Luba Butska

Luba trained as a direct-entry midwife in Ontario and practiced in Alberta before moving to Vancouver in 2017. She has attended births in many environments, from high-risk centers to rural hospitals, birth centers, and homebirths. Her experience includes work in midwifery regulation, professional associations, and education. Luba is currently an Associate Professor of Teaching, and the Associate Director and Global Health Lead for UBC’s Midwifery Program at UBC. Since the invasion of Ukraine in 2022, much of Luba’s work has focused on Ukrainian refugees in her community and volunteering in Ukraine. She is deeply connected to her Ukrainian ancestry; her family is from Ukraine’s Kharkiv region and she speaks Ukrainian. She spent the 2026 academic year in Ukraine on study leave, where she assisted the Ukrainian Association of Midwives with training workshops and advocacy efforts. She continues to volunteer as a consultant for midwifery projects in Ukraine and, like all Ukrainians, has hope for a just peace in Ukraine. Ukrainian midwives’ immense courage and commitment to their people, their work, and their country continue to inspire Luba every day.