Murdaugh, Angela (1940–)

views updated

Murdaugh, Angela (1940–)

American nurse-midwife. Name variations: Sister Mary Angela Murdaugh; Sister Angela Murdaugh. Born Mary Angela Murdaugh, Sept 15, 1940, in Little Rock, Arkansas; dau. of Mary Angela (Graviss) Murdaugh (labor and delivery nurse) and George Earl Murdaugh (aeronautics factory worker); St. Louis University School of Nursing and Allied Health, BS; Columbia University, MS in maternity nursing, 1971.

A leader in nurse-midwifery who established (May 1972) and directed one of the 1st freestanding birth centers in the nation and the 1st freestanding birth center in the state of TX (Nurse-Midwifery Services at Su Clinica Familiar in Raymondville, TX); created (1983) and directed the Holy Family Services Birth Center in Weslaco, TX; served as a Franciscan Sister of Mary for more than 35 years; was the 1st full-time president of American College of Nurse-Midwives (ACNM, 1981–83); served at Mary Breckinridge's Frontier School of Midwifery and Family Nursing in KY (1988–90); successfully negotiated with the state of TX to recognize certified nurse-midwives as reimbursable providers for Medicaid clients.