Tele-midwifery

/ te-lə-mid-ˈwi-f(ə-)rē / noun

: Tele-midwifery is the delivery of licensed midwifery care through secure virtual platforms bringing clinical guidance, education, and support directly to you, wherever you are.

It allows you to build an ongoing relationship with a midwife who can assess, triage, and guide your care across every stage of womanhood often in coordination with in-person providers when needed.

In practice, it means personalized, evidence-informed care that is more accessible, continuous, and integrated into your daily life — not confined to a clinic room.

Our
Core
Principles:

Physiologic respect

We trust your body’s intelligence — supporting its natural rhythms, not overriding them.

Evidence-based care

Research, clinical expertise, and your physiology — integrated for care that’s both precise & personal.

Risk assessment & triage

Direct access to a provider who can assess, guide, and ground you in real time — without replacing emergency care.

Coordinated collaboration
with existing providers

Care that connects — integrated with your existing providers for clarity, alignment, and stronger in-person support.

Our Founder

Brooke Prudhomme, CPM, LM, is a Certified Professional and Licensed Midwife with over 15 years of experience delivering care across financially and culturally diverse communities.

Her work spans patients from around the world, including immigrant populations and BIPOC communities, shaping a deeply inclusive, globally informed approach to women’s health.

  • As the founder of Ova Sanctum, Brooke brings together clinical midwifery, telehealth innovation, and relationship-based care to expand access and improve outcomes. Her perspective is further informed by her experience as a solo parent, grounding her work in the real, everyday complexities women navigate.

    Brooke trained through a six-year apprenticeship with the North American Registry of Midwives and refined her practice at CHOICES: Memphis Center for Reproductive Health, with clinical experience across Tennessee, Oregon, and Washington. She served as Executive Director of the Midwives Association of Washington State and sits on the board of the National Association of Certified Professional Midwives, continuing to shape the future of equitable, accessible care.

Medical Advisory Board

Dr. Ashekia Pinkney, MD

OBGYN | Chief Medical Officer

Dr. Ashekia Pinckney is a South Carolina-based board-certified Obstetrician and Gynecologist with Carolina Pines Medical Group, where she provides comprehensive women’s care grounded in clinical excellence and patient-centered advocacy.

  • A native of Darlington, South Carolina, Dr. Pinckney was inspired to pursue medicine by early mentorship and a firsthand awareness of healthcare disparities within her community, shaping her commitment to improving access, education, and outcomes for women. She earned her medical degree from the Medical University of South Carolina and completed her residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Tennessee in Memphis, where she further developed her expertise in both primary care and surgical approaches to women’s health.

    Dr. Pinckney is dedicated to building strong, trust-based relationships with her patients, empowering them through education and shared decision-making.

    Her clinical interests include adolescent care, contraception, abnormal uterine bleeding, and fibroid surgery, reflecting her belief that informed care strengthens not only individual patients but entire families.

    Outside of medicine, she enjoys cooking, shopping, and spending time with family. She serves in support of Ova Sanctum with a deep passion for advancing equitable, compassionate women’s healthcare and promoting education as a powerful tool for generational change.

Dr. Aerin Simbhi, MD

Internal & Integrative Medicine Physician

Dr. Aerin Sembhi is a Seattle-based board-certified physician in Internal and Integrative Medicine and the founder of Sembhi Integrative, where she focuses on evidence-based, holistic care designed to support women’s health, hormonal balance, and long-term wellness.

  • With a background in nutritional biochemistry and integrative medicine, Dr. Sembhi takes a comprehensive approach that connects nutrition, stress regulation, environmental factors, and lifestyle medicine to address root causes and promote sustainable healing.

    Her clinical work is deeply informed by both professional training and personal experience, including her own journey through motherhood and recovery, which shaped her commitment to helping women feel supported, informed, and empowered in their health decisions.

    Dr. Sembhi’s practice centers on creating individualized care plans that help women restore balance and build lasting foundations for health, particularly during pregnancy, postpartum, and the evolving stages of motherhood.

    Inspired by early experiences witnessing the impact of chronic illness on families, she is dedicated to advancing models of care that prioritize prevention, education, and whole-person wellness. She serves in support of Ova Sanctum with a strong commitment to expanding integrative, patient-centered approaches that elevate and honor women’s health at every stage of life.

Dr. Leizl F. Sapico, MD

OBGYN | Medical Advisor

Dr. Leizl F. Sapico, MD is a board-certified obstetrician and gynecologist whose work centers on supporting patients through pregnancy, postpartum, and beyond with a focus on education, empowerment, and compassionate care.

  • With clinical expertise in hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, perinatal mood and anxiety disorders, gestational diabetes, and postpartum recovery, she is deeply committed to improving maternal outcomes through thoughtful, individualized care.

    Her approach is grounded in creating safe, supportive environments where patients feel heard, informed, and actively involved in their health decisions. Dr. Sapico believes that knowledge fosters confidence and that open communication builds trust — essential elements for meaningful, equitable care. She is especially passionate about addressing systemic disparities in maternal health and advocating for inclusive practices that honor the diverse experiences of those she serves.

    In academic medicine, Dr. Sapico is dedicated to advancing postpartum care through program development and clinician education. Her work focuses on building comprehensive postpartum models that support both physical and emotional recovery while shaping future clinicians’ understanding of the critical importance of this often-overlooked stage of care.

Dr. Nikia Grayson

CNM | Medical Advisor

Dr. Nikia Grayson is a Memphis-based family nurse-midwife, anthropologist, and reproductive justice advocate serving as Chief Clinical Officer at CHOICES Center for Reproductive Health in Memphis and Carbondale, home to Memphis’s only freestanding birth center. She is also an Associate Clinical Professor at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), where she contributes to midwifery education and workforce development.

  • Grounded in the South and guided by a commitment to reproductive justice, bodily autonomy, and collective liberation, Dr. Grayson’s work centers Black maternal health, community birth, and full-spectrum reproductive healthcare for Black women and families. She is committed to restoring and reclaiming Black midwifery as a pathway to maternal health equity.

Executive Advisory Board

Mollie Prudhomme

Region Human Resources Manager,
International Paper

Mollie is a human resources leader with more than a decade of experience at International Paper, where she currently serves as Regional Human Resources Manager.

  • Throughout her tenure, she has held a range of progressive roles spanning human resources strategy, employee relations, communications, and organizational development, giving her a well-rounded perspective on building strong workplace cultures and supporting people at every stage of their professional journey. Known for her thoughtful leadership and collaborative approach, Mollie has successfully guided teams through growth, change management, and talent development initiatives while fostering environments that prioritize engagement, accountability, and well-being. Her early career in communications and training laid the foundation for her ability to connect people, strategy, and purpose in meaningful ways. Mollie is deeply committed to Ova Sanctum, driven by a passion for advancing women’s health, supporting education and advocacy, and helping create a future where women have greater access to informed, compassionate care.

Matthew Heffington

Partner/Sr. Investment Advisor,
Kimery Wealth Management

Matthew specializes in working with family groups and institutional clients to develop highly personalized strategic wealth plans designed to foster long-term financial sustainability and growth.

  • He also advises on corporate executive compensation, philanthropic strategy, and next-generation financial education, helping clients align financial decisions with legacy-driven goals. Before joining the firm in 2014, Matthew spent five years with the Sharpe Group, a nonprofit consulting organization where he partnered with institutions nationwide on high-net-worth planned giving strategies and helped lead the development of proprietary financial planning tools that supported sophisticated charitable giving.

    Matthew earned his B.S. in Business Administration from the University of Tennessee and holds an M.B.A. from the University of Memphis. He is an active volunteer with his church and ALSAC, the fundraising arm of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, and has served in leadership roles across several Memphis-area philanthropic organizations. Outside of work, he enjoys fly fishing, hunting, and skiing. His interest in women’s health became deeply personal following the birth of his son, Sebastian, shaping a lasting commitment to supporting families through stronger care, education, and advocacy.

Cecilia Lona Walker

Founder/Principal, Cecilia Lona Comms

Cecilia Lona Walker is a strategic communications consultant, storyteller, and founder of Cecilia Lona Comms, a consultancy focused on brand strategy, messaging, and cultural positioning.

  • Raised within her family’s nationally recognized advertising agency, she developed an early foundation in campaign development and narrative strategy, later building a career centered on helping organizations clarify purpose, strengthen messaging, and create meaningful audience connection. Since founding her firm in 2019, Cecilia has partnered with clients across a range of industries, including nonprofit, transportation, education, retail, and design, guiding leaders and brands through periods of growth, transition, and reinvention.

    In addition to her consulting work, Cecilia is a writer whose work explores themes of duality, identity, and cultural storytelling; she is currently developing her first book and launched her Substack On Brand & Being in 2025. She serves on the board of Ova Sanctum in support of advancing care models that honor women through thoughtful, holistic, and dignity-centered approaches to health and well-being.

Ben Prudhomme

Fixed Income Whole Loan Trading, Raymond James

Ben Prudhomme is a finance professional currently specializing in Fixed Income Whole Loan Trading at Raymond James.

  • With a background that bridges institutional finance and medical sales, he brings a strategic, relationship-driven approach to complex markets and client partnerships. Prior to Raymond James, Ben served as Vice President of Institutional Sales at Vining Sparks and worked as a Financial Advisor with Northwestern Mutual, building a strong foundation in wealth management and capital markets. He also held leadership roles in healthcare sales with Stryker and Poplar Healthcare, where he supported physicians through innovative medical technologies and diagnostic solutions. Ben holds Series 7 and Series 63 licenses and is a graduate of the University of Memphis. He is passionate about serving on the board of Ova Sanctum because of its mission to improve outcomes for women's health through education and innovation, and expand access to life-changing care for women and families.