Doctor and Birth Outcomes Advocate

In this episode of Our Voices, Our Future, host Rhea Manohar sits down with Dr. Jennifer Lincoln, a board-certified OB/GYN and OB Hospitalist in Portland, Oregon. Dr. Lincoln is an author, media contributor, past President of the Society of OB/GYN Hospitalists, and a leading voice in women’s health education and advocacy on social media. She received her undergraduate degree from Washington College, her medical degree from Tulane University School of Medicine, and completed her residency at Oregon Health and Science University.

During this episode we talk about the current state of maternal care in the U.S. and why outcomes remain so challenging. We explore the roles of access, trust, and systems-level barriers. Dr. Lincoln shares the three changes she would make tomorrow to improve birth experiences and maternal outcomes. We discuss why physicians today are expanding their roles beyond the clinic into education, media, and advocacy. We also look at what social media gets right and wrong about health communication, and how to navigate misinformation without burning out.

We dig into where to draw the line between being a clinician and an advocate, and whether advocacy is optional in women’s health. Dr. Lincoln offers advice for medical students and early-career physicians who want to start engaging in advocacy and public education, even before residency. We talk about what rebuilding trust between patients and the healthcare system really looks like, including the role of communication and transparency. Finally, Dr. Lincoln shares what gives her hope for the future of birth and women’s healthcare, and what she hopes the next generation of women physicians does differently.

To learn more about Dr. Lincoln and her work, visit DrJenniferLincoln.com. Her second book, The Birth Book: An OB-GYN’s Guide to Demystifying Labor and Delivery, was published in March 2026 and is available for order on her website or wherever you get your books.

You can find more information about the work AMWA’s Advocacy Committee has done and how to join their efforts here: https://www.amwa-doc.org/our-work/advocacy/

You can find more information about AMWA’s Gender Equity Task Force here: https://www.amwa-doc.org/our-work/initiatives/gender-equity-task-force/ If you are interested in joining the group, reach out to getf@amwa-doc.org

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