Leigh Ann Joel

Leigh Ann joined Midwifery at Women’s Health Alliance in March 2012, as yet another certified nurse midwife who describes her career as a calling. Leigh Ann knew when she was nine years old that she wanted to deliver babies when she grew up. She went to nursing school with the goal of becoming a nurse midwife.

After completing her BSN at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, Leigh Ann worked in Boston for two years in surgical oncology and gynecology. She then worked in labor and delivery, postpartum, newborn nursery, and as a childbirth educator for eight years. Midwifery school was the next logical step because of Leigh Ann’s passion for birth. With the midwifery model of care, she could provide presence and support for her patients, in addition to helping them stay safe and healthy.

Leigh Ann then worked in Florida at a community hospital for seven years before moving to NC, where she worked at Women’s Birth and Wellness Center in Chapel Hill. Women’s Birth and Wellness Center is a freestanding birth center caring for low-risk women who desire out-of-hospital birth. Leigh Ann has learned many tricks and alternatives for pregnancy discomforts and for helping babies to come out. She also has extensive experience with breastfeeding support.

Leigh Ann joined Regional Midwifery in mid-March 2012 because she values physician backup within the safety of a hospital setting. She also appreciates the small, personal size of Duke Regional Hospital and looks forward to seeing the families she supports in her own community. She enjoys providing personalized care, and empowering women to make their own informed choices in childbirth.

Leigh Ann enjoys hiking, baking, dance, coffee, and Broadway.

She and her husband, Gregg, live in Durham and have two grown children.