Monique Rooyen Obituary, Death – As a tribute to A. Leck, Joanne 1943 to 2023 On November 16, 2023, at the age of 80, Joanne Leck, CNM, BA, FACNM, who was a devoted midwife, mentor, and leader, passed away after a protracted illness. As a dedicated wife to her husband, Bob Leck, she was also a wonderful friend to a huge number of people. In addition to being a patriotic Canadian, Joanne received her nursing degree from the Halifax Infirmary, which is located in Nova Scotia. She continued her education in midwifery by enrolling in the Nurse-Midwifery Programme at Johns Hopkins University in Maryland, where she received her doctorate.
When Bob was a student in the programme to become a licenced Registered Nurse Anaesthetist, she was there and that is where she met the man who would eventually become her husband. Joanne went on to further her studies by enrolling at National Lewis University, where she gained both knowledge and skills in the field of education. Over the course of many years, Joanne served as the Director of the Nurse-Midwifery Service at Cook County Hospital (CCH) in Chicago, Illinois. She was also a mentor to a large number of college students and staff members. Joanne is well-known among midwives throughout Chicago and Illinois. Joanne was a skilled leader who was in charge of one of the busiest labour and delivery services in the United States at the time.
She worked closely with CCH physicians and administrators, as well as midwifery faculty from the University of Illinois School of Nursing, to ensure that childbearing women and their newborns received care that was both respectful and of a high quality. She supervised a large midwifery workforce in a climate that was challenging. As a result of her extensive knowledge and experience, she was invited to join the American College of Nurse Midwives (ACNM) Service Directors organisation as a founding member.
Following her tenure as a leader at the Chicago Community Hospital Nurse Midwifery Service, she went on to work for the Chicago Department of Health and the Infant Welfare Society in Chicago, Illinois, where she held the position of Director of Quality Assurance. Through the devoted service that she provided to the American College of Midwives (ACNM), Joanne made significant contributions to the field of midwifery as well as to the well-being of mothers and newborns. She served as the chair of ACNM Chapter IV 2 and was also the chair of the national ACNM By-laws Committee, where she made significant contributions to the organisation on a national level. Because of Joanne’s significant contributions to the midwifery profession and to the provision of high-quality maternity care, the American College of Nurse Midwives (ACNM) honoured her with the title of Fellow in the year 2002.
