TORONTO – January 21, 2011 – The new year brings a new role for Burlington-area midwife Anne Wilson, who has recently started a two-year term as president of the Canadian Association of Midwives (CAM). Wilson brings extensive experience to the role – both as a midwife and a leader.

The Canadian Association of Midwives is the national organization representing midwives and the profession of midwifery in Canada. CAM promotes the development of the profession in the public interest and contributes the midwifery perspective to the national health policy agenda.

“Midwives need to be central to the planning process for maternity care in Canada and midwifery care needs to be both accessible and funded for all provinces and territories. As supporters of normal birth and the appropriate use of technology, midwives bring the voices of women to the planning and negotiation tables of all provinces and territories and CAM can lead that process,” said Wilson. “This is a demanding but rewarding challenge and I am privileged to be a part of expanding CAM’s role as a national voice for midwifery and promoting Canada’s vision for midwifery on the international stage.”

Wilson trained and worked as both a midwife and nurse in the U.K. for years before relocating to Canada. Following midwifery regulation in Ontario, Wilson completed the Midwifery Education Program at McMaster University and has been working as a midwife in Burlington for more than a decade. She currently sees clients with the Burlington and Area Midwives practice and has privileges at three area hospitals: Joseph Brant Memorial Hospital, St. Joseph’s Health Care Hamilton, Charleton site and Halton Healthcare, Oakville-Trafalgar Memorial Hospital Site.

Wilson has been involved in the advancement of midwifery since the profession was regulated in 1994, serving on many regional interdisciplinary committees and volunteering for the Association of Ontario Midwives (AOM), where she served for ten years on the Board of Directors.

A midwife is a registered health care professional who provides primary care to women with low-risk pregnancies. Midwives provide care throughout pregnancy, labour and birth and provide care to both mother and baby during the first six weeks following the birth.
 
For more information or to set up interviews with Anne Wilson, please contact:

Joanna Zuk, Senior Communications Officer
Association of Ontario Midwives
Tel: 416-425-9974 x2261  
Cell: 416-704-745
comms@aom.on.ca
www.aom.on.ca
 
or
Tonia Occhionero, Executive Director
Canadian Association of Midwives
Tel: 514-807-3668
director@canadianmidwives.org
www.canadianmidwives.org