Hawa M Al-Hassan, CNM

In a career that has taken her around the world, Hawa Al-Hassan sees one constant; the need for good healthcare for women and children. She was born in Ghana, West Africa. A certified nurse midwife, she studied in Kentucky and New Jersey and has worked throughout the United States and in the U.S. Virgin Islands. “Women’s health is very important, in every community. In Ghana I witnessed dramatic impacts of poor health among women, even seeing women die in childbirth. I find similar circumstances everywhere, especially in areas of low income and resources,” she says.
Understanding how women’s health affects families and communities drove her to pursue a career with opportunities to make a positive difference. Hawa earned her master’s in nursing in midwifery at Frontier Nursing University, Hyden, Ky. She also holds a bachelor’s in nursing from Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Newark.
Most recently, she worked as a midwife and hospitalist at Governor Juan Francisco Luis Hospital in St. Croix. She cared for women in the indigenous Native American population at Fort Defiance Indian Hospital in Arizona. She gained additional experience at Pullman Regional Hospital in Washington and at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center in New Jersey.

Committed to helping her younger colleagues succeed, Hawa has also served as a nursing instructor at the University of the US Virgin Islands and at Walla Walla Community College in Washington. Hawa provides both direct care and education to keep the family healthy, advising on vaccines, checkups, child health, nutrition and other contributing factors. From pregnancy and childbirth to pre and postpartum care, lactation support, new mother education and more, she sees herself as a true partner in her patients’ well-being.
“One thing I have learned, when women are healthy and practice good health, it lifts the whole family. My job is to give them all the tools they need to make healthy choices,” she says.