Delivering Change: New Mom and MD Grad Aims to Improve Black Maternal Health

“Ever since I was a little kid, I wanted to go into medicine,” says Avery Robinson-Phelps, MD, who realized that dream in May, graduating from the UC Irvine School of Medicine.

Six weeks prior, during Match Day 2026, she held her newborn son in her arms as she stood at the podium and announced she would enter residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at UCLA.

Now, with the goal of improving health outcomes in marginalized communities and developing methods to increase patient engagement and agency, Robinson-Phelps heads into her residency with specialized training in addressing the needs of African, Black and Caribbean communities. She also carries with her memories from her childhood, knowledge gained from partnering with — and participating in — the Black Infant Health program, and her lived experience as a new mom.

Personal Draw to OB/GYN Care

Growing up with asthma meant Robinson-Phelps made frequent trips to the doctor. “I remember thinking, ‘I want to make a difference too, providing comfort to kids,’” she says, noting that her initial plan was to become a pediatrician.

That changed with the birth of her younger brother and his stay in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. “My mom had quite a few complications and had to stay in the hospital for a while, and my brother was in the NICU,” says Robinson-Phelps. That eye-opening experience pushed her to consider pursuing a career in OB/GYN. “I wanted to better understand these complications.”

Years later, as a pre-med undergraduate at UC San Diego, she learned that Black women are three times more likely to die due to a pregnancy-related cause than white women. “As I learned more about Black maternal mortality, I was drawn to exploring the cause.”

While attending a medical school recruitment fair, students from UC Irvine asked if she had heard of the PRIME Leadership Education to Advance Doctoring – African, Black and Caribbean (LEAD-ABC) program. The mission-based program, offered through the UC Irvine School of Medicine, trains physicians to address the diverse health needs of Black communities.

“I was so impressed,” says Robinson-Phelps, “that I put UC Irvine at the top of my list for med schools.”

Building Community

As a LEAD-ABC scholar at UC Irvine, Robinson-Phelps dug deeper into the disparities affecting African, Black and Caribbean communities and built relationships to address them. “What I loved most was getting to go out into the community and collaborate on research,” she says.

For example, during her first year of medical school, she served on the planning committee for the second annual LEAD-ABC Health Fair.

“We partnered with a local church, and we brought resources and provided screenings,” says Robinson-Phelps, explaining the importance of faith-based outreach. “Faith is one of the many ways that our community has mounted resistance against oppression, with Black churches historically playing a major role in civil rights organizing.” [Read more about “The Role of Faith-Based Models in Community Outreach and Patient Care.”]

Held at New Hope Presbyterian Church in Anaheim, the health fair provided free medical screenings and consultations with UC Irvine doctors and students specializing in heart, skin, dental, environmental and mental health.

“I also worked with the Christ our Redeemer Church in Irvine to do monthly health awareness events,” she says. “I wanted people to see future physicians who will reach out and help people learn how to take charge of their own care.”

Additionally, Robinson-Phelps collaborated with the Black Infant Health program not only as a researcher but also as a participant. “When I was pregnant and had my baby, I got to connect with other Black moms in Orange County,” she says. She then interviewed those moms about their experiences with healthcare and how the Black Infant Health program impacted them.

Robinson-Phelps knew from her literature review that Black women are at higher risk of preeclampsia and preterm labor, but she hadn’t seen much on how to address the disparities. She also had learned that Black neonates tend to have better survival outcomes when cared for by a Black physician, but that didn’t translate for their mothers.

“The Black maternal mortality rate didn’t necessarily decrease with a Black OB/GYN doctor, so I knew we needed to start sooner,” she says. That’s what led her to the community-based prenatal program.

“What I found is that when moms felt supported, they had a space to ask questions,” she says. “During pregnancy, you’re told by your doctor to eat better and to exercise, but how do you do that when you’re working and caring for other children?”

Community-based organizations and initiatives can help translate a doctor’s recommendations into real-world practice.

“Doctor’s visits are getting shorter and shorter, and community care can help fill in the gap,” she says. “It can also help improve trust between patients and doctors, which is particularly important in reproductive care. There’s a lot of mistrust and hesitancy when it comes to certain interventions during pregnancy.”

Robinson-Phelps was thus disheartened to learn that the Black Infant Health program in Orange County is closing its doors due to discontinued funding. However, she stresses there are other locations throughout California. “That work is still going on,” she says, adding that she, too, will carry the knowledge she gained into her residency and future practice.

“We have a duty as doctors to make time to bridge those gaps and to meet patients where they’re at,” she says. “We need to build partnerships within the community to make sure patients aren’t falling through the cracks.”

That commitment to meeting patients where they are extends beyond her research and into her clinical rotations. For example, during her internal medicine rotation, she recalls working with a Black woman with many comorbidities.

“She was a wheelchair user experiencing unstable housing and had a lot of distrust in the medical system,” she explains. Robinson-Phelps built rapport with the patient and, during her discharge, coordinated with a social worker to ensure the woman had a safe place to go.

That interaction prompted her peers to nominate Robinson-Phelps for the Gold Humanism Honor Society, which recognizes medical students for their compassionate care. “I was really proud to be inducted into the society,” she says.

Balancing Motherhood & Medicine

Robinson-Phelps’ son is now four months old, and while she knows balancing a baby and residency won’t be easy, she’s up for the challenge.

“During my first trimester, I was doing my ‘sub-I’ [a sub-internship rotation in which fourth-year medical students function as first-year residents], and I started off in high-risk OB,” she says. She was working 12-hour shifts, including a week of night shifts.

“I was so exhausted, but I felt comfortable letting the team know, and everyone was really understanding and accommodating,” she says.

The rest of her pregnancy occurred during application and interview season, so she says it was nice to have a break from her rotations. She had her baby in February.

“I feel so lucky and blessed,” she says. “And now I can actually speak to this experience when I’m talking to my patients!”

She is also appreciative of her support network. “My family has been instrumental in helping me through postpartum and helping me care for my baby.”

She admits she couldn’t have done it alone, but she advises medical students not to hold back. “We give so much of our time to medicine … but when you want something, and you have a good support network, you can do it,” she says. “If you want to start a family — or do anything out of your comfort zone — just do it. You’re capable of so much more than you think!”

— Shani Murray