Newsroom

CORVALLIS, OR — For pregnant women, the services of a doula can provide vital support. At the September 9 Corvallis Science Pub, Melissa Cheyney will discuss a program that matches doulas who share cultural attributes with women who are 30 weeks or more along in their pregnancy.

Cheyney is as associate professor in the Department of Anthropology at Oregon State University. With a grant from the InterCommunity Health Network CCO, a local organization that coordinates health care, she directs the Community Doula Program. The goal is to determine if culturally matched doulas affect birth outcomes in Linn, Benton and Lincoln counties.

“We have doulas who have experienced homelessness or who are in addiction recovery. Some have had high-risk pregnancies, were young moms, or speak other languages and have learned English as a second language,” Cheyney said.

Science Pub is free and open to the public, but due to its continuing popularity, registration is required. People can register online at https://beav.es/ZeJ or by contacting University Events at 541-737-4717 or [email protected]. If registration is closed (fully booked), walk-ins are welcome, but people who arrive without a ticket will not be admitted to the reserved seating area until 6 p.m.

Podcasts of previous Corvallis Science Pub events on topics such as “Technology in the Fields” and “From Wolves to the Warning to Humanity: Facing the Environmental Crisis through Science” are available at http://communications.oregonstate.edu/podcast.

Sponsors of Science Pub include Terra magazine at OSU, the Downtown Corvallis Association and the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry.

For accommodations for disabilities or questions, contact University Events at 541-737-4717 or [email protected].