The past 4 years of leading Mae have been both the most challenging and the absolute most fulfilling of my career. Founding Mae was a deeply personal response to the transformative events of 2020: the widespread showcasing of police brutality against Black people and obstetric violence against Black women. It was heavy, and for many of us, it was a moment of personal reflection and questioning as to what role we could play to address deep-seated inequities. I’d had a 20-year career in healthcare at this point, and I knew there was more I could do to impact change for those most disproportionately impacted by disparities in health outcomes. I wanted more for Black mothers, and I wanted more for vulnerable groups across the board who struggled with access to quality maternal health care.
I connect to this need as a mother, first and foremost. So many of us who have navigated this life stage, particularly as women of color, have experienced dismissiveness and marginalization in our care. And hopefully, we’ve also had positive experiences that have helped to set the bar for what we should instead expect. My goal in founding Mae was to bring that highest level of consistent and trusted support to our mamas – in the form of advocacy, education, and most importantly, access to best-in-class care.
I entered this space humbly and with a deep gratitude for those who have been called to this work for years, sometimes decades – birth workers, in particular. I wanted to contribute where it would be most additive, and that led me down a path of wanting to support doulas participating in Medicaid. I also wanted to ensure that our work made transparent the breadth of the needs of those we served. This is where my experience in digital health and the impact of social drivers of health came in: Mae’s work focuses on a holistic understanding of needs, and personalized and targeted interventions (delivered locally and accessibly).
I received a lot of cynical feedback as I was launching Mae: “You may build it, but that doesn’t mean they will come.” This couldn’t have been farther from the truth. We built, we listened, we learned, we refined… and they not only came, they thrived.
I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve accomplished over these 4 years. We’ve developed partnerships across 10 states with the largest Managed Care Organizations, working across Medicaid and Individual and Family Plans. We’ve built relationships rooted in trust and respect with hundreds of community-based doulas who are committed to advancing birth equity and holding mothers safe. And my Mae team is 30 (and growing!) of the most passionate individuals in the game, who understand very personally the impact and importance of this work and bring their hearts into everything we do every day.
Together, we have served thousands of mothers, driving an up to 80% reduction in preterm birth rates, over 30% reduction in C-sections, more robust engagement with core obstetrics care, thousands of care insights that would have otherwise been missed, and consistent engagement with doulas throughout the perinatal period. Just as importantly, mothers tell us that this is the most supported they’ve ever felt, our doulas tell us that Mae was the missing piece to help them access and sustain work with insurers, and our plan partners tell us that they are eternally grateful for the impact we’ve made on their members. This is our why, and this is our continued opportunity to play a leading role in the change we need.
I am most proud of what we’ve built when I reflect on what it represents for my three daughters, and for all of our girls, should they choose to become mothers one day. They are all deserving of the experiences they desire, as well as safety, rigor, and compassion in the care they receive. What an honor this experience has been – and I can’t wait to see where we go.