Meet the Team
Midwives
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Dr. Elle is a dynamic strategist and change catalyst with over twenty years of leadership across the military and healthcare sectors. Rising to the rank of Colonel in the U.S. Army, she brings strategic prowess to her role as the owner of BirthCare & Women’s Health, a pioneering midwifery practice and freestanding birth center established in 1987.
With an unwavering dedication to diversity, she founded Midwifery In Color, an organization championing inclusivity in her profession. Armed with a Doctor of Midwifery, a Master of Science in Midwifery, and a Bachelor of Science in Biology, Elle’s journey epitomizes an unyielding pursuit of excellence.
Beyond accolades, Elle’s true passion lies in community empowerment. Serving on the boards of the American Midwifery Certification Board, the National CVS Health Equity Board, and the Virginia Perinatal Neonatal Collaborative, she isn’t simply involved in healthcare – she’s committed to uplifting and transforming lives. With a fervent dedication to healthcare excellence, Elle actively participates in professional and social organizations, endeavoring to empower communities at every turn.
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Martha began her career as a midwife after graduating from Georgetown University Midwifery School. In 1987, she became the first staff midwife employed by BirthCare. Over the years, she has worked with BirthCare in various capacities while raising her family of four children, taking time off from her professional career to home-school each of them through high school. Martha currently serves as a full-scope midwife, dedicated to ensuring the continued success of the practice under its excellent new leadership. She is deeply committed to BirthCare and the personalized, one-on-one care it provides to clients. Martha believes in the midwifery model of care, which is founded on the idea that women can achieve remarkable things when supported by education, understanding, compassion, and shared decision-making with knowledgeable and experienced care providers. Her work is also guided by her faith, which instills a sense of humility and reliance on God’s strength. She is always available to pray for clients while respecting each individual's personal and religious beliefs and practices.
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Dorothy became a nurse in 1979, and worked in Hematology/Oncology for a few years as a hospital nurse, where she found satisfaction in helping people make difficult decisions at the end of life. She then took some time off to do volunteer work with a midwife in the mountains of eastern Kentucky. This is where her idea of becoming a midwife came into focus. She saw that she could apply her nursing and midwifery experience to the beginning of the life spectrum, and work with women to help them understand the natural process of normal birth, and help to facilitate their birthing experience, and she has never looked back!
Since attending midwifery school at Frontier School of Midwifery and Family Nursing (now Frontier Nursing University) and receiving a dual certificate as a Certified Nurse Midwife (CNM) and Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) in 1987, Dorothy has worked in a variety of birth center, clinic, and hospital based practices, where she has assisted many women in all aspects of their prenatal, birthing, and gynecological life cycle. After joining Birthcare in 2015, Dorothy’s experience has expanded to include the joys of home births.
Dorothy and her husband have 2 wonderful children and 2 wonderful grandchildren. She is happy for the experience of working at Birthcare with these wonderful midwives, and clients!
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Bio coming soon.
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Heather Walker is a Certified Professional Midwife (CPM), and she is licensed in Virginia (2023). She completed her midwifery clinical training in home and birth center settings throughout the DMV over the last 7 years and is excited to serve the families of the DMV at BirthCare. Heather is dedicated to providing a safe and inclusive space for the families she serves, and she believes in the power that midwifery care has to improve communities! Heather is also the mother of two home-born daughters and a resident of Southern Maryland.
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Bio coming soon!
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Hadassah (Das) Bellot is a Certified Professional Midwife whose journey into supporting families began with a passion for guiding them through life's most transformative experiences. Originally hailing from the Bronx, Hadassah relocated to the DMV area after serendipitously meeting her beloved husband Dr. Joseph Burt-Miller on Tinder. Together, they've created a warm and loving home in Upper Marlboro, where they reside with Hadassah's daughter, Brianna, who is pursuing her college education.
Hadassah's educational background includes a Bachelor's degree in Psychology from The College Of New Rochelle in New York. Her path to becoming a CPM was paved with hands-on experience as she apprenticed at births in Kentucky and Ohio, eagerly anticipating the opportunity to bring her acquired skills back to the DMV community.
Prior to joining the BirthCare staff in March 2024, Hadassah spent several years as a Full Spectrum Doula and Childbirth Educator, working closely with families to ensure they felt empowered and supported throughout their journey into parenthood. Her dedication to her craft has touched the lives of countless families, guiding them through the sacred and transformative experience of childbirth.
In her free time, Hadassah finds joy in karaoke, volunteering, immersing herself in a good book, and cherishing moments with her family. Joseph and Hadassah envision raising dynamic individuals who will become agents of positive change in the world.
Birth Assistants
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Service area: Stephanie is not taking any new clients before a due date of January 2026
Stephanie is a student midwife studying at Mercy in Action College of Midwifery. She is also a Holistic Fertility Practitioner and Birth Doula with a passion for helping women restore hormonal balance and have informed births.
Born at the Naval Hospital in Bethesda to her Filipino mother and Scottish-American father, she has an appreciation for military families.
She holds a Master’s of Science in Holistic Nutrition with a focus on prenatal and postpartum nutrition and has been working as a birth doula since 2018 after 10 years in the defense industry.
Outside of her birth-worker life, she is a mother of three boys (one in heaven), a food enthusiast, and an avid traveler. Her favorite place to visit with her family is Asheville, North Carolina.
She is NRP and CPR certified and trained in breastfeeding support, Spinning Babies, and newborn care.
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Service area: Holly serves DC, Montgomery and PG counties, and Northern Virginia inside the beltway.
She has been working as a doula since 2007 and as a birth assistant since 2010; she came to Birth Care in 2014. She especially loves serving queer families.
Holly also works as an herbalist and grows medicinal herbs. She is originally from upstate New York and has called DC home since 2001.
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Service area: 40 miles surrounding BirthCare
Audrey Gentry-Brown (she/her) is a Learning Midwife, Certified Lactation Counselor, and Medicine Woman. She is the founder of Birth 'n' Herbs, admin of the Black Student Midwives Facebook Group, and Co-founder of the Traditional Midwifery Freedom Path at Gather Grounded Midwifery. Originally from Bronx, NY, Audrey now lives on Manahoac, Algonquin, Iroquois, and Piscataway land (Loudoun County, VA).
Audrey is a proud wife, mom to one son, two fur babies, and a host of plants. She is a music enthusiast, an avid reader, and an accomplished home chef.
Inspired by the legacy of her great Aunt Sis Vivi, a revered Grand Midwife in Jamaica, Audrey carries her spirit and wisdom into every birth she attends. Her philosophy centers on trusting the body's innate ability to know what it needs to do and reclaiming the birth rituals and practices that have long nurtured our communities. She believes that birth is a deeply spiritual and transformative experience, deserving of the utmost respect and care.
Trained in CPR, Neonatal Resuscitation, Spinning Babies, and an Evidence Based Birth Pro Member, Audrey is well-equipped to provide comprehensive and informed care.
Audrey views birth as a rite of passage. She often says, "You are not only giving birth to an ancestor returned (child), you are giving birth to a new version of yourself."
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Service Area: 40 miles surrounding BirthCare
It is a joy for her to serve as a Birthing Assistant for Birth Care. Many years ago, she began her journey as an EMT, working with a private ambulance company on the Southside of Chicago. During that time, she transported many young, pregnant women to the hospital, only to see them left alone and frightened in the emergency room. This experience led her to believe there had to be a better way to give birth, one that involved a supportive community of women helping each other through the process.
After relocating to Maryland with her husband, she was introduced to the beautiful experience of home birth. This new perspective sparked a passion for natural childbirth, and she soon became an advocate for it. As a birth coach, she has assisted women in managing natural childbirth in both hospital and home birth settings. Since 1988, seven of her eleven children were born at home, with the support of a remarkable midwife practice. Between raising her own children, she has been assisting with births alongside these wonderful midwives since 1989.
Now that her children are grown, she has had the privilege of helping several of her daughters and daughters-in-law welcome their own children, both in birth centers and at home. In addition to her work as a Birthing Assistant, she is a Master Herbalist and Naturopath, and she enjoys sharing natural remedies for pregnancy, childbirth, and recovery with her clients upon request.
She is thrilled to be part of the BirthCare team, a group of women dedicated to supporting others through the life-changing experience of childbirth. She would be honored to join any birth team and currently resides in Laurel, MD, preferring to serve clients within a 50-mile radius, though she is open to other areas and also assists with Birth Center births.
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Service area: I live in Petworth, Washington, DC and can service areas within a 20 mile radius (including the birth center). On a case by case basis, I can travel longer distances. Please contact me if you have any questions.
Abiana Patton-Toure is a birth assistant with Birthcare & Women’s Health. She officially started in this role in 2023, but has previously worked as a student midwife with us in 2020. Her journey into birthwork started in 2017 when an interest in herbal medicine opened an opportunity to learn about holistic birthwork and doula care. She’s evolved from a doula to a midwife planning to open her own practice. In the meantime, she loves to assist our midwives in helping you have the birth you desire!
Her philosophy of practice is that birth is a normal, physiological process. Families deserve evidence-based, culturally-competent care and the autonomy to make the best choice for themselves. She is turning her passion for birth into hands-on skills to help you and your family have a good birth and a safe birth.
Abiana is a D.C native. Outside of birth work, she enjoys raising her four-year-old daughter, gardening, and exploring herbal medicine.
Trainings and certifications: Certified Professional Midwife (CPM), Adult and infant cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), neonatal resuscitation (NRP), Birthwell doula certification, Spinning Babies, Birthcare midwifery apprenticeship, Sky House herbal apprenticeship
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Service Area:
Latia (she/her) has been helping pregnant people and attending births for fourteen years. She has been with Del Ray Midwifery for over three years and is nearly finished with her training to become a Certified Professional Midwife. Tia began birth work as a volunteer at a local hospital and spent several years as a medical assistant. She has been a surgical technician, assisting in the operating room (primarily during cesarean sections), for eleven years in DC-area hospitals. Tia is certified in BLS and NRP, a Certified Medical Assistant, and a Registered OB Surgical Technician. She is a former military spouse, mother to three grown boys, and is a big supporter of District Motherhued, a nonprofit dedicated to bringing Black mothers together for social events and volunteer work. Tia is committed to providing all birthing people, but especially Black birthing people, excellent pregnancy outcomes.
Administrative Staff
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Bio coming soon.
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Bio coming soon.
Community Engagement
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Erin Lee is a dedicated public health practitioner committed to addressing racial disparities and inequities within healthcare and early learning sectors. She currently serves as our Community Engagement Consultant and as the Equity and Partnerships Director at Northwest Kidney Centers, where she acts as a liaison between the organization and community partners to advance health equity. Erin brings a wealth of experience from her previous role as Community Engagement Director at Quilted Health, an organization focused on ensuring equitable access to compassionate, evidence-based, whole-person pregnancy care.
Erin holds a Master of Public Health from the University of Washington, where her research explored community-based doula support across Washington state. Her work has consistently focused on fostering collaborations with local community-based organizations to support laboring individuals and historically underserved populations. Prior to her roles in healthcare, Erin played a pivotal role in coordinating diverse programs for non-profits, specifically those supporting unsheltered children, families, and Native and Indigenous communities in WA state.
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Alysia is a member of the Community Engagement Team for BirthCare & Women's Health. She is a Certified Nurse Midwife and Maternal Child Health Public Health Nurse. Alysia also moonlights as a Labor & Delivery Nurse at a local hospital in the DC area.
Marketing & Communications
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Faisa Ali brings a wealth of experience in amplifying maternal health services through digital storytelling and strategic communication. With a deep passion for advocating inclusive, accessible care for all birthing individuals, Faisa spearheads Birth Care’s digital presence to ensure that midwifery and birth services are effectively represented across diverse audiences. She founded Peapod Social, the nation's only social media marketing agency tailored to women’s health. Faisa crafts engaging content that amplifies midwifery, and supports pregnant individuals. Her focus on creative, educational, and inclusive messaging helps BirthCare stay connected with the people it serves, reinforcing its mission of providing compassionate and personalized care.
Human Resources
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Ms. Viridiana Chaveste has worked in healthcare administration for the past 8 years. With a focus on HR in the last 6, As an avid collaborator and successful people person Ms. Chaveste has been able to support and strengthen the mission and strategically support the success of staff and teams. Viridiana’s commitment to community and social justice is what drives her day to day work.