Meet Dr. Joshua U. Klein, MD, FACOG

I am a reproductive endocrinologist and fertility specialist, and I spend most of my professional life helping individuals and couples who are struggling to start or grow their families through treatments such as IVF and egg freezing.

To become a fertility specialist, a physician must first complete a full residency in obstetrics and gynecology and maintain board certification in both fields. I was fortunate to complete my medical training and OB/GYN residency at Harvard. Throughout my training, I cared for thousands of pregnant patients during pregnancy and delivery. Working in a leading academic medical center gave me exposure to some of the most complex and high-risk cases, as well as the most advanced scientific and clinical approaches in obstetrics.

At the same time, I observed that for healthy, low-risk patients, the large-hospital environment often led to excessive testing and monitoring. While well-intentioned, this sometimes resulted in interventions that may not have been necessary—and in some cases could pose risks or create long-term consequences, such as avoidable C-sections.

In my own life, during this same period of obstetrics training, I was blessed with healthy children. Yet despite my wife being, thank G-d, young and low-risk, the prevailing culture of testing and intervention ultimately resulted in all of our children being delivered by C-section, something I still question might have been avoided in a different care model.

There is no doubt that modern hospital-based obstetric care saves lives. But the medical community is increasingly recognizing the long-term effects of high C-section rates, including complications in future pregnancies (such as abnormal placentation or uterine rupture), and even increased risks of fertility challenges later in life.

I met Judy Ribner several years ago after hearing about her extraordinary reputation for providing low-risk pregnant women with a safe, evidence-based alternative to hospital-based care and delivery. I was immediately struck by her expertise, judgment, and deep commitment to providing an alternative to hospital-based obstetrical care for her patients. She demonstrates the clinical judgment necessary to ensure this is a model that does not compromise either safety or quality of care. I am genuinely excited to partner with her on this important initiative for our community.