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Ruth Watson Lubic papers
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Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Barbara Bates Center for the Study of The History of Nursing [Contact Us]Claire Fagin Hall, 418 Curie Boulevard, Floor 2U, Philadelphia, PA, 19104-4217
This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held at the University of Pennsylvania: Barbara Bates Center for the Study of The History of Nursing. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in their reading room, and not digitally available through the web.
Overview and metadata sections
Ruth Watson Lubic (born 1927) continues to have a prolific career in midwifery nursing and advocacy for personalized care during labor for all women, especially for those in low-income neighborhoods. Dr. Lubic earned her nursing degree from the University of Pennsylvania in 1955, and a B.S., a M.A and an Ed.D. from Columbia University Teachers College.
Upon her certification in midwifery in 1962, a program sponsored by the Maternity Center Association (MCA), she worked with and at the MCA, serving as general director for 25 years. During her time there she developed several free standing birthing center, including the Childbearing Center (located in New York) and the Morris Heights Childbearing Center (in the Bronx). In 1983, she co-founded the National Association of Childbearing Centers.
Dr. Lubic has received numerous honors for her dedication and work, including the MacArthur Foundation “Genius” fellowship (the first nurse to be honored) in 1993. She used this money to found the DC Developing Families Center, located in one of the poorest wards and high infant mortality rate in Washington D.C. Throughout her career, Dr. Lubic has been involved in local, national, and federal organizations and committees and worked alongside politicians to advance midwifery, prenatal care, and birthing services. A writer, teacher, and speaker, Dr. Lubic is world-renowned for her dedication. She has received honorary degrees and special recognitions from eight universities and dozens of awards, including the Rockefeller Public Service Award from Princeton University, the American Public Health Association’s Martha May Eliot Award and the Institute of Medicine’s Lienhard Award. She was also named a Living Legend by the American Academy of Nursing.
Materials within this collection document Dr. Ruth Watson Lubic's career as a pioneer in midwifery. Her international work and travel is well documented along with her prolific speaking engagements. In addition, this collection consists of papers and materials regarding the groundbreaking childbearing centers established by Dr. Lubic in New York and Washington D.C. Dr. Lubic's materials also reflects her involvement with the Maternity Center Association as well as the National Association of Childbearing Centers.
The Ruth Watson Lubic collection was acquired by the University of Pennsylvania, Barbara Bates Center for the Study of the History of Nursing between 2014 and 2016. The materials are arranged in 12 series that shed light on her illustrious career as advocator of nurse midwifery and dedication to low-income maternal health.
The first two sections focus on Dr. Lubic’s personal correspondence as well as her education while completing her dissertation at Teachers College.
Series 3 highlights her work at the Maternity Center Association (MCA, renamed to Childbirth Connection in 2005). Dr. Lubic began her time with MCA as a clinical instructor in 1962 before changing roles to parent educator and counselor (1963-1967). She was general director from 1970-1995 and director of Clinical Projects (1995-1997). During Dr. Lubic’s time at the MCA, she spearheaded the opening of two demonstration project to highlight the safe practice of midwifery and its cost-effectiveness. This series contains reports, minutes, correspondence and other documents related to Dr. Lubic’s tenure at MCA.
The next series documents the National Association of Childbearing Centers (NACC), which Dr. Lubic co-founded and was first president, while at the MCA. Materials included here are correspondence, minutes, and activities related to the NACC.
In series 5, materials explore Dr. Lubic’s time as an expert consultant to the Assistant Secretary in the Office of Public Health and Sciences, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Documents include site visits, reports, meeting minutes and correspondence related to supporting and creating birthing centers for Native Americans on or near Reservations.
The next section focuses on her time in Washington D.C. and the establishment of the Developing Families Center (DFC), where she was president and CEO, an umbrella organization for 3 independent organization. 1 of those groups, the Family Health and Birth Center (FHBC), was also established by Dr. Lubic and she also served as president and General Director. This section encompasses both the DFC and the FHBC as separate subseries as they were independent organizations, as well as other join projects.
Series 7 contains materials related to Dr. Lubic's work as a professor at Georgetown University and Case Western Reserve University.
Series 8 focuses on Dr. Lubic travels abroad. One significant trip was to the People’s Republic of China in 1971 as part of the Institute for Medicine’s first official medical delegation, and was the only nurse leader. This series documents that trip, along with trips to London, Paris, Sweden, Russia, and Australia.
The next series documents Dr. Lubic’s additional professional activities, including her time with the Institute of Medicine. Materials include testimonies, workshops, consultations, panel and other related documents.
The last three series documents the numerous speech, presentations, conferences and publications that Dr. Lubic wrote as well as research materials for her work, and the awards she received recognizing her illustrious career.
Gift of Ruth Watson Lubic, 2014
- Publisher
- University of Pennsylvania: Barbara Bates Center for the Study of The History of Nursing
- Finding Aid Author
- Finding aid prepared by Jessica Clark, assisted by Ashley Payne
- Access Restrictions
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This collection is mainly unrestricted. Restrictions may be in place at the request of the Donor or to protect individual personal information.
- Use Restrictions
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Copyright restrictions may apply. Please contact the Center with requests for copying and for authorization to publish, quote or reproduce the material.
Collection Inventory
This section focuses on some of the personal correspondence of Dr. Lubic as well as her C.V. Additional personal correspondence can be found within her work specific correspondence.
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This section focuses on Dr. Lubic’s education while working on her dissertation in Anthropology at Columbia University Teachers College (completed in 1979).
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The Maternity Center Association (renamed to Childbirth Connection in 2005) was founded in 1918 to develop and advance maternity care through research, education and advocacy. Dr. Lubic began her time with MCA as a clinical instructor in 1962 before changing roles to parent educator and counselor (1963-1967). She was general director from 1970-1995 and director of Clinical Projects (1995-1997) before leaving the MCA for Washington D.C., becoming president and CEO of the District of Columbia Developing Families Center. During Dr. Lubic’s time at the MCA, she spearheaded the opening of two demonstration projects to highlight the safe practice of midwifery and its cost-effectiveness. In 1975 The Childbearing Center in New York City was established to demonstrate out-of-hospital birthing (closing in June 1996). Continuing the success of the first Center, the Childbearing Center of Morris Heights opened in 1988 to service low-income families of the Bronx (though now separate from MCA/CBC). This series contains reports, minutes, correspondence and other documents related to Dr. Lubic’s tenure at MCA. Some materials may be restricted to protect personal identifiable information and other rights. Please contact the Center for more information.
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Within this subseries, communications regarding proposals, reviews, congratulations, recommendations, politics, doctors, birthing centers, and students are discussed. Some folders may be restricted.
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see also Research advisory committee 1975
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This section documents the efforts and actions of the ESCBC during Dr. Lubic's time with the MCA. Due to dramatically increasing insurance premiums, the ESCBC closed in 2003.
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The material in this series are additional professional activities and information related to nurse midwifery in New York. These articles and activities are not directly related to her function at the MCA but coincide with her time there, including testimonies before various governing boards and committees.
In 1975 the Maternity Center Association (MCA) opened the Childbearing Center as a demonstration model for alternative for hospital birth. In 1983 with support and funding from the MCA, Dr. Lubic co-founded the Cooperative Birth Center Network which would become the NACC and now known as the American Association of Birth Centers, where she was also its first president.
This section of materials documents Dr. Lubic's role at the NACC.
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In 1995 Dr. Lubic was appointed an expert consultant to the Assistant Secretary in the Office of Public Health and Sciences, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. She spent some of her time dedicated to the maternal experiences on Native American Reservations. Materials in this section include site visits, reports, meeting minutes and correspondence related to supporting and creating birthing centers for Native Americans.
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see also Russia Trip
Using her award money from receiving the MacArthur "Genius" Fellowship, Dr. Lubic decided to tackle the raising rates in infant health, mortality rate, and maternal health in the worst city in the country, Washington D.C. where African American infant mortality rates were twice the national average. Establishing the DFC in 1998 as founder and first president, the project worked for more than 20 years to provide care to Wards 5 and 6 before merging with Community of Hope.
This section encompasses both the DFC and the FHBC as seperate subseries as they were independent organizations. In addition, projects that related to both organizations are included as subseries as Dr. Lubic originally arranged her documents.
The Developing Families Center (formerly the District of Columbia Developing Families Center) is the umbrella organization and physical building to three partner organizations for the Family Health and Birthing Center (formerly the District of Columbia Birthing Center), the Healthy Babies project and the United Planning Organization Early Childhood Development Center.
Documents in this section focuses on the DFC organization and its mission. This includes the starting of the DFC, construction for the home of the DFC, FHBC, and Healthy Babies project, administrative documents, Board of Directors meetings and minutes as well as Joint Board meetings, and other related correspondence and activities.
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The FHBC (formerly District of Columbia Birth Center - DCBC) provides prenatal and out-of-hospital birthing options to women of Wards 5 and 6 in D.C. Dr. Lubic was the president and first CEO of the organization. The service is designed to improve the health and quality of life of childbearing and child rearing families of lower income families.
Materials in this section include board meetings and reports, correspondence with individuals and influential people, grants and grant applications, business and financial documents, testimonies before committees and events planned for both branches of Congress. Dr. Lubic's hard work to maintain and drive interest in the FHBC are well documented here.
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These files were not kept by Dr. Lubic within her staff files section and therefore are not integrated into that section. Due to privacy concerns these files are restricted.
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