Acadia School of Midwifery
Welcome,
At Acadia School of Midwifery, we choose our faculty with the utmost care. Each member of our team is among the most gifted, thoughtful, and experienced practitioners, educators, and leaders in their fields. We seek out those who are not only highly skilled and academically accomplished, but also deeply committed to the advancement of midwifery, the rights of women and families, and the well-being of communities worldwide. By uniting some of the best minds and most compassionate hearts, our team creates an environment where knowledge is advanced, traditions are honored, and future midwives are supported to thrive and shape the future of maternal health.
Education Pillars
Meet the Faculty
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Jacky Bloemraad-de-Boer
Bloemraad-de Boer, BSc, CPM, LM – Midwife, Writer, and Educator in Integrative Maternal Health
Jacky Bloemraad-de Boer is a Licensed Midwife (LM) and Certified Professional Midwife (CPM) with over two decades of experience in maternal health. Her academic and clinical background integrates direct-entry midwifery with Traditional Chinese Medicine, nutritional sciences, herbalism, and doula care—reflecting a transdisciplinary approach to women’s health.
She holds a Bachelor of Science in Nutritional Sciences from King’s College London and completed a bridging program that allowed her to transition from her NARM certification (Certified Professional Midwife, CPM) to recognition and licensure within the Dutch higher education system (HBO) through the Midwifery Academy Amsterdam. She also holds diplomas in Western Medicine, Chinese Medicine, Acupuncture, and Materia Medica from Shenzhou Open University of TCM in Amsterdam and multiple certifications in lactation support, herbal medicine, and doula training.
Jacky founded Midwife Café, a global education platform where she mentors birth professionals in integrative midwifery, physiological birth, and evidence-informed herbal and nutritional care. She teaches internationally and has practiced midwifery in both South Africa and the Netherlands.
In addition to her teaching and clinical work, Jacky is the author of three widely used manuals in maternal health:
• Holistic Pregnancy Manual
• Holistic Childbirth Manual
• Holistic Postpartum Manual
These publications reflect her commitment to evidence-informed, whole-person care and have become valuable resources for practitioners seeking to offer comprehensive, respectful, and culturally relevant support during the perinatal period.
Jacky brings a cross-disciplinary and cross-cultural lens to maternal health education, grounding her work in both modern clinical standards and time-honoured midwifery knowledge.
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Heather Briscoe, MD
Heather Briscoe, MD
Clinician Educator | University of California, San Francisco
Pediatrician | San Francisco General Hospital
Dr. Heather Briscoe, MD is a clinician educator based at San Francisco General Hospital in the Department of Pediatrics. Her work centers on addressing the racially disparate composition of children in foster care, with a particular focus on the San Francisco area. She served on a sub-committee for the Mandated Reporting to Community Supporting Task Force, a group dedicated to transforming the mandated reporting system—especially where concerns of neglect stem from unmet basic needs rather than intentional harm.
Dr. Briscoe is also deeply engaged in improving care for newborns exposed to substances in utero and supporting their families. She has contributed to the development and implementation of Plans of Safe Care, cultivated strong working relationships with local Child Protective Services (CPS), and worked to slow down decision-making processes to reduce systemic bias and promote better understanding. She has spoken nationally about bringing anti-racism into child welfare systems and is part of Team Lily, an innovative multidisciplinary team that cares for pregnant individuals who struggle to engage in routine prenatal care.
Through these efforts, Dr. Briscoe has helped refine institutional policies around urine toxicology, narrowing its use to a few specific clinical indications. She has also played a key role in supporting parents with substance use disorders to enter residential treatment while maintaining custody of their newborns—when appropriate—thereby fostering both healing and family preservation.
Education and Training:
• 12/2019 – Respectful Care of Pregnant and Birthing People (Train the Trainer), National Birth Equity Collaborative
• 08/2018 – Teaching Scholars Program, University of California, San Francisco (UCSF)
• 2017 – Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Champion Training, University of California
• 06/2010 – General Pediatrics Residency, UCSF
• 12/2005 – Doctor of Medicine, UCSF
https://pediatrics.ucsf.edu/people/heather-briscoe#Education
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Lucie Wade, MA
Lucie Wade, MA (Bioethics)
Clinical Ethicist | Educator | Consultant
Lucie Wade holds a Master’s degree in Experimental Medicine with a specialization in Bioethics from McGill University and brings over a decade of experience as a practicing clinical ethicist. She has led clinical and organizational ethics programs at two of Quebec’s leading academic institutions: the McGill University Health Centre and the CIUSSS du Centre-Ouest-de-l’Île-de-Montréal, home of the Jewish General Hospital (JGH), where she currently serves as the institution’s first full-time clinical ethicist.
Ms. Wade has consulted on hundreds of clinical cases and is particularly recognized for her expertise in complex ethical issues related to intensive care, consent and capacity, neuroethics, and disability studies. She completed advanced clinical training through an academic fellowship in Clinical and Organizational Ethics at the University of Toronto’s Joint Centre for Bioethics, where she served diverse clinical populations including pediatric rehabilitation and geriatric care.
In addition to her clinical work, Lucie has made significant academic contributions as a lecturer and course leader for McGill University’s graduate-level Bioethics Practicum. She is also a published author of peer-reviewed articles and book chapters, and a frequent invited speaker at national and international ethics conferences.
Lucie brings a unique ability to integrate critical ethical theory with the practical realities of healthcare systems, ensuring that patient care decisions are grounded in respect for the moral values of patients, families, and care providers.
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Dr. Molly Fitzpatrick, PhD
Dr. Molly Fitzpatrick, PhD – Social Anthropologist, Global Reproductive Health Scholar
Dr. Molly Fitzpatrick is a social anthropologist whose research and teaching focus on midwifery, childbirth, and parenting across diverse cultural and healthcare contexts. With over a decade of experience in higher education, she brings expertise in social anthropology, global health, and cultural humility to her academic work and faculty roles.
Her ethnographic research spans Indonesia, South Africa, India, and the Netherlands, offering a comparative lens on reproductive justice, gender, caregiving, and the politics of maternity care. Her doctoral dissertation, which explored the politics of midwifery in Indonesia, was awarded Best Dissertation by the Philosophical Faculty at the University of Zurich.
Dr. Fitzpatrick currently serves as a postdoctoral researcher and lecturer at the University of Zurich and holds an appointment as a guest researcher at the University of Amsterdam. Her academic contributions support critical, interdisciplinary approaches to understanding birth and reproductive care across global contexts—an essential perspective in midwifery education and maternal health research.
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Saraswathi Vedam, PhD, MSN, CNM, RN
Saraswathi Vedam, PhD, MSN, CNM, RN
Professor of Midwifery | University of British Columbia
Lead Investigator | Birth Place Lab
Dr. Saraswathi Vedam is Professor of Midwifery at the University of British Columbia and Lead Investigator of the Birth Place Lab. She holds a PhD in Transdisciplinary Collaboration from the University of Sydney, a Master of Science in Nursing and a Certificate in Nurse-Midwifery from Yale University, as well as a Bachelor’s degree in Comparative Literature from Amherst College.
With over 30 years of clinical, academic, and research experience, Dr. Vedam is internationally recognized for her work on midwifery integration, person-centered care, and reproductive health equity. She has led landmark CIHR-funded studies including the Canadian Birth Place Study, Changing Childbirth in BC, Giving Voice to Mothers, and the AIMM Study. Her contributions include the development of validated tools such as the MADM scale, MOR index, and PPEMP index, used internationally to measure respectful maternity care.
She has served as a consultant on birth policy and midwifery regulation in numerous countries and chaired four U.S. Home Birth Consensus Summits, facilitating interprofessional collaboration to advance equity in maternity care.
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Jamie Kokot
CUSTOMER SERVICE MANAGER
“Our faculty creates an environment where knowledge is advanced, traditions are honoured, and future midwives are supported to thrive and shape the future of maternal health.”
Meet the Team
Meet the Board
Midwife-Led
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My approach to primary care offers comprehensive services such as gynecological care, blood work and lab tests. I focus on addressing the root causes underlying imbalances or dysfunctions that lead to illness to promote wellness.
My background in integrative and functional medicine combines conventional medicine with evidence-based complementary therapies, such as herbal medicine, nutrition, mindfulness, and mind-body practices, to treat the whole person—mind, body, and spirit. I specialize in prevention and lifestyle interventions and empower you to play an active role in your health and well-being.
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Midwifery-led functional medicine care for menstruation and fertility integrates the principles of functional medicine with the compassionate, trauma-informed and person-center approach of midwifery to address the underlying factors affecting menstrual health and fertility.
We use different evidence-based approaches to address dysmenorrhea, endometriosis, fibroids, candida, and bacterial vaginosis. This may involve bloodwork and lab Tests, In-Uterine Insemination, nutritional interventions, herbal therapies, lifestyle modifications, stress management techniques, and targeted supplementation to support hormone balance, optimize reproductive function, and enhance your overall health and well-being on your path to menstrual health and fertility optimization.
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Since the beginning of time, we have been birthing Humanity. Pregnancy, birth and postpartum are all natural and physiological part of life. And, when appropriately held, they become the rite of passage they are met to be.
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I focus on addressing the root causes rather than just treating symptoms of menopause. As a functional medicine practitioner, I consider factors such as hormone imbalance, nutritional deficiencies, stress levels, gut health, and environmental toxins. Treatment plans may involve:
Personalized dietary and lifestyle recommendations.
Targeted supplements.
Stress management techniques.
Hormone-balancing therapies.
Other integrative approaches to optimize overall health and well-being during menopause.
This approach aims to support you through the transition, promoting long-term health and vitality.
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I have spent over two decades listening to stories that were never meant to be held alone.
As a Midwife, I have received the stories of birth and trauma from thousands of people. I’ve since worked to develop a Trauma-Informed Care curriculum for Birthworker. But for those who have already been injured, I pursue my training and graduated in 2023 with an Advanced Degree in Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy at Naropa University and had the distinguished opportunity to become MAPS’ Educated Therapist and Specialized in Trauma Therapy with Janine Fisher, PhD. As part of my work, I have been a Senior Therapist at the University of New Mexico in Clinical Research on Birth Trauma and Postpartum Depression.
Yet, after many years of practice, I realized that having a place where one can speak her story is one of the most powerful and healing modality there is.