Meet Meghan Beddow, M.D. who has been on site in West Pokot, Kenya since the beginning of September leading a traditional birth attendant training program. Dr. Beddow is a physician specializing in obstetrics and gynecology, with a strong passion for decreasing disparities in access to quality health care throughout the world. She earned her medical degree from The Ohio State University, and completed her residency at The University of New Mexico. Throughout her training, she sought opportunities to work for the improvement of women’s health in underserved populations both locally and globally, and has participated in and led projects in various contexts in Latin America and Africa. Following training, she practiced in Malawi and Sierra Leone, and after two years working with the Alaska Native population, has now made her way back to the African continent. She currently serves as Saving Mothers’ on-the-ground ObGyn in West Pokot, Kenya, teaching a cohort of traditional birth attendants (TBAs) and supporting the local medical team at Kapenguria County Referral Hospital.

Over the next 3 months, Dr. Beddow and a group of local TBAs will follow a course adapted from the Guatemala School of POWHER curriculum to bolster the knowledge, skills, and confidence of maternal health providers in the region. TBAs will be covering a range of materials from female physiology and family planning to emergencies during pregnancy and delivery.