Staff

Susan Wegelt Heinz, DNP, CNM

Owner and Director of Corvallis Birth & Wellness Center

I have been a Midwife for 35 years and have had the privilege of attending births and providing health care in many different settings. Providing care to individuals, families, and my community is my calling and my passion – it is what I do and part of who I am.

Corvallis is my home. I have lived in this community for over 25 years and my husband and I have raised our two amazing daughters here. I love this community and have had a dream for this community for many years – that dream is to have a special place, a center for personalized, safe, health and birthing care.   A place where all can receive safe and respectful care;  where they can participate fully in their care, to be honored and loved, and for families to be born. While completing my doctorate, I had the privilege of working with Midwives in England and The Netherlands. Seeing these midwifery based systems of care added to my desire and inspiration to develop this special place.

In 2016 this vision become a reality.  Corvallis Birth & Wellness Center has developed and thrived over these years.  We have also grown and added new services and new practitioners.  As the practice has grown, my focus and direction has also grown.  While birth will forever be the central focus of Corvallis Birth & Wellness Center, the “and Wellness” portion of the practice has also grown.  We have added our Well-Child/pediatric practice with Kourtney Hanks, and expanded our lactation services with Debbie Alba.   I have expanded my GYN and pelvic health services, working with issues of pelvic pain, incontinence, sexual health,and offering trans health care.  I have focused on a functional, holistic, and preventive approach to health care and offer additional services such as Mayan abdominal therapy and holistic pelvic care, as well as biofeedback for pelvic floor issues. I am now a member of the International Society for the Study of Women’s Sexual Health (ISSWSH), the International Pelvic Pain Society (IPPS), and the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH). These changes are very exciting for me personally and professionally.  

In these years my family has also expanded as I have the joy of sharing in the life of my two grandchildren.  My heart constantly expands!

It was with great joy and excitement that I opened Corvallis Birth & Women’s Health Center in May of 2016, and it is with great joy that I have witnessed the growth and development of this practice we now proudly call Corvallis Birth & Wellness Center.  It is truly a labor of love and I am excited to see where we go from here as we continue to address the needs and desires of the clients and families we serve.   This journey is truly the birth of a dream.

Kourtney Hanks, CNM, FNP

Certified Nurse Midwife and Family Nurse Practitioner

I have been a midwife at the Corvallis Birth Center since it opened in May of 2016. Through a series of serendipitous events I learned of the birth center just months before it’s planned opening on May Day in 2016. Shortly after learning about the birth center I sent an email to Susan expressing my excitement for what she was creating. After spending hours in conversation with Susan about her visions for the birth center it became clear that it would be a perfect place for me to land as a new midwife, full of motivation and zest for birth. 

Years later I am in awe of the families that have come through these doors. I still wake up in disbelief that I get to be a midwife in this amazing town and to work with so many incredible women. In a space where clients have become friends and where I have been fortunate enough to help families welcome multiple little ones into their lives. It has been transformational. Since those early days my practice has evolved and expanded to include pediatric care. It has been such a joy to continue to provide the same extensive care to new families as we are providing during prenatal visits. I believe that the experience is truly unlike any other well child visit. Where there is plenty of time for questions and I know every family in my care. 

I completed my midwifery education at Vanderbilt University where I also received my FNP certification. Before beginning my journey into midwifery I completed a degree in Nutrition Science from Oregon State University in hopes that I could use this nutrition knowledge to help women to become their healthiest self.

During my midwifery education, I was thrilled to be placed at two military sites where I had the honor of working with women and families in uniform.

My passion is for providing exceptional healthcare to women. I believe my role is to provide a safe place for women and families as they experience the transformations of womanhood, pregnancy, labor, and birth. Working within a birth center model of care aligns with my personal philosophy that women know their bodies and should be empowered to make their own healthcare decisions. 

When I am not at the birth center I can probably be found riding bikes with my toddler, reading books, gardening (I am always open to hear your latest gardening tips!), cooking, camping,  or watching Beaver sports (baseball, gymnastics, and football are my favorite- in that order). 

Debbie Alba, CNM, IBCLC

Certified Nurse Midwife

I am honored to join the community at the Corvallis Birth and Women’s Health Center as I continue my passion of supporting women and babies through the birth experience and beyond. I started working with moms and babies in 1995 in San Francisco, where I first learned of the power of a positive birth and breastfeeding experience. Born and raised in Corvallis, I have worked in both the private and public sector in our community since 2000. Prior to becoming a midwife, my work focused on human lactation and infant development. I have been privileged to help breastfeeding families for over 20 years and continue to feel passionate about this work.

I am committed to supporting women through evidence-based practice and informed choice throughout their personal journey towards health, and am particularly interested in providing a bridge from pregnancy care to overall health care, including mental health. I believe that empowerment of women in their life journey and optimum health and well-being of both women and children lays the foundation for a healthier, more sustainable society.

A mother to three amazing children, I live on a small farm outside of Philomath with my husband and youngest son. In my free time I garden and take care of our herd of dairy goats, make cheese, and run the hills around Corvallis with my two dogs.

Melissa Hilson, CNM

Certified Nurse Midwife

I attended my first birth when I was 20 months old as my younger sister was welcomed into our lives, at home, surrounded by family. I don’t consciously remember that experience, but grew up loving hearing the story of her birth and my role in it, and truly believe it has shaped my path in life. In my teen years I had an idea that I wanted to go to nursing school, and then become a midwife. When I was 18 my older sister gave birth to her second baby at home. She was born into my hands, and opened her eyes and looked at me before her entire body was even birthed. At that moment I was sure!

During my midwifery education I learned about the birth center model of care and fell deeply in love with it. I love that it gives women who don’t feel comfortable with the idea of a home birth, yet don’t want to birth in the hospital, another alternative that is woman and family centered. I started my midwifery career at a birth center in southern Oregon for several years, before joining a practice in northern Washington for the last three years. I am thrilled to be returning to Oregon to continue to work in the model of midwifery care I love, and to be closer to our family in Oregon.

Lindsie Lincoln, CNM

Certified Nurse Midwife

I have been around birth since my teen years, first witnessing the births of my friends’ children. Then again, during my days in nursing school. It was there I witnessed 13 births, including the most memorable of all “the one” that called me. 

I have been working in the birth world since 2014, starting as a postpartum nurse and birth assistant. Realizing I wanted to become more involved, I began my journey into midwifery. I graduated from Frontier Nursing University in 2019 with my Masters degree and obtained my CNM certification. I joined the Corvallis Birth Center part-time in February 2020 and transitioned to full-time in May 2020. 

I am passionate about working with women and their families and I am honored to walk with them through such an amazing time in their lives. 

When I am not working I enjoy spending time with my husband, our children, families, and friends. I enjoy learning new things, reading all sorts of books, and spending time outdoors and working in our garden. I enjoy dabbling in sewing, quilting, painting and I love to be creative!

Andrea Keating, CPM

Licensed Direct Entry Midwife

My first experience with birth I can remember was watching my brother be born when I was newly three years old. My mom received midwifery care in her three pregnancies, and always spoke the highest praise of her midwives. As a licensed midwife and now mother myself, my passion is informed parenthood, from pre-conception through the lifespan. I know firsthand how quality, individualized, inclusive, and trauma-informed prenatal and birth care can impact a new parent and their children. For my midwifery education I chose to become a direct entry midwife. I received my Bachelors of Midwifery from the Midwives College of Utah in 2020 and joined the Corvallis Birth Center as a licensed direct entry midwife (LDM) in January of 2021. Susan, Melissa, and Kourtney were my academic preceptors, and I am honored to work alongside them, Debbie, and Lindsie in this practice. 

When I’m not attending births or appointments at the birth center I love spending time with my son, gardening, drawing, knitting, sewing, reading books, and listening to podcasts.

Shaloma Taylor, CNM, FNP

Certified Nurse Midwife, Family Nurse Practitioner

I first came to the Corvallis Birth Center as a midwifery student, and have loved every minute of my time here since. I have been drawn to birth work since I was a 21 year old medic and I got my first chance to assist in a c-section in a Navy hospital. Despite being in a hospital, sterile and medicalized, the moment the birth parent saw their beautiful baby come over the sheet onto their chest was an overwhelmingly emotional and time-stopping moment. I have been in awe of the deep magic surrounding birth and the people moving through that process ever since.

I got my undergraduate degree from Oregon State in Human Development & Family Science, worked as a surgical technologist on a labor & delivery ward for many years while serving in the Navy, completed a Master’s degree in Nurse-Midwifery and Family Practice at Vanderbilt University, and completed a post-Master’s certificate in Global Health. I am lucky to have such a broad range of experiences, as it helped me recognize that the birth center model of care is the type of care I am passionate about. It is critical to me that the care I provide is based in science, honors the body’s ability to adapt, acknowledges that there are things we don’t yet understand fully, and empowers each person to take ownership of their body. My philosophy is that my role is first to provide education, resources and recommendations, and then it is my job to listen and be present to bear witness to the process.

In addition to midwifery, I support a small family practice clinic providing primary care and my Navy reserve unit providing preventative care and medic training. I am forever renovating my home and trying to keep my garden and house plants alive, traveling with my lovely partner, or relaxing with my three pups. I love cooking for people (including those at the birth center!), baking, and I spend most of my free time at a ceramics wheel.

Alice Heinz

Billing Manager

I am the Billing Manager at Corvallis Birth and Wellness Center. I received my BA in Spanish from Pacific University in the spring of 2015. I love working with children and families.

Growing up with a Midwife mother, I have always appreciated the value of the service to families and to the community. After completing my BA I took Billing and Coding courses through AAPC (The American Academy of Professional Coders). I love to work with women and families look forward to helping them navigate the world of insurance in all phases of their life.

In my free time I enjoy playing card and board games, reading, and exploring the outdoors.

Emily Jacobburger

Office Staff

I’m thrilled to have recently joined the staff at the Corvallis Birth Center.  I became interested in the midwifery model of care in 2012 when a wonderful group of midwives in Southern Oregon (including our Melissa Hilson who was  there at the time) helped me bring my first son into this world. The empowerment and connection I experienced through natural childbirth was beyond anything I could imagine and I have wanted to stay close to this line of work ever since.  I have taught childbirth classes, helping other soon-to-be parents have a similar positive experience, and I’m currently enrolled in the Lactation Consultant Certification course through Portland State University.  I’m so excited about the possibility of supporting new mothers in obtaining their breastfeeding goals! 

At Corvallis Birth & Wellness Center, my role is to welcome our patients in and help them feel at home – customer service is in my blood. I also am involved in quality assurance for the Center and am teaching the “virtual” childbirth classes for our center. 

Outside of work, I enjoy being silly with my 3 adventurous boys and doing just about anything outdoors, especially if it involves being out in a mossy forest!