The Not So Secret Side of Denae, Certified Nurse Midwife
Prenatal & Childbirth
Within a few years of working as a nurse, her passion to work with moms and babies was calling her to make a change. Her next year and a half spent working in labor and delivery solidified her desire to become a midwife and helped her develop the ability to connect with each laboring person that came into her care. Working in the birth world since 2016 as a nurse and now midwife, Denae has been a part of countless births – each one special in its own way.
Gynecological
Pursuing Midwifery and Women’s Health at Georgetown University, Ellson graduated with her certification right before the COVID-19 pandemic struck. She was fortunate to find a position with Planned Parenthood North Central States. Staying within Minnesota, she visited clinics throughout the state to help patients with a range of services including birth control and gender affirming hormone therapy. Ellson says “I got to work with the LGTBQ community in a way I hadn’t before. It was a blessing to be able to do that.”
Now as she makes the transition to Southdale ObGyn, Denae is looking back at what she can bring to patients from her past experience. “I don’t ever want my patients to feel like they can’t tell me what’s going on in their lives,” Ellson says, “I’m just here to serve the person sitting in front of me no matter what they need.” Going through a high-risk pregnancy herself in the midst of a pandemic, she wants her patients to know that she understands the loss you can feel as a patient when things you’ve hoped for can’t happen. “When all of a sudden you get a diagnosis or something comes up in your pregnancy and you have to shift plans, I’ve felt that pain and that loss and how hard that is.”
Born at Fairview Southdale and raised in Minnetonka, Denae is thrilled to be joining a team that serves a community close to her heart and delivers babies at the same hospital she was born in. Outside of her work, she enjoys musical theater, playing with her two cats and being a parent. She makes an effort to see the tight knit group of friends and family she has close by as often as possible.
Education
Master of Science in Nursing | Nurse Midwife & Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner
Georgetown University
Bachelor of Science in Nursing
University of Wisconsin | Eau Claire
Certification/licensure
Neonatal Resuscitation Program
Women and Gender Health Nurse Practitioner
Certified Nurse Midwife – Minnesota
BLS Provider by AMA
Memberships
American College of Nurse Midwives – Minnesota Affiliate Member
Alpha Xi Delta Fraternity – Epsilon Alpha Chapter Advisor