YNM Member Story: Edith Smith, CNM, WHNP

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Share your story: What does midwifery mean to you? What would you like to be celebrated in the Year of the Nurse and the Midwife?

Midwifery means opportunity! There are so many ways to help women and families that begin with midwifery. As a Certified Nurse-Midwife (CNM), I spent many years in primary women’s health care practice, which led to a specialty in breast oncology, which ultimately led to a specialty in cancer genetics – all with a continued focus on the care of women and the prevention of disease. Midwifery means opportunity: for lifelong learning, for professional growth and development, and for the privilege of walking alongside women facing cancer.

Tell us about your background: Which midwifery education program did you attend or are currently attending? What are your areas of specialty? Who mentored you along the way in your career? What inspired you to become a midwife?

I am a 1992 graduate of the Nurse-Midwifery Education Program at Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science in Los Angeles, CA and obtained a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree from the University of Utah in 2013. I am triple board certified as a CNM, Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner (WHNP), and in Advanced Genetic Nursing. My specialty is in women’s health, breast oncology, and cancer risk assessment. I have a special interest and expertise in breast cancer risk assessment, hereditary cancer syndromes, cancer genetics, and the management of women at high risk for breast cancer.

My most important mentors include BJ Snell, PhD, CNM, Ruth Mielke, PhD, CNM, and Deborah MacDonald, PhD, RN, APNG. I was initially inspired to become a midwife by the pregnant women that I cared for as a WHNP. Over 30 years later, I continue to be inspired by women; now it is those facing cancer.

Connect with Edith

LinkedIn: Edith Caroline Smith, DNP, CNM, WHNP-BC, AGN-BC