Dr. Denise Bolds, Ed.D., MSW, CD(DONA), CLC, CBE(ICEA), is a nationally recognized high-risk Birth Doula, educator, researcher, author, and maternal health advocate whose work focuses on Black maternal health, birth equity, and the experiences of Black Doulas in hospital settings. With more than four decades in healthcare and over a decade as a professional Doula, she has supported more than 360 births and specializes in high-risk pregnancy, vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC), induction, cesarean birth, and NICU support.

Dr. Bolds earned her Doctor of Education in Executive Leadership from St. John Fisher University. Her dissertation, Weathering of Black Doulas in Hospitals: Challenges and Opportunities, examined institutional barriers, racialized professional experiences, emotional labor, advocacy, resilience, and the occupational experiences of certified Black Doulas in U.S. hospitals.

She is the Founder of Black Women Do VBAC® and Founder and President of Birth While Black, Inc., and the owner of Bold Selah, LLC/Bold Doula. She is also the creator of the Black Doula Wheel of Care™, a framework developed from her doctoral research to address the wellness, sustainability, and occupational demands faced by Black Doulas. A sought-after speaker and Doula trainer, Dr. Bolds develops advanced professional education in VBAC, surgical birth, induction, NICU support, high-risk birth, and hospital-based Doula practice. Her work bridges scholarship, direct service, education, and advocacy to advance culturally responsive maternal healthcare and strengthen the Doula workforce.