Lisa Ross Memorial Scholarship

Lisa Ross Memorial Scholarship

Purpose: Provides the registration fee for the AABC Birth Institute (the annual convention of the American Association of Birth Centers), as well as a $500 stipend for travel and lodging.

2026 Location: Indianapolis, Indiana

Note: Award does not include registration to the How to Start a Birth Center Workshop.

Established in memory of Lisa Ross, an early pioneer in the development of birth centers who served as Director of Midwifery Services at the Lisa Ross Birth & Women's Center (formerly the Maternity Center of East Tennessee) from 1994-1998.

Award History

Since 2004, the AABC Foundation has awarded the scholarship to midwives and administrators practicing in birth centers and full-time midwifery students with the desire to work in a birth center. The scholarship has helped promising clinicians, administrators, and students find their place and grow in the world of birth centers.

Eligibility Criteria

Individual must fit into at least one of the following categories:
• Clinical or administrative staff member employed in a birth center
• Clinical or administrative staff of an AABC Developing Birth Center Member
• Full-time student midwife wanting to work in a birth center

And must:

Demonstrate financial need

Special Consideration

Special consideration given to applicants attending the Birth Institute for the first time

Geographic Scope

US-based (Pennsylvania funder)

Application Process

• Only complete applications will be reviewed
• All applications are blinded and assigned a number to reduce unconscious bias

About Lisa Ross

Lisa Dahin Ross was a native of Clarksville, TN, who was a nurse-practitioner and nurse-midwife. She helped establish the first freestanding birth center in Tennessee and was a huge proponent for licensure and accreditation for birth centers, working to ensure quality services were delivered to patients. Lisa caught more than 1,000 babies in her career. In 1998, she received the AABC Professional Achievement Award in recognition of her exemplary practice as a birth center midwife and continuing contributions to the field.

Contact Information

Non-Profit Tax ID: 23-2778441 Email: info@aabcfoundation.org Address: 3123 Gottschall Road, Perkiomenville, PA 18074 Phone: (215) 234-8068