In this episode, I talk with Prof. Neel Shah, an Assistant Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Biology at Harvard Medical School, and founding Director of the Delivery Decisions Initiative at Harvard’s Ariadne Labs. Neel completed his undergraduate studies in neuroscience at Brown University and went on to obtain an MD from Brown Medical School along with a Master's in Public Policy from Harvard Kennedy School before completing his Residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at Massachusetts General Hospital/Brigham And Women's Hospital. He also serves as an obstetrician-gynecologist and a Harvard Medical faculty physician at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. Prior to joining the Harvard faculty, Neel founded Costs of Care, an NGO that curates insights from clinicians and patients to help delivery systems provide better care. In 2017, he co-founded the March for Moms Association and currently serves on national advisory boards of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America and the Office of Women's Health Research at the National Institutes of Health.

As a scientist and social entrepreneur, Neel is a globally recognized expert in designing solutions that improve health care and his pioneering work focuses on partnering with people giving birth to design solutions that enable them to thrive. We indulge in a splendid conversation about his fascinating path in science and medicine; the influence of his terrific mentors and advisors like the legendary Leon Cooper, a Physics Nobel Laureate turned Systems Neuroscientist, and Atul Gawande, a renowned public health expert; Neel's groundbreaking work on maternal wellbeing that lies right at the intersection of reproductive justice, gender equity, and structural racism; coming to terms with Trumpism and the post-truth world; how critical issues related to childbirth like maternal mortality transcend borders; celebrating mothers as mothers themselves; and many more things!!