RM, PhD
Associate Professor of Teaching
Email: luba.butska@ubc.ca
Phone: 604–822–7998
Pronouns: she/her/hers
Luba Butska, RM, PhD, is a Registered Midwife and Associate Professor of Teaching, Midwifery Program, Department of Family Practice, UBC. After obtaining her RM degree in Toronto, Ontario, Luba moved to Calgary, AB, with full-scope privileges at Foothills Medical Center. Funding of midwifery services in Alberta lead to rapid regulatory and educational changes, and Luba held many leadership positions before and after funding; for example, as an Alberta Health Services midwifery executive member, board member of Alberta’s inaugural regulatory College of Midwives, and lecturer in the first year of Alberta’s Bachelor of Midwifery degree. After moving to Vancouver, Luba became a full-time instructor at the UBC Midwifery Program and is now a tenured Associate Professor of teaching and faculty lead for Global Health. She continues to practice as a midwife in her community and as a locum in several BC communities and Health Authorities.
As a Global Health Lead in the Midwifery Program, Luba is responsible for undergraduate curriculum in global health and midwifery. Luba’s recent global health experience is focused on Ukraine, a lower-middle income country experiencing war. In the spring of 2022, she was part of a Canadian-based NGO, providing primary care for displaced people in Poland and western Ukraine. In spring and summer 2023 she worked with a civil society organization delivering medical aid in Ukraine. In 2024 she was an invited faculty visitor to a Ukrainian college for nurses and midwives, and collaborated with international health body representatives working to strengthen midwifery services in Ukraine. She continues to collaborate with diverse participants who work to strengthen health care delivery in Ukraine, where she plans a year-long study leave starting in September 2025. Luba’s scholarly focus is ethical and sustainable participation of high-income midwifery educators in global health care education.
Education
Ryerson University (Midwifery), 2007, RM
Rutgers University (Linguistics), 2002, PhD
University of Toronto (Linguistics), 1996, MA
Credentials
Fetal Health Surveillance Instructor, PSBC 2018
Contraceptive Hormonal Therapy Specialized Practice, CMBC 2020
Professional Affiliations
Canadian Association of Midwifery Educators, Board Member
College of Midwives of British Columbia, Committee Member
Midwifery Association of British Columbia, Member
Canadian Association of Midwives, Member
National Council of Indigenous Midwives, Supportive member Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada, Affiliate member
Research Interests
Luba’s research interests center on the nature of midwifery work. Specific areas include: midwifery models of practice; place of birth; working conditions; integration; and how maternity care policies and programs impact physiologic birth. Her research explores how the nature of midwifery work impacts midwifery health and wellness, reproductive health and outcomes, and people’s experience of birth.
Publications and Presentations
Stoll K, Titoria R, Turner M, Jones A, Butska L. Perinatal outcomes of midwife-led care, stratified by medical risk: a retrospective cohort study from British Columbia (2008-2018). Canadian Medical Association Journal. 2023 Feb;195(8): E292-E299
Johnston C, & Fairbrother N, Butska L, Stoll K. Systematic Screening for Perinatal Anxiety and why it Matters. Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Canada. Published online October 10, 2023.
Butska L, Stoll K. When Midwives Burn Out: Differences in intentions to leave the profession among midwives from British Columbia and Alberta. Canadian Journal of Midwifery Research & Practice. Volume 19 (2020).
Stoll K & Butska L. Midwifery and Covid-19 Survey November 2020. Survey and report for the Midwives Association of BC. Cited by the Canadian Press, CBC, CTV, Vancouver Sun, The Star/ The Tyee and others.
Butska, L. (2021 accepted) Continuity of care, financial stress, and midwifery wellbeing: a comparison of survey results from two Canadian provinces. 32nd ICM (International Confederation of Midwives) Triennial Congress, Bali, Indonesia.
Butska, L. & Stoll, K. (2020 in press) When Midwives Burn Out: Differences in intentions to leave the profession among midwives from British Columbia and Alberta. Canadian Journal of Midwifery Research & Practice.
Butska L, & Hiroe, K. (2019) Homebirth Outside the Range of Normal: A Midwifery Case Review. Canadian Association of Midwives Annual Conference.
Butska, L. (2019) Burnout : What can we learn from the survey of midwives in BC and Alberta? Invited speaker. Mount Royal University.
Butska, L. (2018) Should I stay or should I go: Burnout and Leaving Midwifery in BC and Alberta. Canadian Association of Midwives Conference, Gatineau, QC.
Butska, L. (2017) Application of an Experiential Learning Cycle to Guide Teaching of Physiologic Birth. Canadian Association of Midwifery Educators Symposium.
Butska, L. (2016) ‘I’m not a feminist but…’: Organization of midwifery practices in Alberta. Canadian Association of Midwives Conference, Victoria, BC.
Butska, L. (2016) Legal Issues and Risks in the Practice of Midwifery. Invited speaker, Health Law section of the Canadian Bar Association, Calgary, AB.
Butska, L. (2012) Midwifery and Access to Health in a Global Context. Invited speaker, GENTALKS: Mount Royal University talks for General Education, Calgary, AB.
Presentations
Butska L. The Role of Midwives in Ensuring Equal Access to Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights for Women and Girls: International Experience. Addressing Sexual and Reproductive Health Challenges Amid the Demographic Crisis Conference. (Sponsored by Ministry of Health of Ukraine, UNFPA, USAID, UNICEF). Kyiv Ukraine. October 2024.
Butska L, Stoll K, Turner M. (Presented by Stoll K.) Safety and Sustainability of Midwife-led Care for Childbearing People in BC. UBC CPD: Medical Disorders and Pregnancy 2024. April 2024.
(Panel discussion). Brandeis E, Butska L, Catling C, Ejiwunmi R, Hunter B, de Jong A. Sustainability of Midwifery. McMaster Midwifery Research Center Research Symposium 2023.
(Poster) Nethery E, Schummers L, Butska L, Turner M, Hutcheon J, Janssen P. Perinatal Outcomes after Non-standard Screening for Gestational Diabetes Among Midwifery Clients in British Columbia, Canada. Poster at the UBC Pharmaceutical Sciences Graduate Research Forum. May 2023.
(Panel discussion). With S. Clow, R. Molina, S. Pairman, K. Semrau, N. Shah, S. Rahman. Advocating for the Enabling Environment for Midwives and Midwife-led Care. International Confederation of Midwives 32nd Triennial Congress. June 2021.
Continuity of care, financial stress, and midwifery wellbeing: a comparison of survey results from two Canadian provinces. 32nd International Confederation of Midwives Virtual Triennial Congress. June 2021.
(Panel discussion). Health, Wellbeing, and Retention of the Midwifery Workforce. Knovember: Canadian Association of Midwives Annual Conference November 2020.
Butska L, Cambell A, Jevitt C. Online Learning in Midwifery Education: Innovations at UBC in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. Knovember: Canadian Association of Midwives Annual Conference. November 2020.
Findings of the Sustainability Taskforce. Midwives Association of BC Annual General Meeting. October 2020.
Changes in BC Midwifery and Midwifery Education at UBC: Strategies for the Future. Canadian Association of Midwifery Educators Annual Symposium. October 2020.
Adding a Distributed Option in Midwifery Education (DOME). Centre for Health Education Scholarship Celebration of Scholarship. Vancouver October 2020.
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