Wendy Post
Persistent maternal health inequities in the United States, particularly among Black, Deaf and hard-of-hearing, and linguistically marginalized birthing people, highlights the need for workforce models that integrate equity, communication access, and systems navigation. As Medicaid reimbursement for doula care expands nationally, educational pathways have not kept pace with the operational realities of practicing within reimbursable, community-based perinatal care environments. This manuscript describes the design and planned evaluation of a doula certification program situated at a Historically Black College and University (HBCU) in the mid-Atlantic region. The program integrates community-engaged pedagogy, reproductive justice, language justice, maternal safety frameworks, and Medicaid readiness to prepare a diverse workforce capable of delivering culturally responsive, linguistically accessible doula support within Medicaid-covered settings. The curriculum is organized across five domains: birth equity foundations, scope and trauma-informed support skills, language justice and communication access, community maternal safety, referral pathways, Medicaid practice implementation, and incorporates layered instructional approaches including didactic learning, case-based analysis, simulation, structured reflection, and supervised practicum. By positioning doula education as an equity-centered health promotion strategy rather than a technical skills course, the model addresses gaps in policy literacy, documentation, language-access competencies, and community safety integration that are largely absent from conventional doula training. This HBCU-based model offers a replicable framework for preparing doulas to navigate real-world systems of care while advancing equity-oriented maternal health practice.