Meet Our Care Providers

Kathy S. Higgins, CNM, MSN - Assistant Professor & Division Director Kathy earned Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Valparaiso University, Indiana in 1978 and a Masters of Science with a specialty in Midwifery from Georgetown University, Washington DC in 1992, while serving in the US Air Force. Kathy has been in women's healthcare for 21 years.

 "I believe midwifery promotes and supports personalized care, treating each woman and family as a unique entity and not just another number. Midwifery care entails assessing all aspects of a woman's life, providing informative education as to her choices and supporting her decisions.

I also see midwifery offering something very special to those women who give birth. Women often carry a picture in their minds about how they would like the birthing experience to happen. Midwifery provides a safe and supportive environment for women and their families to experience this special time."

Jane Arnold, CNM, MSN– Assistant Professor Originally from Iowa, Jane received a degree in nursing from Columbia University in New York. She earned a Masters of Science in Nursing from Case Western Reserve University and did her midwifery training at the Frontier Nursing Service. She has been a nurse since 1988 and a nurse midwife since 1991.

"I have always believed that as midwives we stand for all women caring for themselves throughout the life cycle. Our role is to promote and enhance the normal process of pregnancy and childbearing. We emphasize natural care of the body in accordance with preventive health measures. There are many preventive measures that easily protect our health...pap smears, eating a healthy low-fat diet, mammograms, weekly exercise, and non-smoking. We are available for private counseling on all well-woman health care issues."

Margaret E. Berreth, CNM, MSN – Instructor Originally from Delaware, Margaret “Meg” earned a Bachelors Degree in Religion and Women’s Studies from Carleton College in Northfield, MN. While working in an outpatient gynecology clinic in Chicago, Meg found her interest in women’s health growing into a career choice. She entered the University of Pennsylvania, where she received her BSN and MSN. After graduating, Meg worked for six years in New Jersey as a Certified Nurse Midwife. She and her family moved to North Carolina in the fall of 2008 to be closer to family and are enjoying all the area has to offer. Meg lives in Carrboro with her husband and two young children.

 “I have been involved in women’s healthcare for more than 15 years. Access to safe reproductive healthcare is vital to the wellbeing of all women and their families. Pregnancy and childbirth are special times in families’ lives; I consider it a privilege as well as a great responsibility to share these times with the families I care for. Being a midwife involves creating an honest, open and accepting relationship with a woman and her family. This relationship is the basis from which we can work together to make the best healthcare decisions possible.”

Stephanie DeVane-Johnson, CNM, MSN - Instruct Stephanie is native of North Carolina. She received her Bachelors of Science Degree in Nursing from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte in 1993. In 1997 she received a Masters of Science Degree in Nursing and Certification in Nurse-Midwifery from Vanderbilt University in Nashville TN.  She worked in Cary where she practiced for 9 years. She has extensive experience in well woman gynecology as well as low and high risk Obstetrics.

" My philosophy of nurse-midwifery is “caring for woman throughout the life span”. I enjoy seeing a patient preconception throughout her pregnancy, deliver her baby then annually on a GYN basis. I think this is the formula for a trusting and lasting relationship. A family trusts me with their care and I trust them to take care of themselves as well as their families.

This journey has sentimental value for me. I was born at UNC Hospital and now I have the privilege of delivering babies where I received my start. Delivering babies is my passion and I can not imagine doing anything else.

I have a wonderful husband and a beautiful daughter. My hobbies are shopping, shopping and spending time with my family. To me “objects and things come and go, but memories last a lifetime”.

Anita K. Murphy, MS, ANP –Assistant Professor Anita received her undergaduate degree in nursing from the University of North Carolina, Greensboro. She earned her Masters of Health Science from Duke University. She has been in womens healthcare since 1971. She is a Certified Adult Nurse Practitioner specializing in women's health. Her past experience is in urgent care, urogynecology, gynecology oncology and OB/GYN.

 "My passion is women's health and wellness. I believe this very natural event of childbirth should be a happy, memorable experience, and I am thrilled to be a part of this midwifery team which promotes a professional, ethical and supportive environment to all women before, during and after the birth of their child."

 "My midwifery career began at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, Florida. I joined a private practice in Palm Beach County where I worked with the same midwives and doctors for 11 years. After that, my calling to the mountains of North Carolina was realized and I moved to set up the first nurse-midwifery service in Caldwell County.

I feel blessed that I have had the opportunity to touch so many lives. I have a sister that is mentally retarded due to a birth injury. As witness to her handicap, I have dedicated my career to helping my patients have safe childbirth as well as motivating them to practice positive health behaviors."

Debra O’Connell, CNM, MSN - Instructor Deb relocated to Chapel Hill from Vermont with her family to join the Midwifery Division as a Certify ed Nurse Midwife. Deb earned her Masters of Science degree in Midwifery in 2001 from Stony Brook University. Prior to joining the UNC team, Deb co-owned Green Mountain Midwifery and Women’s Health, LLP in Bennington, VT. Deb and her partner have three children (ages 15, 11 and 7) which keep their life busy and filled with joy! Her special interests outside of work include running, yoga and reading. She is currently training for her first 1/2 marathon this November.

"I could not envision myself practicing midwifery unless it was my passion, which it truly is. Midwife means ‘with women’ and I am an advocate of the very special role that midwives play in the lives of women and their families. I believe that puberty, childbearing, menopause and beyond are inherently normal cycles in a woman’s life and while each may present it’s unique challenges to the individual, with guidance each woman has the inner strength, power and intuitiveness to encounter each cycle with wisdom, grace and fortitude. As midwives, we are charged with the duty to provide that experienced, knowledgeable guidance for women as they navigate their own special journeys through this incredible maze of womanhood and motherhood."