Certified Nurse Midwives
Elizabeth Smith-Tyko, CNM, Director and Owner
Elizabeth Smith-Tyko, CNM, MSN, is the Director/Owner of the Santa Rosa Birth Center. Elizabeth received her Master’s Degree from Vanderbilt University in 1998, and relocated to Northern California to begin her midwifery career. She practiced full-scope midwifery in Santa Rosa and Marin County for seven years, delivering over 700 babies during that time. Most recently, Elizabeth focused her clinical attention to caring for women with infertility, working in the only comprehensive, fertility practice in Sonoma County. After seven years in this capacity, Elizabeth found that she could no longer resist the call of midwifery, and joined the excellent team of midwives at the Women’s Health and Birth Center in 2012. In October, 2013, Elizabeth assumed the role of Director and Owner and endeavored to revitalize and build upon the 20-year legacy of the birth center. Thus, Santa Rosa Birth Center was born.
Elizabeth enjoys caring for women throughout their lifespan & is looking forward to expanding the services of The Santa Rosa Birth Center. She is committed to serving a diverse population of women and expanding midwifery care to families both in the birth center and in the hospital. In addition to traditional midwifery care, Elizabeth has a special interest in fertility treatment and the care of women with recurrent pregnancy loss. Through all of her care, Elizabeth is dedicated to empowering women through compassion and education.
Elizabeth is married to Len Tyko, also a Santa Rosa healthcare provider, with whom she has four children. She spends most of her free-time mothering these independent spirits, but occasionally finds time to indulge her creativity with her crafting, knitting and crocheting. Elizabeth loves to eat, but hates to cook, and thinks dessert is the best part of a meal. Elizabeth is passionate about her calling as both a mother and a midwife and is excited to lead the birth center into the next stage.
Hannah Kopp-Yates
Hannah completed her Master of Science in Nursing with a specialization in Midwifery at Seattle University. She is a Bay Area native, and is delighted to be back in California to become part of your care team at the Santa Rosa Birth Center. She has attended births in homes, hospitals and birth centers, and is also a trained birth doula.
She enjoys supporting gentle, low-intervention birth, and looks forward being your ally as you navigate through pregnancy, delivery, postpartum and beyond.
Hannah is committed to making the full spectrum of midwifery care accessible to all women. She is particularly interested in global midwifery, and conducted her MSN research on training programs for traditional birth attendants to improve global maternal-child health. She also draws on her international experience working with midwives in Peru and Germany to inform and improve her care.
Her other special interests include contraceptive counseling and management, mindfulness in pregnancy and birth, and promoting wellness with nourishing foods and gentle lifestyle changes. She seeks to provide respectful, individualized and culturally appropriate care to each of her clients. Her aim is to support women to feel pride, strength, and wonder in their innate capacity to give life and give birth.
Jillian Cauley
Photo and Bio coming soon
Catherine Capano
Photo and Bio coming soon
Registered Nurses & Birth Assistants
Laura Hutchins, RN
Colette Mercer, LM
Susanna Napierala, LM
Skye Hamik, RN
Jacqueline Vickerman, RN
Client Services
Esmeralda Palomares, Office Manager, Health Educator, Doula, MA, Midwife Assistant
Sacha Lepley, Financial Counselor
Angela Morales, MA
Tricia DeCarli, Community Outreach Coordinator, Doula, Midwife Assistant
Pamela Augustine, Childbirth Educator