2019 UDA Conference Keynote Speaker: Courtney Everson PhD

Courtney L. Everson holds a PhD in Applied Medical Anthropology with a long track record of community outreach, research, and leadership in education, non-profit management, and health equity.

Dr. Everson is currently appointed as core Academic Faculty and the Dean of Graduate Studies at the Midwives College of Utah, where she also serves as the Chair of the Equity & Social Justice Steering Committee and the Evidence-informed Practice Steering Committee. Dr. Everson holds several leadership positions nationally in the midwifery field, including as the Vice President of the Association of Midwifery Educators and on the Board of Directors for the Midwifery Education Accreditation Council and the Academic Collaborative for Integrative Health. Dr. Everson’s research and teaching foci include: psychosocial stress, social support, midwifery care, doula care, physiologic birth, and health inequities. She actively publishes in academic forums, is an avid guest speaker, and has won multiple awards for her teaching, research, and service.

Dr. Everson’s role on the DOR is Director of Research Education. Dr. Everson leads efforts to increase research fluency among aspiring and currently practicing midwives. She also contributes to many DOR and Coordinating Council (CC) initiatives and research projects. In her role of advancing research education, Dr. Everson works with midwifery schools and midwifery education professional organizations to integrate research literacy skills into educational routes (both initial training and ongoing continuing education). She also collaborates with external stakeholders to ensure that best practices and resources in research fluency for practitioners can be incorporated into both midwifery education/training and client care, with the goal of advancing evidence-informed practice frameworks.

Dr. Everson also serves on the Research Review Committee (RRC) of the DOR CC and coordinates the Connect Me! Mentorship program.