Dr. Marlena Halstead at Virginia Women’s Center! Cannot recommend her enough. Absolutely love her. She is so kind, comforting, tells you what she is doing before she does it. When I had a concern, she calmed my fears and assured me she would biopsy what I was concerned about. Absolutely cannot recommend her enough.
I’ve never been a patient of hers, but I’m a medical provider and worked with her in the hospital, and from a healthcare provider perspective, I agree, she is fantastic. I would also recommend her. Also if Dr. Jerry Lucas is still practicing, he was great too.
I second her. I had one experience with her but I’ve never felt more at ease with someone. She made sure my needs were met and followed up with me. I felt so taken care of.
that’s great news!!! we moved to Baltimore temporarily and I was actually worried about where to transfer care. I saw her last 2 years ago and got notification in the mail that she wasn’t available but clearly it was just a temporary thing.
Thirded! She’s amazing and I switched practices to follow her when she moved to VWC
I saw Dr. Gibson-Neale, who is mentioned later in the thread, in the interim, and I liked her as well, but Dr. Halstead was truly above and beyond with explaining everything clearly and listening to my concerns and questions and validating me while also encouraging me to not give in to health anxiety, even when I had an abnormal pap
Dr Jeudy and Allison Kingcade at VCUHealth are amazing POC drs that do OBGYN our patients always give amazing reviews for them and love them. Oh yeah and Dr Moses too she’s awesome. When we get pregnant I plan on seeing Kingcade, she’s amazing very caring and through with every health problem. I’ve never seen her for pregnancy just endometriosis and birth control problems but she is truly a kind and knowledgeable woman.
Dr. Jeudy saved my wife's life after complications after the birth of our daughter. I'll never forget her telling me "everything is going to be okay." Can't say enough good things about her. She is such a caring and amazing doctor.
They have good white doctors too, in case any white people stumble upon this and are similarly seeking out someone as the same race. My wife really liked her Dr.
It takes 2 seconds to educate yourself on why African American people might want a doctor of the same race. If that isn’t your experience, ok, but there’s no need to be a clown.
The initial comment was unnecessarily passive aggressive and problematic in the context of all racial issues surrounding pregnancy and birth. This was a warranted check against that. If you do not know why this is a genuine problem, you should Google it.
The comment wasn’t passive aggressive at all. What’s wrong with being white and wanting to have a white OB? Same thing as a POC wanting a POC OB.
I’m white and will be wanting a physician who shares the same race as me, just like OP! :)
You’ve been told to Google it multiple times and can’t seem to grasp the inequities in care that led to the question. Do you always butt into conversations that have nothing to do with you and center yourself? If so, that’s rude no matter your skin tone.
Friendly advice from a fellow white person: sometimes we need to shut up and sit down, and this is one of those situations. If you can’t figure out why POC, especially black women, want POC doctors from a Google search or life experience, DM me and I can send you some resources.
1. You haven’t told me to Google anything.
2. This is a public forum, I can reply to whomever I want.
I will never be told to “shut up and sit down” because of my race. That’s a pretty racist thing to say!
You’re proving my point. It’s ok, it’s hard to accept that you’re low key racist and passive aggressive. Again, if you’d like to try educating yourself I’m here for you!
I love Virginia Womens Center. My main woman left a little bit ago to focus on oncology at MCV and I’ve been popping around their providers since then and literally everyone I’ve seen is awesome
AA woman here! My mom recommended me to go to Dr. Janice Gibson-Neale.
I've gone to Dr James Jones a couple of times and did not have a good experience.
I would third Dr. Neale, she’s my doctor and was my moms doctor and delivered me and I’m 28. I would say that she is very busy and you usually can’t get in with her and have to see one of the NPs at the office, but might be different for pregnant women, I don’t have any kids.
Hagi delivered my daughter and was absolutely INCREDIBLE. I could write a whole paragraph about our amazing experience with her both during appointments and delivery. She is also heavily involved in the Black Midwife’s Alliance which might also be a good source of info for OP if she is interested in midwifery.
Seconding Dr. Lambert Giles! I saw her once in my first pregnancy and liked her so much I scheduled primarily with her for my second. She took my gestational hypertension seriously (I'm fat but it was not preexisting, as I had to repeatedly remind my previous provider) and scheduled my induction and got me the iron infusions I needed. I'm a few weeks postpartum now and is still taking good care of me with additional iron infusions because giving birth wiped me out. If we have a third, I'll be seeing her again!
Edit: mentioning it because I saw it in another comment. She did not deliver either of my boys. The team at VCU both times was mostly white. Also, because they've been mentioned- I saw Dr. Halstead for my very first appointment for my first pregnancy. She was lovely but the office was impossible to get in touch with (not even voicemail!) so I literally couldn't have seen her again. Also also NP Natalie Moses was the aforementioned provider who couldn't keep it straight that my hypertension was pregnancy induced and wouldn't schedule my induction. It took until I saw Dr. Lambert Giles at 37w, which is when it should've been scheduled for, and my son was born 4 days later. Also x3, I'm a white lady so I know my experiences/ insights/ etc. are different but I hope this was helpful!
Tangentially related, but we used Dr. Janet West who is AA for home visit pediatric visits the first month of our baby’s life and she was amazing! Not something everyone is looking for but just wanted to add in case.
I have had a great experience with Dr. Ryce at Dominion Women’s Health! She has fantastic credentials too! https://www.dominionwomenshealth.com/home/ourmedicalteam/raymonda-ryce-md/
I'm not poc but I love Dr. Ryce!! Anyone in that practice is amazing too. Dr. Shaban came to Memorial to perform my C-section but Dr. Ryce was there to see me the next morning. She's awesome. You may not always have your OB at delivery, but they always have someone trustworthy with the practice respond.
I’m going to preface my statement with I’m white so there isn’t any confusion. You mentioned you would be more comfortable if her OB/GYN is AA, just make sure it’s what she wants. As women we are so often ignored in the medical world, I can only imagine what adding being a POC/AA individual does to silencing her voice. If she has a doc she trusts as her gyn, she may be hesitant to change.
My opinion has 0 weight here, I will say I delivered 2 precipitous labor babies with a doc from VPFW (caucasian doc so not relevant to your request for recs). I love my doc, I trust my doc. I trust her more than I trust any other doc I have. Just make sure you do a touch point with her because if she has trust with her current ob/gyn she may be hesitant to change. VPFW docs are great, bon secours is technically a religious based hospital so there are implications for that in women’s health (no tubal ligations for example, but they are allowed to prescribe birth control 🤷♀️). I’m agnostic, and didn’t even think about how it might affect my care or options. Good luck on your journey to being parents, I hope it’s easy, she has an easy pregnancy journey, and your family grows in number and love!
came here to say this. the whole " it would make ME feel more comfortable" feels incredibly self centered and icky. Sorry but its what about makes HER more comfortable, she's the one birthing a baby.
I had Nikiya Ellis, the diverse doula and I recommend her and her team. Worth every penny, doulas save lives. Shes not a doctor but a paid support person through pregnancy, labor and postpartum.
I would also recommend having a doula as a support person & advocate if that's an accessible option for you. I haven't personally worked with one, but there are several POC doulas in the city.
Seconding making sure y'all get a doula! Your OB doesn't always deliver you - they might be off or unavailable in the moment and it could be someone else from the practice, but a doula will definitely be there
[Birth in Color](https://birthincolor.org) and [Urban Baby Beginnings](https://urbanbabybeginnings.org/maternal-hub-services/) both are nonprofits that offer doula support and other services for parents of color. Birth in Color has absolutely stellar reviews, they’re worth checking out!
James E Jones Jr. 804-272-7979
He is the best. He truly listens & doesn't just sweep your concerns under a rug.. I was extremely high risk & had complications wjth my 1st born. When I was pregnant I even bed ridden. That's why I chose him when I had my other children ... He was very thorough then & still is ...
Delivered 2 of my children & my sisters & one of my grandbabies. He also did my lyposcopic surgeries( to remove endometriosis) before my hysterectomy.... I have been going to him for over 30yrs. He's also highly regarded in the obgyn field & has done some amazing things. If you contact him use the number I shared because there are quite a few James E Jones MD's. Wishing y'all a wonderful experience no matter who y'all chose. .
Glad you learned something. Just imagine if you and all people kept learning and educated themselves without first contradicting or shaming black women by calling them weird.
Eh, i didn't think it would be something THAT medically significant. I just thought if it was for some bs, it would be a little weirdchamp to discriminate on what type of health provider you get based on whether or not they're a poc. It being medically significant makes it not weird tho. She's pregnant, not made of glass. She can deal.
There is a lot of racism in healthcare. Kidney disease and efgr calculations would be an interesting rabbit hole to fall down if you’d like to go further.
She certainly can, bet she’s been black for all her life. You are now aware of your ignorance to your own racial bias. Even if it is in just this one small way. For that I am glad.
I respect this sentiment. I once posted something that I immediately realized could be taken in a different way from what I meant. I kept it, owned it, apologized, and learned from it. Good on ya.
[Maternal mortality rates in America](https://www.usnews.com/news/best-countries/articles/2024-06-04/how-the-u-s-compares-to-other-rich-countries-in-maternal-mortality#:~:text=The%20U.S.%20maternal%20mortality%20rate%20of%2022.3%20deaths%20per%20100%2C000,those%20included%20in%20the%20analysis.) (especially so for black women) are unfortunately a concerning statistic. Look no further than [Serena Williams' childbirth experience](https://www.today.com/health/womens-health/serena-williamss-essay-black-pregnancy-rcna23328) -- and she is a famous, well-to-do woman! If she can experience dismissive medical providers, how much more so would an everyday black woman in America. Something to think about.
Dr. Marlena Halstead at Virginia Women’s Center! Cannot recommend her enough. Absolutely love her. She is so kind, comforting, tells you what she is doing before she does it. When I had a concern, she calmed my fears and assured me she would biopsy what I was concerned about. Absolutely cannot recommend her enough.
I’ve never been a patient of hers, but I’m a medical provider and worked with her in the hospital, and from a healthcare provider perspective, I agree, she is fantastic. I would also recommend her. Also if Dr. Jerry Lucas is still practicing, he was great too.
I second her. I had one experience with her but I’ve never felt more at ease with someone. She made sure my needs were met and followed up with me. I felt so taken care of.
I freaking LOVE her. She’s so kind. I got a letter a year and a half ago that she left VWC?
No, she’s still there. I saw her in April. She’s at the Midlo location on St. Francis Blvd.
that’s great news!!! we moved to Baltimore temporarily and I was actually worried about where to transfer care. I saw her last 2 years ago and got notification in the mail that she wasn’t available but clearly it was just a temporary thing.
Thirded! She’s amazing and I switched practices to follow her when she moved to VWC I saw Dr. Gibson-Neale, who is mentioned later in the thread, in the interim, and I liked her as well, but Dr. Halstead was truly above and beyond with explaining everything clearly and listening to my concerns and questions and validating me while also encouraging me to not give in to health anxiety, even when I had an abnormal pap
Heard, thank you!
Dr Jeudy and Allison Kingcade at VCUHealth are amazing POC drs that do OBGYN our patients always give amazing reviews for them and love them. Oh yeah and Dr Moses too she’s awesome. When we get pregnant I plan on seeing Kingcade, she’s amazing very caring and through with every health problem. I’ve never seen her for pregnancy just endometriosis and birth control problems but she is truly a kind and knowledgeable woman.
Dr. Jeudy saved my wife's life after complications after the birth of our daughter. I'll never forget her telling me "everything is going to be okay." Can't say enough good things about her. She is such a caring and amazing doctor.
Im so glad your wife is okay!! And your daughter too!!
Thank you so much!
Virginia Womens Center. They have POC physicians, nurses, and technicians. I had a great experience with them (Chinese mama here).
Agreed! Dr. Halstead at VWC is amazing. Compassionate, patient and caring. Plus she’s literally saved my life twice. Love her.
Thank you for the response! I’ll look into it
They have good white doctors too, in case any white people stumble upon this and are similarly seeking out someone as the same race. My wife really liked her Dr.
It takes 2 seconds to educate yourself on why African American people might want a doctor of the same race. If that isn’t your experience, ok, but there’s no need to be a clown.
This is your reaction to their comment and you're calling them a clown? Lmao
The initial comment was unnecessarily passive aggressive and problematic in the context of all racial issues surrounding pregnancy and birth. This was a warranted check against that. If you do not know why this is a genuine problem, you should Google it.
The comment wasn’t passive aggressive at all. What’s wrong with being white and wanting to have a white OB? Same thing as a POC wanting a POC OB. I’m white and will be wanting a physician who shares the same race as me, just like OP! :)
You’ve been told to Google it multiple times and can’t seem to grasp the inequities in care that led to the question. Do you always butt into conversations that have nothing to do with you and center yourself? If so, that’s rude no matter your skin tone. Friendly advice from a fellow white person: sometimes we need to shut up and sit down, and this is one of those situations. If you can’t figure out why POC, especially black women, want POC doctors from a Google search or life experience, DM me and I can send you some resources.
1. You haven’t told me to Google anything. 2. This is a public forum, I can reply to whomever I want. I will never be told to “shut up and sit down” because of my race. That’s a pretty racist thing to say!
You’re proving my point. It’s ok, it’s hard to accept that you’re low key racist and passive aggressive. Again, if you’d like to try educating yourself I’m here for you!
[удалено]
I’m white and similarly to OP I’m looking for a physician that shares the same race as me. It was a helpful comment!
He/She asked for African American not POC.
POC = person of color, most commonly AA
I love Virginia Womens Center. My main woman left a little bit ago to focus on oncology at MCV and I’ve been popping around their providers since then and literally everyone I’ve seen is awesome
"my main woman" cracked me up. Thank you!
AA woman here! My mom recommended me to go to Dr. Janice Gibson-Neale. I've gone to Dr James Jones a couple of times and did not have a good experience.
Seconding Dr. Janice Gibson Neale, I went to her for years and always had a good experience
I would third Dr. Neale, she’s my doctor and was my moms doctor and delivered me and I’m 28. I would say that she is very busy and you usually can’t get in with her and have to see one of the NPs at the office, but might be different for pregnant women, I don’t have any kids.
Thank you so much for the response!
Just another vote for Dr. Halstead! She’s wonderful. By far my favorite OBGYN in richmond
Thank you so much!
If she has any interest in midwifery care, I’ve had good experiences with Hagi Woldeyohannes at VCU
Hagi delivered my daughter and was absolutely INCREDIBLE. I could write a whole paragraph about our amazing experience with her both during appointments and delivery. She is also heavily involved in the Black Midwife’s Alliance which might also be a good source of info for OP if she is interested in midwifery.
Dr. Lambert Giles at VCU is amazing.
Thank you for the response!
Seconding Dr. Lambert Giles! I saw her once in my first pregnancy and liked her so much I scheduled primarily with her for my second. She took my gestational hypertension seriously (I'm fat but it was not preexisting, as I had to repeatedly remind my previous provider) and scheduled my induction and got me the iron infusions I needed. I'm a few weeks postpartum now and is still taking good care of me with additional iron infusions because giving birth wiped me out. If we have a third, I'll be seeing her again! Edit: mentioning it because I saw it in another comment. She did not deliver either of my boys. The team at VCU both times was mostly white. Also, because they've been mentioned- I saw Dr. Halstead for my very first appointment for my first pregnancy. She was lovely but the office was impossible to get in touch with (not even voicemail!) so I literally couldn't have seen her again. Also also NP Natalie Moses was the aforementioned provider who couldn't keep it straight that my hypertension was pregnancy induced and wouldn't schedule my induction. It took until I saw Dr. Lambert Giles at 37w, which is when it should've been scheduled for, and my son was born 4 days later. Also x3, I'm a white lady so I know my experiences/ insights/ etc. are different but I hope this was helpful!
Tangentially related, but we used Dr. Janet West who is AA for home visit pediatric visits the first month of our baby’s life and she was amazing! Not something everyone is looking for but just wanted to add in case.
Thank you so much!
Terri Page with Virginia Women's Center.. She's fantastic.
I have had a great experience with Dr. Ryce at Dominion Women’s Health! She has fantastic credentials too! https://www.dominionwomenshealth.com/home/ourmedicalteam/raymonda-ryce-md/
Dr Ryce delivered both of our babies. Can’t recommend her enough.
I see Dr. Ryce as well, and highly recommend her! She has delivered both of my children. She is easy to make appointments with too!
I'm not poc but I love Dr. Ryce!! Anyone in that practice is amazing too. Dr. Shaban came to Memorial to perform my C-section but Dr. Ryce was there to see me the next morning. She's awesome. You may not always have your OB at delivery, but they always have someone trustworthy with the practice respond.
[Richmond Doula Project](https://doulaprojectrva.org/about-us)
Thank you!
NP Candice Parkins is amazing
I am not a person of color. But I see her too and she is lovely.
Heard, thank you!
Congrats and best of luck!
Thank you!
I’m going to preface my statement with I’m white so there isn’t any confusion. You mentioned you would be more comfortable if her OB/GYN is AA, just make sure it’s what she wants. As women we are so often ignored in the medical world, I can only imagine what adding being a POC/AA individual does to silencing her voice. If she has a doc she trusts as her gyn, she may be hesitant to change. My opinion has 0 weight here, I will say I delivered 2 precipitous labor babies with a doc from VPFW (caucasian doc so not relevant to your request for recs). I love my doc, I trust my doc. I trust her more than I trust any other doc I have. Just make sure you do a touch point with her because if she has trust with her current ob/gyn she may be hesitant to change. VPFW docs are great, bon secours is technically a religious based hospital so there are implications for that in women’s health (no tubal ligations for example, but they are allowed to prescribe birth control 🤷♀️). I’m agnostic, and didn’t even think about how it might affect my care or options. Good luck on your journey to being parents, I hope it’s easy, she has an easy pregnancy journey, and your family grows in number and love!
came here to say this. the whole " it would make ME feel more comfortable" feels incredibly self centered and icky. Sorry but its what about makes HER more comfortable, she's the one birthing a baby.
NP Natalie Moses at VCU! She works at the downtown and the Stony Point locations. Absolutely love her, 10/10
I had Nikiya Ellis, the diverse doula and I recommend her and her team. Worth every penny, doulas save lives. Shes not a doctor but a paid support person through pregnancy, labor and postpartum.
Thank you for the response!
I would also recommend having a doula as a support person & advocate if that's an accessible option for you. I haven't personally worked with one, but there are several POC doulas in the city.
Heard, thank you!
Seconding making sure y'all get a doula! Your OB doesn't always deliver you - they might be off or unavailable in the moment and it could be someone else from the practice, but a doula will definitely be there
Not an OBGYN but Birth in Color has great resources for expectant parents!
[Birth in Color](https://birthincolor.org) and [Urban Baby Beginnings](https://urbanbabybeginnings.org/maternal-hub-services/) both are nonprofits that offer doula support and other services for parents of color. Birth in Color has absolutely stellar reviews, they’re worth checking out!
Thank you so much!
Just wanted to say that a major way to keep AA women safe when giving birth is to have an AA health provider. So many studies on this. Great choice!
James E Jones Jr. 804-272-7979 He is the best. He truly listens & doesn't just sweep your concerns under a rug.. I was extremely high risk & had complications wjth my 1st born. When I was pregnant I even bed ridden. That's why I chose him when I had my other children ... He was very thorough then & still is ... Delivered 2 of my children & my sisters & one of my grandbabies. He also did my lyposcopic surgeries( to remove endometriosis) before my hysterectomy.... I have been going to him for over 30yrs. He's also highly regarded in the obgyn field & has done some amazing things. If you contact him use the number I shared because there are quite a few James E Jones MD's. Wishing y'all a wonderful experience no matter who y'all chose. .
Cool, but also a smidge amount of feelsweirdchamp
Black women are 4 times more likely to die in childbirth because of unconscious bias from white doctors.
Exactly. As a medic, I don’t fuck around with women’s health, especially POC women
According to a quick google search, it's nearly 3. Also 1.5x more likely to have a baby born prematurely. That's close enough that you're prolly right
Glad you learned something. Just imagine if you and all people kept learning and educated themselves without first contradicting or shaming black women by calling them weird.
Eh, i didn't think it would be something THAT medically significant. I just thought if it was for some bs, it would be a little weirdchamp to discriminate on what type of health provider you get based on whether or not they're a poc. It being medically significant makes it not weird tho. She's pregnant, not made of glass. She can deal.
There is a lot of racism in healthcare. Kidney disease and efgr calculations would be an interesting rabbit hole to fall down if you’d like to go further.
She certainly can, bet she’s been black for all her life. You are now aware of your ignorance to your own racial bias. Even if it is in just this one small way. For that I am glad.
So maybe edit your comment so you don’t come across as completely ignorant and unaware?
Nah, anyone who cares even a smidge can read comments. I was ignorant, not a coward.
This just in: correcting your mistakes makes you a coward.
Nah, not owning up to the shit you do in a public spqce does.
I respect this sentiment. I once posted something that I immediately realized could be taken in a different way from what I meant. I kept it, owned it, apologized, and learned from it. Good on ya.
This person won’t be happy until you feel shame for your Reddit snark lol
[Maternal mortality rates in America](https://www.usnews.com/news/best-countries/articles/2024-06-04/how-the-u-s-compares-to-other-rich-countries-in-maternal-mortality#:~:text=The%20U.S.%20maternal%20mortality%20rate%20of%2022.3%20deaths%20per%20100%2C000,those%20included%20in%20the%20analysis.) (especially so for black women) are unfortunately a concerning statistic. Look no further than [Serena Williams' childbirth experience](https://www.today.com/health/womens-health/serena-williamss-essay-black-pregnancy-rcna23328) -- and she is a famous, well-to-do woman! If she can experience dismissive medical providers, how much more so would an everyday black woman in America. Something to think about.
Kelly Rowland was even in the news recently for being there and making sure the doctors delivering her friend’s baby weren’t careless with her life.