Melissa Avery, PhD, CNM, FACNM, FAAN,

is a Professor in the School of Nursing at the University of Minnesota. Her current research is examining prenatal care practices to enhance maternal confidence for physiologic labor and birth. She was Co-Principal Investigator on a nationally-funded project to develop and implement an interprofessional education curriculum for graduate midwifery students and obstetrics-gynecology residents. Dr. Avery is a past president of the American College of Nurse Midwives, and is a Fellow in the American College of Nurse-Midwives and the American Academy of Nursing.