Oh, baby: Local midwife Katie Stewart Page '08 delivers 1,000th baby

Katie Stewart Page examines a patient at the Centra Medical Group Women’s Center

For every professional accomplishment, Katie Stewart Page ’08 buys a new pair of shoes. The tradition started when she graduated from college and continued when she was hired for both of her jobs. However, when she delivered her 1,000th baby this summer, she broke tradition and celebrated by “delivering” a newborn from a cake.

Page works as a certified nurse-midwife (CNM) for Centra Medical Group Women’s Center in Forest, Virginia. In addition to caring for women as they navigate pregnancy, labor, and birth, she and her colleagues provide cancer screenings as well as pelvic, contraceptive, reproductive, and sexual health services. Aside from assisting in the miracle of childbirth on a regular basis, Page loves communicating with her patients.

Katie Stewart Page holds the 1,000th baby she delivered this summer

“I like being able to talk with people and help women be better in tune with their bodies,” Page said. “Menopause and menstrual cycles and even pregnancy are normal life events, and there’s an incredibly wide variation of what’s normal for each individual. So, I enjoy helping them navigate and understand what’s normal for them.”

In addition to helping thousands of women of all ages in the Lynchburg area, Page’s work has also made a difference across the state. She has served as chair of the Professional Liability Section and Data Center co-lead for the Virginia affiliate of the American College of Nurse Midwives. Earlier this year, she was elected president of the organization.

In the new role, Page has a seat at the table on many of Virginia’s top medical boards and collaborates with the General Assembly and lawmakers regarding women’s health policies.

“Katie is an accomplished CNM, author, advocate, and experienced leader within the organization,” said Amber Price, outgoing president of the organization. “She is known as a passionate bridge builder, spearheading collaboration initiatives in the region.”

Page also remains highly involved with her alma mater and serves as chair of the nominating committee for the R-MWC Alumnae and Randolph College Alumni Association.

“There’s a lot of encouragement at Randolph for students to find their passions and to develop and design their experience to match it, and I think this is a great place to do that,” she said. “My brother and sister went to a large university in Texas, and I know friends who went other places, but I’ve never met anyone else who has the academic freedom to do what we are able to do here.”

After graduating from Randolph, Page earned her Master of Science in nursing at Vanderbilt University.

“I didn’t understand the value of the liberal arts back then, but it means so much to me now,” Page said. “Having courses across disciplines and being able to think about the world in different ways can be applied to any job in so many ways.”