Nicole Carlson, CNM, PhD
PRN Midwife (help as needed)
Nicole was born and raised in Georgia, and decided to leave her career as a social worker to become a midwife after experiencing the amazing power of being heard and cared for by a midwife during her first pregnancy. She went on to have both of her children with the help of midwives, learning through these experiences about the depths of her own strength as both a woman and a mother.
Always fascinated by the practice of supporting women to their own sense of strength, she left Georgia after graduating Summa Cum Laude from Emory University’s Bachelor of Nursing program to attend the Oregon Health & Sciences University Nurse-Midwifery program. In the incredibly diverse birthing communities around Portland, OR she learned the art and science of midwifery. After graduating, she worked as a CNM in Richmond, VA at a midwife-led practice focusing on evidence-based, comprehensive support of women.
Through her years of practice, she became aware that one of the barriers to more women having the best pregnancy and birth was the lack of research on midwifery care. In 2010, she moved back to her hometown of Atlanta and began teaching in the midwifery program at Emory University. Soon thereafter, she started work on her PhD, which she completed in 2015. Nicole’s research is focused on how labor care by midwives can lead to better outcomes for low-risk mothers and their babies. She also studies ways that all health care providers can take better care of women who are obese so they can go on to have the best labor and birth possible. She’s received support from the National Institutes of Health, the March of Dimes, and The American College of Nurse-Midwives for her research, and has published her work in a variety of journals. She also writes a regular column for midwives and nurses on the latest research findings for best practice that is published in the Journal of Midwifery and Women’s Health and the Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic, and Neonatal Nursing.
Since she moved back to Atlanta, Nicole has been an enthusiastic supporter for more woman-centered midwifery care options in the city. She’s thrilled to work with the team at Atlanta Birth Center, supporting women and families to optimal health. She also works with the Grady Memorial Hospital Midwifery practice and is full-time faculty at Emory’s School of Nursing, where she continues to teach in the midwifery program. She is past-president of the Georgia Affiliate of the American College of Nurse-Midwives, the professional organization representing all CNMs in Georgia. She currently serves with the Diversity & Inclusion and the Legislative Committees of GA ACNM. She lives in Kirkwood with the love of her life, her husband David. She enjoys spending time with her grown children (Madelyn and Sam), eating Mexican food, and traveling.
