Priscilla Hall, winner of the Judith Whittaker scholarship, is pursuing her doctorate at Emery University where her area of interest is the stress response of women during labor, especially as it relates to the experiences of coping. As a nurse-midwife, her area of focus has been women and families in the reproductive process. As the health care system becomes more technical and complex, Priscilla feels it’s crucial to develop systems of care that support the normal physiology of childbirth and enhances women’s relationships with their infants to promote physical and mental well-being. She hopes to help lower the current significant number of women who report negative birth experiences or develop post-traumatic stress symptoms after labor.