Ep106 | Addressing Maternal and Fetal Health Disparities - Dr. Kecia Gaither

Medicus

In this episode, we address the topic of maternal and fetal health with Dr. Kecia Gaither, a double board-certified physician in Ob/Gyn and Maternal Fetal Medicine and a champion of closing the gap in poor pregnancy outcomes for women of color. Dr. Gaither discusses some of the causes for this discrepancy and offers solutions for both patients and providers.

Dr. Gaither received her BA in Biology from Barnard College, and her MD from SUNY Health Science Center in Syracuse. She completed her Ob/Gyn residency at Riverside Regional Medical Center, a subsidiary of The Medical College of Virginia and completed her Maternal Fetal Medicine Fellowship at The University of Medicine and Dentistry-Rutgers in Newark NJ. Dr. Gaither earned her MPH in Health Policy and Management from Columbia University and completed her dual MS/MBA degree in Healthcare Policy and Research/Healthcare Leadership from Cornell SC Johnson School of Business. She has recently been named a Fellow for the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine (AIUM).

A perinatal consultant and womens’ health expert, Gaither’s expertise is grounded in both research and her professional experience in caring for women with multiple medical/surgical/fetal conditions in pregnancy. In her current role, Dr. Gaither serves as the Director of Perinatal Services/Director of Maternal Fetal Medicine for NYC Health+ Hospitals/Lincoln in the Bronx. Dr. Gaither is also an Associate Professor of Clinical Obstetrics and Gynecology with Cornell Weill Medicine.

A Harlem native, Gaither’s mission as a medical professional is to offer exemplary prenatal care to all women, regardless of circumstance. Dr. Gaither regularly lends her commentary and expertise on issues pertaining to womens’ health, pregnancy, and environmental/ population health policy, to leading national consumer health and lifestyle outlets across print, radio, TV, film and online. With her foray into social media, Dr. Gaithers’ combined perspective as a maternal child specialist and public health proponent has allowed her to reach millions via her Twitter feed-- @KeciaGaitherMD and her website: www.keciagaither.com. Dr. Gaither has co-authored “The Confident Woman”, a must read book for women who desire increased confidence, self-esteem and empowerment.

Helpful links:

Dr. Gaither’s Website: https://keciagaither.com/

National Medical Association: https://www.nmanet.org/

Medical Mentor: https://medicalmentor.org/

Key to Eliminating Medical Racism May Lie In Universal Healthcare: https://healthnews.com/news/eliminating-medical-racism-is-hard-but-universal-healthcare-could-help/

Episode produced by: Rasa Valiauga

Episode recording date: 2/26/23

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