Above: Cathy and guide Raj talking with local shaman/weaver (2024). Photo M. Rostoker M.D.
For 15 years, I have studied and worked in maternity care across urban, rural and remote areas of Nepal, some of which are only accessible by foot.
I carried out my doctoral research in remote areas, walking through mountainous terrain to collect data and learn about the people and their challenges in reproductive health. As faculty of the UBC Midwifery program I had the opportunity to share with UBC students ways that rural Nepalese nurses and midwives work, while engaging in bi-lateral teaching and learning. We worked with nurses, midwives, physicians, and community health care workers. Our students learned the challenges of providing compassionate and culturally appropriate care in remote areas while providing midwifery updates to our Nepalese colleagues and community members. Our team travelling to the remote areas included two UBC instructors, a Nepalese co-trainer and two indigenous guides/translators. A unique aspect of this work was learning about the role of the shaman in health care and in maternal infant care. Mothers and families in remote areas frequently consult shaman. The students and I were interested to find out how they became shaman and their role in spiritual and psychological health. Many of the female shaman were also weavers, weaving cloth from nettle plants. Thanks to an Emeritus College subsidy, I was able to attend an Anthropology Conference in Santa Fe New Mexico. I had been invited to join a group of health care workers and anthropologists to share my experiences in a session titled: Integrated Learning of Traditional Practices and Biomedical Care: Perspectives from Four Cultures. My presentation focused on the integration of traditional and medical practitioners in the promotion of safe birth in remote Nepal. I hope to be able to continue with my academic and community teaching with Nepalese colleagues in future years. Thank you Emeritus College for supporting this work.