Her work was brought to national attention in W. Eugene Smith's photo essay "Nurse Midwife," published in Life on December 3, 1951.

She received additional training from the Georgia Infirmary in Savannah and in tuberculosis care at the Homer G. Phillips Hospital in St. Louis, Missouri.

[4] A year after graduating from the Georgia Infirmary,[2] Callen moved to Pineville, Berkeley County, South Carolina as an Episcopal missionary nurse.

She taught young black women the proper practices in prenatal care, labor support, baby delivery, and handling of newborns.

"[4] In 1943, Maude Callen was sent to a six-month course at the Maternity Center at the Tuskegee Institute, and received training that was almost as advanced as a doctor's.

[2] On December 3, 1951, Life magazine published a twelve-page photographic essay of Callen's work by the celebrated photojournalist W. Eugene Smith.

As a volunteer, Callen managed the center, which cooked and delivered meals five days a week,[9] and provided car service to seniors needing transportation.

[4] In 1983, a CBS News segment of "On the Road" with Charles Kuralt[8] stated: "At 85, Miss Maude serves meals each weekday to some 50 elderly residents, most of them younger than she is.