HERHealth Podcast
AVA Conversations - We Have Met the Enemy and They Are Us with Dr. Saraswathi Vedam
Today we are joined by Dr. Saraswathi Vedam, Professor of Midwifery at the University of British Columbia, Lead Investigator of the Birth Place Lab, and one of the most influential figures in global perinatal health equity. Over 40 years as a clinician-scientist, she has developed the tools that now measure respect, autonomy, and mistreatment in childbirth in 64 countries. Her team’s work won the National Quality Forum Innovation Prize in 2017. She leads the CIHR-funded Justice and Equity in Perinatal Services Hub, and in 2025 received the Lifetime Visionary Award from the American College of Nurse-Midwives. Today’s conversation builds on her webinar, We Have Met the Enemy and They Are Us: How Do Pregnant People Define Quality and Safety? Because the evidence is clear: in perinatal care, the greatest threats to safety and quality are not random or accidental. They are structural. They are patterned. Today we are going to talk about what the research shows, what accountability looks like, and what providers can actually do. Learn more about Dr. Vedam's work here: https://www.birthplacelab.org/ At AVA we are working together to make things better. Website: AVA Linktree: AVA Resources & Links Instagram: @avatraining_ca X: @avatraining_ca Facebook: Alliance against Violence & Adversity LinkedIn: Alliance against Violence & Adversity (AVA) Subscribe now and be part of the movement to transform health for women and girls at risk.
