William F McCool, PhD, CNM, RN
Term Associate Professor In Women's Health and Nurse Midwifery - Clinician Educator
Contact Information
University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing
Room 417 Fagin Hall
418 Curie Blvd.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104-4217
UNITED STATES
tel: (215) 573-7679
email: mccoolwf@nursing.upenn.edu
Dr. McCool graduated from midwifery school in 1984, practices fullscope midwifery care through his affiliation with the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania (HUP), and is the first midwife to have practiced there, at the Helen O. Dickens Center for Women's Health.
Teaching
Dr. McCool teaches on the undergraduate and graduate levels including the final integrative clinical course to midwifery students where they must integrate all they have learned before and practice as midwives prior to graduation. The graduate level course on professional issues in the women's health care field emphasizes political involvement and professional identity for midwives and women's health care nurse practitioners. Dr. McCool's undergraduate courses include the popular "Culture of Birth" offering and the new "Politics of Women's Health Care" course, co-taught with Dawn Durain, CNM, a member of the Women's Health Care Studies faculty.
Research
Why do some pregnant women experience intense, but uncomplicated births, while others suffer from a variety of complications and less desirable outcomes? Dr. McCool's research involves steps toward answering this question through the exploration of biobehavioral factors that influence women's labor and delivery experiences. Currently, he is investigating whether or not a pregnant woman's level of stress and anxiety is related to the outcome of her labor and delivery experience. Specifically, measures of "stress hormones" (cortisol & catecholamines) are related to how an individual woman expresses her anxiety and how this, in turn, relates to the events of her giving birth.
• Currently Funded Grants
• Center for Health Disparities Research
Clinical Practice
Dr. McCool, who along with his wife, Sandi, graduated from midwifery school in 1984, practices full-scope midwifery care through his affiliation with the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania (HUP). He is the first midwife to have practiced at the Helen O. Dickens Center for Women's Health at HUP. He regularly works with students and other practitioners to offer care to pregnant women of all ages, adolescents in need of family planning, and post-menopausal women with gynecological health care needs.
• Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania
Honors/Credentials
Dr. McCool has received research funding from the National Institutes of Health and is a member of the Division of Research of the American College of Nurse-Midwives (ACNM). Along with Heather Bradford, CNM (SON '01), he is a 2002 recipient of the W. Newton Long Fund Committee award from the ACNM Foundation for promotion of nurse-midwifery research. Dr. McCool is currently on the Editorial Board of the Journal of Midwifery and Women's Health. He has received a number of honors throughout his career related to his practice and scholarly work.
| Publications (select year) 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 | 2001 | 2000 and Prior | In Press | More Publications |
Whether working to understand the role and risks of modern technology in helping American women seek better health, or offering services internationally to aid women in improving living conditions within their environment, midwives today are asked to apply an ancient and holistic philosophy to an ever-changing world. This challenge is both exciting and demanding, and makes midwifery a wonderful profession. 