Karline Wilson-Mitchell
Karline Wilson-Mitchell is passionate about reproductive justice that informs midwifery education, practice and global partnerships. Since 1992, Karline’s clinical work grew from the U.S. (urban and rural) to Canada (Ontario, remote Quebec) and then to midwifery education and leadership building in the Global South (Jamaica, Tanzania, Zambia, Burundi, South Sudan). Her scholarship explores the skills and infrastructure necessary to diversify the midwifery workforce, and explores strategies that facilitate equitable and inclusive work environments for midwives and vulnerable populations. Her goal is to promote resilience and sagacity in vulnerable midwifery students. To this end the MEP mentorship program was launched in December 2017, in partnership with the Black, Indigenous and People of Colour Student Collective. It is an evidence-informed (external link) program to improve MEP career trajectories and the quality of academic life.
“The opportunity for intellectual partnerships with students excites me!”, remarks Karline. These are students motivated by curiosity to interrogate the intersections of midwifery, community service, ancestral healing traditions, spiritual wholeness and wellness, and respectful leadership. The seeds of the Canadian Midwives of Colour History Project were germinated by midwifery students of colour.
Karline’s research projects have included partnerships with the University of West Indies School of Nursing, Mona, Kingston, Jamaica; IMPAKT Hospital for Sick Children and Toronto Metropolitan University Faculty of Community Services; Toronto Metropolitan Centre for Immigration and Settlement [Immigration Trajectories of Immigrant Families Project (ITIF)]; Rights for Children and Youth Partnership: Strengthening Collaboration in the Americas (RCYP (external link) ); MITAC multidisciplinary project (training student interns (external link) to explore Humanized Birth and Obstetrical Violence in Brazil); partnership with Universidade Federal Fluminense, Brazil; and partnership with the Regional Health Governance Project (external link) . She has worked for CAM Global (external link) as a consultant and volunteer developing Tanzanian Respectful Maternity Care and South Sudanese Leadership SMS2 (external link) workshops for nurses and midwives. She serves as an editorial reviewer for several high impact, professional journals.
- MWF 120: Normal Childbearing
- MWF 250: Midwifery Clinical Skills
- MWF 320: Midwifery Complications & Consultation
- MWF 344/345: Advanced Clinical Skills I, II, Emergency Skills Workshop
- MWF 370: Field Placement
- MWF 410: Clerkship
- MWF 420: Midwifery: Maternal & Newborn Pathology
- MWF 508: Black Family Health: Decolonizing Systems
- 100ABC Women Award, 2024
- Dorethea M. Lang Pioneer Award, American College of Nurse-Midwives, 2022
- Viola Desmond Award, 2019
- Fellow of the American College of Nurse-Midwives, 2019
- Carrington-Hsia-Nives Doctoral Scholarship for Midwives of Color, 2017
Research Interests:
- Global applications of Health Information Technology
- Canadian Health Disparity Research
- Scholarship of Teaching and Learning
Research projects:
- Project: The Colour of Birth Project. History of Canadian Midwives of Colour. Teaser video (external link) . An interdisciplinary collaboration of historians & archivers, filmmaker, web designer, social scientists, anthropologists, midwifery and history students, Immigration & Settlement Studies alumnus. , Co-I: May Friedman PhD, Megan Davies PhD, Margaret MacDonald PhD, Cyrus Sundar Singh PhD (c)
Year: 2020, Co-PI, Co-PI: Karen Flynn PhD
Funding received: $50,000 SSHRC Insight Development, $30,000 AOM Career Researcher
- Project: Humanized Birth and Obstetrical Violence in Brazil
Year: 2019, Co-Investigator, Co-Applicant
Funding received: $6000
Funded by: MITACS
- Project: Rights for Children & Youth Partnership: Collaboration in the Americas.
Year: 2012, Co-Investigator, Co-applicant, Governance Team for partners Violence against children Team
Funding received: $5 Million
Funded by: Social Studies and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) Partnership grant
- Project: Integration Trajectories of Immigrant Families
Year: 2013, Co Applicant, Co-Investigator
Funding received: $153,636
Funded by: SSHRC Partnership Development Grant
- Project: Psychosocial Factors Associated With Jamaican Adolescent Pregnancy and Suicidal Behaviour
Year: 2012, PI (Co-PI=Dr. Joanna Bennett)
Funding received: $10,000
Funded by: International Development Research Centre (IDRC), Canada Latin America and the Caribbean Research Exchange Grants Program (LACREG)
- Project: Birth Outcomes of New Immigrant and Refugee Women in the Greater Toronto Area
Year: 2012, PI (Co-Investigator Dr. Anneke Rummens)
Funding received: $9,000
Funded by: Health Science Grant, WS RA Grants, RU