Carol Couchie became the first Aboriginal woman to become a registered midwife in Canada and for that achievement, was honoured by Ryerson University in Toronto with an Alumni Achievement Award on September 24.
Couchie was a graduate of the first class of Ryerson’s School of Midwifery in 1998. Her work has improved the lives of countless Aboriginal women.
She is the first Aboriginal woman in Canada registered to practice in her field. She delivers effective and compassionate midwifery care and childbirth education to the large Aboriginal population of The Pas, Manitoba.
Couchie is also chair of the Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Canada’s Women’s Health Committee and a driving force behind the National Association of Aboriginal Midwives. She also helped to establish the Aboriginal Midwifery Education Program at the University College of the North.
