As a certified nurse-midwife and multi-skilled program manager, Laura Fitzgerald has 20 years of technical and programmatic leadership in reproductive and maternal health, capacity development, health systems strengthening, and nursing and midwifery. Currently, as a Principle Technical Advisor with Jhpiego, an affiliate of Johns Hopkins University, she provides strategic and operational support to a global perinatal mental health portfolio and technical assistance to maternal health and projects across Africa and southeast Asia. Laura has a successful track record leading the development of global implementation guidance on midwifery, clinical training, and mentorship, and implementing programs for frontline health workers in HIV, Safe Surgery, and maternal and newborn health. Laura earned a BA in anthropology from Bowdoin College, and a master’s degree in nursing from Yale University. She is a technical and creative writer, and published her first book, “Those Who Eat Like Crocodiles”, in 2020. Laura has lived in Malawi, Tanzania, Eswatini, Pakistan, and Myanmar, and now she and her family split their time between the US and southern Africa.
