LaToshia Rouse is a certified birth and postpartum doula owner of Birth Sisters Doula Services as well as a Patient and Family Engagement Consultant. Her journey began as a patient partner 10 years ago, after having triplets at 26 weeks gestation via an emergency vaginal delivery. Early on LaToshia’s work was focused on bringing the parent perspective to the newborn intensive care unit (NICU) and antepartum improvement committees at WakeMed Health and Hospitals, including serving as a member of the NICU’s Vermont Oxford Network (VON) team. LaToshia has served as a subject matter expert and expert team member for the National Network of Perinatal Quality Collaboratives (NNPQC), American Board of Pediatrics (ABP), American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), and many other organizations.
She is a consultant with the Institute of Patient and Family Centered Care (IPFCC) and a Project Director at Family Voices. LaToshia is a sought-after speaker and consultant on topics relating to doulas, patient engagement and diversity, equity and inclusion. Her work has spanned all levels of healthcare with work in research, policy, and the executive committee level. She is on the Board of Directors for the American Board of Pediatrics (ABP) and the National Institute for Children’s Health Quality (NICHQ). She worked on policy with the North Carolina Institute of Medicine’s (NCIOM) Maternal Health Taskforce and worked on policy as Co-Chair of the NCIOM’s Taskforce on the Perinatal System of Care in 2019. Her measurement work started in 2020, with the Maternal and Child Health- Measurement Research Network where she Co-Chairs the Equity Committee for the project. She is also a Co-Chair of the (National Network of Perinatal Quality Collaboratives) NNPQC’s Executive Committee as well as the parent and family engagement lead. LaToshia completed her Diversity and Inclusion Certification at Cornell University to make more impact on equity for families, moms and babies. The opportunity to sit on the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA)’s HEDIS and Health Equity Expert Work Group has been one of those opportunities. In reflecting on the work, she’s engaged in over the last number of years, LaToshia's passion is finding ways for clinicians and patients to have a true partnership and improve outcomes.