The Simkin Center for Allied Birth Vocations

The Simkin Center for Allied Birth Vocations at Bastyr University trains social, practical and clinical care providers for pregnant and new families, including:

Birth doulas
Postpartum doulas
(See a video documentary about birth and postpartum doulas)
Lactation consultants and educators
Childbirth educators

A department of Bastyr's School of Natural Health Arts and Sciences, the Simkin Center also sponsors workshops that focus on essential maternity care issues, as well as pregnancy and infant massage educator certification courses. Check for upcoming workshops and courses.

Extraordinary Training

If you dream of serving women and families, Simkin Center delivers knowledge, tools and skills you can immediately use in your community. Simkin Center has educated, prepared and inspired more than 5,700 birth and postpartum doulas, childbirth educators, and lactation educators since its inception. It can be argued that no other organization has educated more doulas, or advanced the concept and the doula profession more successfully, than the Simkin Center.

View and sign up for upcoming courses.

World-Class Faculty

Penny Simkin The most respected program of its type, Simkin Center is best known for its world-class faculty. Faculty members are the heart of Simkin's success and are the leaders of the modern doula movement.

Penny Simkin is the Center's namesake and senior faculty member. Penny revived the ancient art of providing continuous care in childbirth with her pioneering role in establishing the "birth doula." Penny is best known as an author, speaker, educator and key contributor to the understanding of the significance of childbirth in women's lives. Courses taught by Penny are noted on the course schedule.

A Legacy of Childbirth Support

Simkin Center was founded in 1988 as a program of the Seattle Midwifery School. Early graduates of the Birth Doula Workshop founded PALS Doulas, a professional organization providing peer support, continuing education, doula certification and referrals. Using PALS Doulas organizational model, doulas around the country joined together to found DONA International. Simkin Center was the first organization to be granted DONA approval for curriculum and faculty.