VOORHEES, N.J., Jan. 29, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Axia Women’s Health and Rutgers University School of Nursing, within Rutgers Health, are proud to announce a strategic partnership aimed at enhancing clinical rotation opportunities for nurse-midwifery students. This collaboration will allow students to gain practical, real-world experience by working at one of Axia Women’s Health’s more than 100 locations in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
In the U.S., the share of births attended by midwives has steadily increased over the past decade, with midwives now attending approximately 12% of births nationwide. This growth reflects both rising patient demand and broader adoption of midwifery care as part of the evolving health care landscape. At the same time, the Association of American Colleges and Universities projects a shortage of 86,000 physicians by 2036, highlighting the critical role advanced practice providers, including nurse-midwives, play in expanding access to care and supporting positive women’s health outcomes. Midwifery care has been shown to reduce cesarean section rates and increase successful vaginal births in low-risk populations, lowering the risk of complications for expectant mothers.
“We’re proud to help train and support the next generation of advanced practice providers. These providers play a critical role each day in our care centers, working in collaboration with our physicians to provide high-quality, patient-centered, comprehensive and cost-effective women’s health care,” shares Dr. Thomas Dardarian, chief medical officer at Axia Women’s Health.
“This partnership is an exciting opportunity to expand our clinical site options for students,” said Julie Blumenfeld, clinical associate professor and nurse-midwifery program director at Rutgers School of Nursing. “We’re thrilled to be working with the highly skilled providers at Axia Women’s Health to ensure our students graduate with the relevant skills needed to deliver exceptional patient care with confidence and compassion.”
The partnership is now in effect, and students are actively being placed throughout Axia Women’s Health locations. Both organizations expect to increase placement capacity in the years ahead as demand continues to grow. This collaboration represents another expansion of Axia Women’s Health’s continued partnerships with leading institutions in the communities it serves.
About Axia Women’s Health
Axia Women’s Health is the nation’s largest community-based, integrated women’s health network in the country serving women throughout New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Indiana, and Kentucky. At its core, Axia Women’s Health is a community of over 400 providers across nearly 150 locations committed to providing a more caring, connected, and progressive health care experience for women. Its rapidly growing network spans OB/GYN care, breast health, high-risk pregnancy care, urogynecology care, behavioral health, and fertility. Together, Axia Women’s Health puts women first by delivering the personalized care needed for women to lead healthier, happier lives. Axia Women’s Health has been recognized as the #1 Physician Practice for Women’s Health by Castle Connolly and certified as a Great Place to Work for four consecutive years. Learn more at www.axiawh.com.
About Rutgers School of Nursing
As one of the nation’s largest, most comprehensive nursing schools, Rutgers School of Nursing, is dedicated to the pursuit of excellence in education, research, evidence-based health care delivery, and the promotion of community health.
With an enrollment of more than 1,800 students on campuses in Newark, New Brunswick, and Blackwood, as well as online, Rutgers School of Nursing offers bachelor’s master’s, post-master’s certificates, and doctoral programs preparing nurses to transform care across populations. The school also offers a wide range of professional development and continuing education programs for health care professionals.
ABOUT RUTGERS HEALTH
As New Jersey’s academic health center, Rutgers Health takes the integrated approach of educating students, providing specialized and compassionate clinical care for its communities, and conducting innovative research, with the goal of life-changing health for all. Rutgers Health is a “bench-to-bedside” institution, bringing discoveries in the lab directly to patients across the state and around the world. It includes eight schools, a behavioral health network, and 11 centers and institutes in Newark and New Brunswick.
Media Contact:
Chrissy Gerardi
Chrissy.gerardi@axiawh.com
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SOURCE Axia Women’s Health
