Cristina Alonso

Cristina Alonso is a certified professional midwife and holds a doctorate in public health from Harvard University. She currently serves as the health equity director for La Colaborativa in Chelsea, Massachusetts, where she completed her doctoral dissertation on the impact and social response of COVID.

Prior to moving to Boston, Cristina lived in Central America and Mexico for almost 20 years, where she spearheaded movements to professionalize and integrate midwifery into national healthcare systems. She is the author of the book Open a Midwifery Center, a manual for opening and operating birth centers in low resource settings. She has worked to support the adoption of safety and respect standards in out-of-hospital birth settings across the globe. She currently works with the American College of Nurse Midwives on strengthening midwifery in Afghanistan.

Cristina is an advocate for community-owned and empowered health care options. She is a teacher, advocate, and leader who believes that local communities know what is best for their health and well-being. She works to bridge healthcare systems with local voices and needs in ways that are relevant and accessible.