Avery named editor-in-chief of the Journal of Midwifery & Women’s Health

Professor Melissa Avery, PhD, CNM, FACNM, FAAN, was named editor-in-chief of the Journal of Midwifery & Women’s Health, which is the official journal of the American College of Nurse-Midwives (ACNM).

“We look forward to Dr. Avery’s contributions to the journal, building on its strong foundation and bringing new ideas, skills and energy,” said ACNM Chief Executive Officer Katrina H. Holland.

Avery has been a faculty member for 26 years and served as the school’s first coordinator of the Doctor of Nursing Practice nurse-midwifery specialty, which is ranked second in the nation by U.S. News and World Report. She will be retiring in the fall and begins as editor-in-chief Jan. 1, 2022.

The Journal of Midwifery & Women's Health is a peer-reviewed journal that includes new research and current knowledge across a broad range of clinical and inter-professional topics including perinatal care, gynecology, sexual and reproductive health, primary care, public health, health care policy and global health.

Avery’s recent research has examined prenatal care practices to enhance maternal confidence for physiologic labor and birth. She is co-principal investigator on a nationally-funded project to develop and implement an interprofessional education curriculum for graduate midwifery students and obstetrics-gynecology residents. Avery is a past ACNM president and is a Fellow of ACNM and the American Academy of Nursing.

Avery has authored and co-authored a variety of articles for JMWH and received JMWH’s Best Paper of the Year Award in 2003 as a co-author of Vaginal birth after cesarean birth: A national survey of U.S. midwifery practice. She has been a JMWH peer reviewer since 1992, contributing editor from 2012-2014, education consulting editor from 2019-2020 and associate editor since 2020.