Dr. Judith Mercer

Since joining the faculty at the University of Rhode Island in 1998, Dr. Mercer has continued her commitments to teach midwifery and other students, provide midwifery care through the URI Center for Midwifery at Memorial Hospital of Rhode Island in Pawtucket, and carry out her research examining gentle birth practices especially the effects of delayed cord clamping on infants. She is recognized by her peers as a Fellow in the American College of Nurse-Midwives. Dr. Mercer is linked to midwifery in New England through her past experience as midwifery faculty and director at Georgetown University where she participated in the education of several current leaders in midwifery in this region and a number of the excellent preceptors. Education of new midwives is her primary commitment-"to make midwives for our daughters and granddaughters." Her practice experience ranges from home births to medical centers in Washington DC/Maryland/Virginia area, Alabama, Mississippi, Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Through the URI Center for Midwifery, she offers well-woman, antepartum, birth and postpartum care to women from Rhode Island and Southern Massachusetts. Internationally, Dr. Mercer helped to bring gentle birthing practices to Moldova and the Ukraine as she coordinated and participated in a didactic and clinical Training of Trainers for physicians and midwives in family-centered maternity care thus assisting to introduce change in the former Soviet medical system that persists in Eastern Europe. Currently, Dr. Mercer is the Principal Investigator on a randomized controlled trial at Women and Infants Hospital examining the effect of delayed cord clamping on outcomes of very low birth weight babies. She is also part of the Risk and Vulnerability Research Group at URI examining these concepts across population groups. Education Catholic University Research Cord clamping and newborn recovery. Gentle birth practices. Nurse-midwifery. Breastfeeding.