Women in Medicine Month Feature: Dr. Kecia Gaither

In honor of the American Medical Association’s Women in Medicine Month, we are kicking off our month of physician features with Dr. Kecia Gaither, Director of Perinatal Services/Director of Maternal Fetal Medicine at NYC Health + Hospitals/Lincoln.

Dr. Gaither is a double board-certified physician in OB/GYN and Maternal Fetal Medicine and holds a Masters’ degree in Public Health and an MS/MBA in Healthcare Policy and Research/Healthcare Leadership. A perinatal consultant and women’s health expert, Dr. Gaither’s expertise is grounded in her research and professional experience in caring for women with diabetes, HIV, and obesity in pregnancy.

Read about Dr. Gaither’s vibrant adolescent imagination that led her to pursue a career in medicine, her choice to specialize in maternal fetal medicine, and her experience with PAGNY and NYC Health + Hospitals:

"My parents told me at the age of 4, I went around telling people I was going to be a surgeon. My mother still has my stuffed animals who sport evidence of ‘surgical procedures.’ Maternal fetal medicine was a choice after I did my OB rotation as a third year student, under the auspices of Dr. Shiraz Sundergee. Maternal fetal medicine as a specialty is fascinating—it employs medicine, surgery, genetics, prenatal diagnosis—all of which means there is something new to evaluate every day. It keeps you on your toes mentally, the patient population is young, and the thrill remains in seeing a positive perinatal outcome of healthy mom, healthy baby.

Caring for this specific population is a concerted choice. I do think that the mission of this medical system [PAGNY] resonates with me because it is insistent on providing superior care to the most vulnerable population. Population health is of specific interest to me—particularly as it relates to maternal health—Black maternal health especially. Community engagement, research collaboration, and establishment of novel patient care initiatives are things that resonate deeply with me, and are certainly reflected in PAGNY's mission."

Dr. Gaither’s commitment to improving maternal health exemplifies PAGNY’s mission to deliver exceptional patient-centered care to vulnerable communities in New York City. Thank you, Dr. Gaither, for your care and expertise!