The Maternity Center in El Paso was founded in 1976 by Shari Daniels. She directed its operations and midwifery programs until 1986. This was the first direct entry midwifery curriculum offered in the United States. The midwifery training program graduated in excess of 400 midwives who are in practice all over the world. Her efforts on the behalf of the Maternity Center in El Paso was recognized in 1992 with a special award of achievement by the Midwives Alliance of North America. The knowledge and skills that made The Maternity Center's midwifery training program so successful are brought to the International School of Midwifery by Ms. Daniels.
Shari Daniels was then recruited by the Miami based National School of Technology which was the first school to enroll midwifery students under Florida's new law. It was mutually agreed that the students would be better served in an institution that focused solely on the study and practice of midwifery, whereupon the International School of Midwifery was born. The International School of Midwifery opened its doors in January 1996 with a three year midwifery program and a four month prelicensure course for internationally trained midwives. Any list of successful practicing Florida midwives contains a large percentage of ISOM graduates.
