can lead to severe complications.
Elle’s background as an educator and a trained equal opportunity/diversity professional provide her with a unique lens through which pipeline initiatives are viewed resulting in innovative solutions.