Our team
We are led by a diverse team of doulas with diverse lived experiences and healthcare-related backgrounds who came together with a common vision: Help every family reach their vision for the perinatal period by giving continuous support.
ADWAPA ASENSO, MPP
interim executive director
Pronouns: she/her/hers
Seasoned professional with 15 years in nonprofit, public service, and healthcare. DONA-trained Birth doula since 2020. Certified BACE Childbirth Educator and Placenta Encapsulation Specialist. Founder of DoudouKare.
Alejandra Garcia, MPH
Board President, Co-founder
Pronouns: she/her/ella
Background in Operations, Provider and Payer Solutions & Maternal Health. BUSPH alum. DONA-trained Birth doula since 2015. Venezuelan.
Christina Gebel, MPH, LCCE
Director of Research, Co-founder
Pronouns: she/her/hers
Maternal and Child Health consultant. Lamaze Childbirth Educator. BUSPH alum. Experience in doula integration into clinical care settings. Birth doula since 2011.
Angela Pape
Financial Administrator, Co-founder, doula
Pronouns: she/her/hers
Background in Community Organizing and Fundraising. Birth Doula. Mother of three.
Juleese williams
operations coordinator
Pronouns: she/her/hers
Background in Business Administration. Mother to one.
Dianna Hahn
Associate Director, doula
Pronouns:she/her/hers
Background in international educational program development and volunteer management. Birth Doula. Mother of two.
Luz Lopez
PROGRAM DIRECTOR, doula
pronouns: she/her/hers
Luz has worked as a doula for 18 years and has been present for more than 3,000 births. She is a certified lactation counselor. Mother of 5 and grandmother.
JeanNette myrick, mph
Data Specialist, doula
pronouns: she/her/hers
Background in Epidemiology and Biostatistics. BUSPH alum.
CARLIE BRUTUS PHILOGENE
MPH Practice fellow
pronouns: she/her/hers
Master of Public Health student at Boston University concentrating in Community Assessment, Program Design, Implementation, and Evaluation and Maternal and Child Health. Her current interest aligns with providing quality health support to birthing people and their families, while also eliminating birth inequities.
Sarah Rowan
MPH Practice fellow
pronouns: she/her/hers
MPH student in Community Assessment, Program Design, Implementation & Evaluation at BUSPH. Passionate about community-centered initiatives that prioritize reproductive justice and birth equity, ensuring that all birthing people have access to respectful, quality care. Background in marketing & communications.
Meet our doulas
Luz Lopez
PROGRAM DIRECTOR, doula
pronouns: she/her/hers
Luz has worked as a doula for 18 years and has been present at more than 3,000 births. She has mostly worked with mothers from a low socioeconomic background, usually immigrants whose needs go beyond individual-level support. Luz has been with them to assist in legal situations, help them look for a home, during the grieving process for the loss of a child, and in one case, the loss of a mother.
As a bilingual immigrant mother, Luz feels honored to have the opportunity to support, in a comprehensive way, mothers who are going through such a special and unforgettable time in their lives. Luz is certified and has worked as a lactation consultant at Boston Medical Center and has provided support to mothers with high-risk, premature births. At her house, her six children and one grandson keep her busy! In addition to spending time with her family, she enjoys gardening and walking.
Luz ha trabajado como doula desde hace 18 años y ha estado presente en más de 3,000 nacimientos. La mayor parte del tiempo ha trabajado con madres con un nivel socioeconómico bajo, normalmente inmigrantes de nuevo ingreso cuyas necesidades van más allá del apoyo a nivel individual . Luz ha estado con ellas para asistirlos en situaciones legales, ayudarles a buscar un hogar, durante el proceso de duelo por la pérdida de un hijo o en un caso, la pérdida de una madre.
Como madre bilingüe inmigrante, se siente honrada de tener la oportunidad de apoyar, de una manera comprensiva, a las madres que están pasando por este momento tan especial e inolvidable de sus vidas. Luz está certificada y ha trabajado como consultora de lactancia en Boston Medical Center y ha proporcionado apoyo a madres con niños de edad prematura con un alto riesgo. En su casa, sus 6 hijos, y un nieto la mantienen ocupada! Además de pasar tiempo con su familia, le gusta hacer jardinería y pasear.
Awara Mendy Adeagbo
pronouns: she/her/hers
After 14 years working in business and nonprofit management, Awara has found her true passion as a birth doula. Awara strongly believes that all women deserve a positive birth experience. She is an advocate for birth equity and justice, especially for black and brown women. Awara’s style is non-judgmental, warm, educational and empowering.
Awara was born and raised in a few places across the Boston area - Dorchester, Medford and Malden. She is Cape Verdean and Gambian, and is inspired by the strength and resilience of her immigrant family. Awara is a mom to a very active toddler, and when she’s not chasing him around, she enjoys spinning, cooking, reading, and high school dramas on Netflix.
Charise Simmons
pronouns: she/her/hers
Charise Simmons is a mother of two, a boy and a girl. In addition to her work with Accompany, she works for the Boston Public Health Commission Healthy Baby Healthy Child Program as a Public Health Advocate. Charise is a licensed Community Health Worker, licensed EEC Educator, and a Peer Breastfeeding Counselor. She became a DONA certified birth doula in 2019. Her past and current experiences allow her to work with prenatal and postpartum moms and families as well as provide social-emotional support and guidance before and after pregnancy.
Charise is passionate about family bonding and family supporting. She is family-oriented, a mother, sister, and daughter. She loves spending time with family and friends, long walks, and learning new things.
Daniella Nowicki
pronouns: she/her/hers
Daniella Nowicki is a birth doula serving Eastern Massachusetts. Her approach to pregnancy labor and birth support is a five-part plan of addressing education, the mind and body, unconditional continuous support, accessing the mammalian self, and avoiding unwanted interventions. She works with clients using many techniques that focus on each of these important aspects leading up to their birthing time, while also providing unbiased and loving support to the entire family and birthing person. During the birthing time, Daniella provides unlimited hands-on comfort and relaxation techniques to the birthing person as well as helping birth companions to feel supported, comfortable and helpful. English is her first and only language.
Deidra Clermont
pronouns: she/her/hers
Deidra was born and raised in Silver Spring, MD. She is a birth doula and a graduate of Boston University School of Public Health where she studied Epidemiology and Biostatistics and Maternal and Child Health. Her interests include maternal morbidity and mortality, racial disparities and inequities and research on how racism and other systems of oppression impact the lives of individuals. She has a strong passion for achieving health equity for all communities and utilizing public health frameworks to improve health outcomes. This is why she became a doula: to improve birth outcomes where inequities and disparities exist and to provide families with a positive birthing experience.
In her free time, Deidra enjoys Orangetheory Fitness, running, walking, reading and watching Netflix. Bilingual in Haitian-Creole and English.
Deidra te fèt ak grandi nan Silver Spring, Maryland. Li son doula ki sipòte moun lè yo pral akouche epi li gradye nan Boston University School of Public Health kote li te etidye epidemyoloji ak biostatistique ak sante matènèl ak tibebe. Enterè li yo enkli morbidite ak mòtalite matènèl, disparite rasyal ak inegalite ak rechèch sou fason rasis ak lòt sistèm opresyon afekte lavi moun endividyèlman. Li gen yon pasyon pou reyalize ekite sante pou tout kominote yo epi itilize estrikti sante piblik pou amelyore rezilta sante yo. Se poutèt sa li se yon doula: pou amelyore rezilta nesans kote gen inegalite/ enjistis ak disparite ki egziste epi pou fanmi yo ka gen yon eksperyans akouchman pozitif.
Nan tan lib li, Deidra renmen ale nan Orangetheory Fitness, kouri, mache, li ak gade Netflix. Bileng nan kreyòl ayisyen ak angle.
Enedina Walsh
pronouns: she/her/hers
When Enedina became a doula in 2001, she fell in love with the job on the first day of doula training in a Boston hospital. She loves being part of one of the most important days of a family’s life. Enedina gives emotional support, love, protection, physical support, and shares knowledge to bring birthing parents good memories of their child’s birth. With her many years of experience, she feels confident in her role and skills. She has been trained and has supported birthing parents in home births, families conceiving w/ART and IVF, twins, teens, VBACs, over 40, survivors of childhood sexual abuse, LGBTQIA+, expected stillbirth, high-risk, single mothers, and water births. Additionally, Enedina is trained in Spinning Babies. She speaks Spanish, Portuguese and English.
Cuando Enedina se convirtió en doula en 2001, se enamoró del trabajo en el primer día de entrenamiento en un hospital en Boston. Le encanta ser parte de uno de los días más importantes en la vida de una familia. Enedina da apoyo emocional, amor, protección, y apoyo físico, y comparte conocimiento para traer a los padres que dan a luz buenos recuerdos del nacimiento de su niño/a. Con sus años de experiencia, ella se siente segura de su papel y habilidades. Ha sido entrenada y ha apoyado a los padres que dan a luz en partos en casa, las familias que están concibiendo con TRA y FIV, los gemelos/as, los adolescentes, VBACs, mayor de 40 años, sobrevivientes del abuso sexual del niñez, LGBTQIA+, el esperado nacimiento de un bebé sin vida, alto riesgo, madres solteras, y partos del agua. Adicionalmente, Enedina sabe Spinning Babies. Ella habla español, portugués, y inglés.
Feroza Bashar
pronouns: she/her/hers
Feroza has been serving the South Asian community as a medical interpreter since the early 1990s. She was honored to be counted among the first to graduate from the inaugural doula program at Cambridge Health Alliance and has been practicing for more than two decades since then. Feroza finds her life’s fulfillment in supporting women through their birth journey.
Heather Larrabee
Pronouns: she/her/hers
Heather is a wife, mom to four young adult kids, a Core Volunteer with WARM (Welcoming Alliance for Refugee Ministry) in Worcester, and a lifelong learner. Her path to becoming a doula began when she saw the needs of pregnant and new mothers in the refugee community and began supporting them before, during and after they gave birth. In 2022, she had the privilege of completing DONA birth doula training through the Worcester REACH program which seeks to reduce racial and ethnic health disparities in the city.
Heather brings warmth, cultural awareness, humility, and compassion when working with her clients. She seeks to help elevate clients’ voices and empower them to experience this incredibly impactful life event in the positive way that they deserve.
In her free time, Heather likes to read, garden, experiment with new recipes and cuisines, and have coffee with friends.
Iara Camilo
pronouns: she/her/hers
Iara was born and raised in Brazil. Portuguese is her first language. She is a mother, a wife and a doula. Her desire in becoming a doula started when she overcame her birth fears and had wonderful birth experience. She discovered that birth can be a transforming and remarkable moment for the family especially the birthing person.
As a doula, she can support and empower families to help them achieve a positive birth experience. Iara truly believe that being a doula is her calling in this life.
Jayne Augustin
pronouns: she/her/hers
Jayne is a mother of six. She has witnessed and aided in several birthing situations. After much reflection, she realized that in many birthing situations, something is lacking. Having worked in healthcare since the age of 15, Jayne feels that there is so much she would like to do to bring comfort and support to those in need. Childbirth is something Jayne feels very passionate about, and she strives to do all she can to help families achieve as close to a fulfilling experience as possible. She is open and willing to allowing her experiences with others to teach her as much as she can learn. In joining in these special moments, Jayne’s hope is to elevate the possibilities of creating beautiful, safe, caring, and informed memories to be reflected on and enjoyed for a lifetime.
Jayne se yon manman sis timoun. Li te wè ak ede nan plizyè sitiyasyon akouchman. Apre anpil refleksyon, li reyalize ke nan anpil sitiyasyon akouchman, gen yon bagay ki manke. Li travay nan sewn sante depi li te 15 an et Jayne santi ke gen anpil bagay li ta renmen fè pou li bay sipò ak fè moun ki nan bezwen konfòtab. Akouchman se yon pasyon Jayne gen yen, epi li fè efò pou fè tout sa li kapab pou ede fanmi yo reyalize yon eksperyans satisfè ke posib. Li dispoze pou pèmèt eksperyans li ak lòt moun anseye l otan li ka aprann. Nan rantre nan moman espesyal sa yo, Jayne espere ogmante posiblite pou kreye bèl, san danje, swen, ak enfòme souvni yo dwe reflete sou ak jwi pou yon lavi.
Laura Pichardo
pronouns: she/her/hers
Born in New York, and raised most of her child/teenage years in Dominican Republic. She studied Architecture, but dedicated many years to teaching. In 2017, she moved to Boston and was introduced to what the doula world is. She fell in love with the work and dedication they are committed to. She is pursuing certification with DONA International and is more than honored to be part of the miracle of pregnancy and childbirth.
Nacida en Nueva York, pasó la mayor parte de su infancia y adolescencia en la República Dominicana. Ella estudiaba arquitectura, pero se dedicaba muchos años a la enseñanza. En 2017, se mudó a Boston y conoció lo que es el mundo de las doulas. Quedó enamorada con el trabajo y la dedicación con la que están comprometidas. Se está dedicando a una certificación con DONA International y es más que honrada ser parte del milagro de la embaraza y el nacimiento.
Myriam lukoff
pronouns: she/her/hers
Myriam Lukoff, a native French speaker originally from Montreal is a compassionate doula and trained in Spinning Babies now living in Shrewsbury.
With a degree in physiology from McGill University and over two decades experience in early childhood education, she integrates her knowledge and passion working with families towards a profound dedication in accompanying mothers on their unique childbirth journey. Myriam strives to empower women discovering and embracing their innate strength during pregnancy, childbirth and beyond. She blends cultural sensitivity with unwavering support, ensuring every mother's voice is heard and honored. Her desire to become a doula was a result of how remarkably different and transformative each of her personal childbirth experiences were. Her volunteer work with organizations such as JFCS’s ‘Journey to Safety’ has deepened her commitment towards women feeling empowered, including those affected by domestic violence, highlighting her commitment to the safety and wellbeing of mothers and their children.
Beyond her doula role, Myriam is a devoted wife, mother, and grandmother. She loves reading novels, playing the piano and spending time with her family.
PAMALA BENNETT
pronouns: she/her/hers
Pamala has a bachelor’s degree in medical laboratory sciences and loves children. She has two young children and lives in the South Shore area.
Poema Dauti
pronouns: she/her/hers
Poema, from Albania, has been an American for 23 years and a doula for 19 years. When she was 11, she was home while her mother gave birth. She could hear that her mother was in pain during labor and that desire to help has never left her. When Poema gave birth in the U.S., she did not speak English, and communicating with her medical team was hard, even with a translator. She did not want pain medication and even when her doctor urged her to take some, she was able to say no. That is part of why she became a doula: to ensure that other birthing parents can make their voice heard. After she gave birth, Poema was isolated and surprised by how hard it was to be a new parent. That inspires her to help other parents adjust to life with a new baby. Her biggest advice for pregnant folks? “Ask for help.”
Sharon Brown
pronouns: she/her/hers
Sharon is a birth doula, and professional birth & newborn photographer. With her husband and two boys they enjoy spending times with their dogs, playing board games & hiking outdoors. Sharon discovered her passion for birth work after her second baby was born, since then she has strived to learn & grow to provide parents with the best possible care and support.
Sharon es una doula de nacimiento y fotógrafa de nacimientos y recién nacidos. Con su esposo y dos hijos, ellos disfrutan pasar tiempo con sus perros, jugar juegos de mesa, y caminar al aire libre. Sharon descubrió su pasión por el trabajo de nacimiento después del nacimiento de su segundo bebé. Desde entonces, ella se ha esforzado por aprender y desarrollarse para proveer a los padres la mejor atención y apoyo.
Shuzhen (Susan) Wu
pronouns: she/her/hers
Susan has been a Certified Lactation Counselor (CLC) and a Happiest Baby Educator for the past 10 years. As a mother of two handsome boys, she loves to help families by sharing her knowledge and personal experiences.
Susan has been working as a nutrition assistant and breastfeeding coordinator for the WIC program and clients enjoys her warm personality and smile.
She Speaks English, Chinese (Mandarin, and Cantonese).
Tajia
pronouns: she/her/hers
Taija is a Cape Verdean American childbirth doula serving families in the Greater Boston and South Shore area. While pursuing her nursing education, she learned about the maternal health disparities many BIPOC families face in the American healthcare system and has since felt called to doula work. Taija is passionate about supporting families through a safe and autonomous birthing experience they can feel empowered by. As the eldest daughter of a Black single teen mother and ally of the LGBTQ+ community she feels that her life goal is to aid in the education and health equity of the people most affected by health disparities in the United States.
On her free time Taija enjoys reading, writing, swimming, watching paranormal and horror movies, and pampering her cat, Selene. Taija currently lives in Randolph MA.
Vanessa Prohodski
pronouns: she/her/hers
Vanessa was born and raised in Brazil, then moved to the US at age 23. She has two young daughters who love all things birth.
Vanessa has been a doula for 8 years and has a passion about supporting immigrants in navigating the US healthcare system, from all things pregnancy, birth and postpartum. She believes birth is a transformative event, and people should feel as supported as possible when navigating this important time in their lives.
Vanessa is one of the original founders of Accompany Doula Care.
