Virginia HBCU launches first doula certification program, targeting Black maternal mortality in the South

The first program of its kind at a Virginia HBCU is training culturally inclusive doulas—and changing birth outcomes for the state’s most vulnerable families.

In a state where Black women are more than twice as likely to die from pregnancy-related causes as white women, Virginia Union University is taking another historic step to address one of the most urgent public health crises in the US.

Through a partnership with Birth in Color, a reproductive justice collective, and the Virginia Department of Health, VUU has launched the first doula certification program at a historically Black college or university in Virginia.

RELATED: Virginia advocates, lawmakers look to address high Black maternal mortality rate

“I’m just glad that we found programming and something that truly will make a difference,” said Felicia D. Cosby, dean of Virginia Union Technical College, a new training initiative at VUU. “We feel like it’s not just a program that students are being a part of…we’re helping to create life savers, really.”

VUU formally announced the six-month-long doula program earlier this year in March. The university is currently training its second cohort since launching in fall 2024.

Cosby said the idea for this program came from a student.

“This freshman said, ‘I would love to be a doula,’” Cosby said. “And I’m like, ‘Wow.’ So it really fit in with what we wanted to do—where could we have the greatest impact right out the gate?”

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She described the program as one of VUU’s broader missions to build a workforce of “culturally inclusive” doulas prepared to address maternal health deserts, and meet the health equity challenges of today. To have the impact she wanted, Cosby said they decided to reach out to local experts.

“We wanted to partner with Birth in Color because we know that they are the leading champions of cultural inclusivity and support in the realm of maternal health and reproductive justice here in Virginia,” Cosby said.

Birth in Color is a non-profit based in Richmond that has trained more than 200 doulas since 2018 in Richmond, Hampton Roads, Southwest Virginia, and more. They have more than 100 active doulas, including over 40 Medicaid-licensed doulas, according to their 2023 report.

Training in detail

VUU’s program parallels that of Birth in Color’s model, said Kenda Sutton-El, founder and executive director of Birth in Color. It incorporates fundamentals most mainstream programs don’t include—a hybrid in-person and virtual training for 10 participants who learn about case management and referrals, followed by a mentorship and attendance at two live births.

It’s open to both students and community members, and is designed to train doulas who can provide birth support grounded in evidence-based care, advocacy, and cultural awareness.

The first cohort in fall 2024 was supported by an initial $15,000 grant. In 2025, the program expanded with additional funding from the Virginia Department of Health, bringing the total to $40,000 and allowing the university to broaden its health equity offerings, including CPR and phlebotomy certifications.

While doulas are not considered medical professionals, research shows they can dramatically improve health outcomes for parents and babies.

Based on a 2017 Cochrane Review, birthing people with continuous support, like from doulas, were 25% less likely to have a C-section, 31% less likely to use synthetic oxytocin (a medication used to induce or augment labor and manage postpartum hemorrhage), and more likely to report a positive birth experience.

From reproductive health to reproductive justice

In Virginia, health data shows that Black infants are more than twice as likely to die before their first birthday than white infants—a statistic often tied to lack of quality prenatal care, systemic racism, and higher rates of chronic conditions like hypertension. And across the US, Black women die at 2.8 times the rate of white women, due to pregnancy-related complications.

RELATED: A call to action: Tackling Black maternal mortality

Sutton-El said doulas can assist the process to better these outcomes—but they can’t change them alone. Participants are trained to offer emotional, physical, and informational support to birthing people before, during, and after childbirth. But more than that, they’re trained to advocate for the parents, getting the full medical team onboard for better outcomes.

“The reason why doulas are so important is because doulas are known to change what a birth journey looks like through our advocacy, information, bridging, and collaboration with the providers,” Sutton-El said. “And making sure that that information is relayed from the provider to the patient and the patient actually understands. But also that the provider understands everything that’s going on with this patient, and treats patients uniquely.”

Feedback from students about this program has been overwhelmingly positive, Cosby said.

“They’ve called the experience transformative,” she said. “It’s helping them connect to their purpose.”

She said while one of the cohorts started towards the end of March, future sessions are already planned for the summer and fall of 2025, for students and members not enrolled at VUU.

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