Doula Project at UCLA

The UCLA Doula Project aims to support and train medical students to provide informational, physical, and emotional doula support to clients seeking pregnancy termination in the West Los Angeles area. In doing so, the program aims to supplement clinical training in reproductive health among medical trainees and provide hands-on, client-centered volunteer experiences at a partner family planning clinic. The Doula Project, now in its second year of operation at West Medical OBGYN (UCLA Family Planning Clinic), is a student-led organization that offers an annual abortion and loss doula training to DGSOM students that is facilitated by OBGYN faculty at UCLA and a community-based doula organization. The program operates year-round; trained student doulas take on volunteer shifts to offer in-person and virtual doula support to all patients at West Medical who opt into the program. Last year, volunteer medical student doulas provided support to over 80 patients seeking termination of pregnancy.

gyi@mednet.ucla.edu

Signatories: Grace YI, Kandace Fung, and Shami-Iyabo Mitchell

Advisor: Pamela R Cysner