Amanda M. Shafton, DNP, CNM, FACNM, Video Interview | 2025 MHE Emerging Leaders in Healthcare

Amanda M. Shafton, CNM, DNP, FACNM, the national director of midwifery at the Ob Hospitalist Group, which provides hospitals with obstetric services. As one of this year’s Managing Healthcare Executive Emerging Leaders in Healthcare, she recently sat down with us to discuss a turning point in her career, what she would change about U.S. healthcare and her personal goal for this year.

“I’ve always found deep fulfillment in providing individualized care to patients and their families,” Shafton said in her video interview. “But over time, I realized that to drive real change, I needed to meet people where they are — most often giving birth in the hospital — and work at a systems level to improve care for many. By joining policy committees and workflow groups, changing standard operating procedures and updating provider and nursing order sets, I’ve been able to work to change the way care is delivered during pregnancy and birth. This impact continues far beyond what I could achieve as a single provider.”

Shafton is passionate about advocating for more midwives within the U.S. healthcare system. She said that utilizing advanced practice providers, like midwives, may also help address the healthcare provider shortage. She also emphasized that other countries outside of the United States have recognized the importance of midwifery and that it’s time to follow suit.

Shafton loves reading and plans to read 75 books this year, which may be a struggle because she is constantly trying to find a work-life balance. Her previous personal record is 60 books read in a year. While she admits that reading 75 books seems like a “lofty” goal, she emphasized how reaching goals is an important part of her personal and professional life, noting that both improve when she can take time to herself. She reads everything, including fiction, nonfiction, poetry and audiobooks.