Paulomi Bhatt

Mimi (Paulomi) Bhatt, PhD, MPH, CNM, is an Assistant Professor at NYU Rory Meyers College of Nursing. She is a certified nurse-midwife, researcher, educator, and theorist whose work centers on birth equity, reproductive justice, and the integration of midwifery care in public health systems. She actively provides clinical care within NYC Health + Hospitals and contributes to national and global maternal health policy.

• PhD in Nursing Theory, NYU Meyers College of Nursing
• MSN, Frontier Nursing University
• MPH in Global Health Leadership, NYU Global Institute of Public Health
• BSN, NYU Steinhardt School of Education
• BA in Comparative Literature and English Education, NYU College of Arts & Science

Dr. Bhatt’s research is grounded in critical feminist theory and qualitative methodologies. Her work investigates how midwifery models can advance health equity, particularly for Black, Indigenous, and other minoritized communities. She explores themes such as autonomy in childbirth, respectful maternity care, perinatal mental health, and systemic barriers faced by midwives of color. Her scholarship emphasizes anti-oppression frameworks and community-based participatory research.

Her recent publications analyze experiential outcomes in maternity care, revealing that midwife-led care—especially in community settings—leads to higher autonomy, respect, and lower mistreatment. She has also published on the experiences of sexual and gender-diverse parents, cervical cancer screening in the Dominican Republic, and midwifery integration in India. Her work consistently highlights structural inequities and advocates for transformative change in maternal health systems.

Scientific awards and honors include:

• NYU University-wide Dissertation Award – Allied Health & Social Services (2020)
• Jonas Nurse Leaders Scholar Award (multiple years)
• Johnson & Johnson Minority Faculty Nurse Scholar Award (multiple years)
• Herman Biggs Health Policy Fellow
• Women’s Leadership Initiative at NYU

Dr. Bhatt mentors future nurse-midwives and contributes to policy through service on the NYC Maternal Mortality and Morbidity Review Committee and the International Confederation of Midwives’ Americas Regional Committee. She received postdoctoral training at the Birth Place Lab, University of British Columbia, and as a Provost Postdoctoral Fellow at NYU. Her clinical and academic work is deeply informed by her identity as a first-generation immigrant and her mother’s legacy as a nurse-midwife in India.

She is affiliated with the Birth Place Lab and collaborates with multidisciplinary teams focused on respectful maternity care, midwifery practice climate, and global maternal health capacity building.