Saraswathi Vedam

Saraswathi Vedam is Professor of Midwifery at the University of British Columbia's Faculty of Medicine and Lead Investigator of the Birth Place Lab. As an MSFHR Health Professional Investigator (2017), she directs community-led research examining place of birth, respectful maternity care, and health equity for over 30 years of clinical and academic experience. Her work bridges transdisciplinary collaboration with patient-centered outcomes measurement.

Her educational foundation includes a PhD in Transdisciplinary Collaboration from the University of Sydney, Master of Science in Nursing from Yale University, and Bachelor's in Comparative Literature from Amherst College. Additional credentials encompass nurse midwifery certification and registered nursing diplomas from Yale.

Professor Vedam's research centers on developing and validating patient-informed quality measures including the Mothers' Autonomy in Decision Making (MADM) scale, Mothers on Respect (MOR) index, and Pregnant Persons' Experience of Mistreatment by Providers (PPEMP) index. Her work exposes systemic racism in maternity care, examines interprofessional dynamics, and promotes culturally-centered models through tools like the Birthplace ResQu Index and MISS index for system integration.

Analysis of her recent publications (2023-2025) reveals intensifying focus on racial justice in maternity care, LGBTQ2S+ inclusive practices, and algorithmic bias in clinical decision tools. Her scholarship consistently centers community-defined quality metrics and exposes how structural inequities manifest as mistreatment, particularly for Black and Indigenous birthing people.

Her scientific recognition includes:

• MSFHR Health Professional Investigator (2017)
• Fellow of the American College of Nurse-Midwives

Professor Vedam has secured major CIHR funding for national projects including the Canadian Birth Place Study, Giving Voice to Mothers-Canada, and RESPCCT study. She supervises graduate students through UBC's Interdisciplinary Studies programs while leading policy initiatives like the US Home Birth Consensus Summits. Her community-engaged approach prioritizes lived expertise in research design and implementation.

She directs the Birth Place Lab and Perinatal Wellbeing Research Team, developing interventions like the Dialogue and Decisions interprofessional course. Current work focuses on global adaptation of respect measurement tools and dismantling institutional racism in maternity systems through transdisciplinary collaboration with frontline providers and community advocates.