Ellen Howard, CNM
Certified Nurse Midwife
WNCCHS—Minnie Jones Health Center
Ellen Howard, CNM, is a Certified Nurse Midwife who joined the team at WNCCHS in 2024. Ellen was born and raised in New Hampshire and obtained her Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) from the University of New Hampshire in 2004. During her final semester, Ellen worked and lived on a Navajo reservation in Shiprock, New Mexico, with the Indian Health Service (IHS), gaining valuable clinical and social experiences while exploring the beautiful southwestern United States. It was during nursing school that a friend introduced her to Ina May Gaskin’s "Spiritual Midwifery," which inspired Ellen to pursue a career in midwifery.
Ellen moved to Asheville in 2004 and later returned to school at East Carolina University to fulfill her dream of becoming a midwife. She earned her Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) with a concentration in midwifery in 2010. During her midwifery training, Ellen had the opportunity to study abroad in Puebla, Mexico, where she took an immersion Spanish language course. This experience has been invaluable in her medical career, enabling her to communicate effectively with Spanish-speaking patients. While in Mexico, she visited labor and delivery units and met with local midwives at a freestanding birth center.
Before joining WNCCHS, Ellen spent eight years with the team at Laurel OB/GYN in Asheville, providing comprehensive obstetric and gynecological care. From 2011 to 2016, she practiced as a CNM at New Dawn Midwifery in Asheville, attending births at Mission Hospital and at home for low-risk patients. Ellen also worked as a CNM with Smoky Mountain OB/GYN at Harris Regional Hospital in Sylva, North Carolina, from 2010 to 2011. Prior to becoming a Certified Nurse Midwife, she was a registered nurse in the obstetric units at Mission Hospital in Asheville.
Ellen is knowledgeable about gynecology and contraception options, including natural family planning and long-acting reversible contraception, and enjoys counseling patients on family planning. She has attended over 600 deliveries, striving to honor each family's birth plan while ensuring their safety. Ellen is passionate about providing OB/GYN health care at WNCCHS and values the extra time and attention the providers at WNCCHS dedicate to their patients.
Outside of her professional life, Ellen enjoys contra, swing, and salsa dancing and is an active participant in Asheville's vibrant dance community. She resides in West Asheville with her spouse and children.