Scholarships & Awards

The Jeanne Raisler International Award for Midwifery honors the memory of Jeanne Raisler, CNM, DrPH, FACNM, and her commitment to midwifery and international women’s health issues. 

This award consists of a mentored professional development grant that supports interested midwives who have had no or limited international experience working with midwives and women to improve women’s health. It enables the recipient to participate in a new or existing project that promotes women’s health or to expand their international professional network while enhancing their scholarly global health competencies and skills. 

BACKGROUND:

This award was established in 2007 by the A.C.N.M. Foundation in memory of Jeanne Raisler, CNM, DrPH, FACNM with an estate gift from Dr. Raisler and ongoing funding from the Raisler-Cohn Family. To date, this award has recognized eight outstanding U.S. midwives with support for their innovative work around the globe, including Ethiopia, Haiti, Nepal, Guatemala, Lesotho, and Zambia. 

Dr. Jeanne Raisler had a distinguished 30-year career in midwifery, excelling as a clinician, teacher, mentor, public health proponent, writer, editor, and researcher. She was an accomplished breastfeeding researcher and social justice advocate, with a deep commitment to promoting the role of midwives and nurses in HIV/AIDS care in Africa. She was also a strong advocate locally and globally for the midwifery model of care, especially for low-income women, 

Dr. Raisler served on the editorial board of the Journal of Nurse-Midwifery/Journal of Midwifery and Women’s Health for 30 years, during which her voluminous writings reflected every dimension of her passion for midwifery, education, public health, low-income populations, and global women’s health. Notably, in 2001, she spearheaded an entire issue devoted to international health, and featured research studies from Zambia, Tanzania, Mozambique, and South Africa, exemplifying her commitment to advancing the knowledge and appreciation of global health among midwives in the U.S.