MedCity FemFwd

About MedCity FemFwd

MedCity FemFwd podcast, hosted by reporter Marissa Plescia, explores the historical neglect of women's health and how this is gradually changing. The host emphasizes that, until as late as 1993, women were largely excluded from clinical research, and funding for women's health has been consistently inadequate. Plescia indicates that this is shifting, as a growing number of startups are focusing on areas such as female fertility, menopause, and heart health. Despite ongoing legislative action restricting abortion access in certain states, the podcast highlights an important counter-trend: more employers are providing support for women's reproductive health. The series aims to further unpack these developments by interviewing leaders in the women's health space, helping listeners understand the issues women face in navigating a healthcare system that has often been unresponsive to their needs.

Publisher

Marissa Plescia

Category

business · business

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

14 Sept 2023

Latest episode

31 Aug 2026

Latest episodes

37 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   31 Aug 2026

   HOW MIDWIVES CAN SUPPORT THE MATERNAL HEALTH CRISIS

   Midwives are often treated as a nice-to-have rather than a core part of obstetric care. In this episode, Dr. Amanda Shafton, National Director of Midwifery at OB Hospitalist Group, makes the case that physician-midwife collaboration produces better outcomes than either discipline alone, and that expanding the midwifery workforce is one of the clearest levers available against the country's maternal health crisis. KEY TAKEAWAYS OBHG teams that pair a physician with a midwife outperform every other staffing model the organization tracks, including teams of two physicians. Midwives bring a wellness-oriented model to obstetrics, with higher rates of successful vaginal birth and VBAC, and fewer routine interventions. OBHG employs over 350 full-time midwives nationally, a number that climbs closer to 500 when part-time and PRN midwives are included. A shorter training pathway makes midwifery a practical way to grow the maternal care workforce in rural areas and hospitals that are struggling to recruit OB-GYNs. Insurance already covers midwifery care in hospital settings; the bigger access gap is around community birth outside the hospital. LINKS AND RESOURCES OB Hospitalist Group (OBHG): obhg.com (https://obhg.com) (verify URL) Host: Marissa Plescia, MedCity News Email: mplescia@medcitynews.com LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/marissaplescia KEYWORDS midwifery care, certified nurse midwife, physician-midwife collaboration, OB Hospitalist Group, maternal health crisis, team-based obstetric care, midwife hospitalist, VBAC, vaginal birth after cesarean, doula collaboration, rural maternal health, underserved maternal care, midwifery EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS [00:00:52 - 00:01:14] Amanda on her role adding midwife hospitalists to programs across the country: "I always think the answer is more midwives." [00:01:36 - 00:02:15] The hospitalist team as a safety net for private physicians, private midwives, and patients without prenatal care [00:04:53 - 00:05:15] Why midwives keep patients as the decision-makers in their own birth [00:05:33 - 00:06:00] OBHG's numbers: over 350 full-time midwives, closer to 500 including PRN staff [00:07:16 - 00:07:32] The shrinking OB-GYN pipeline and closing rural hospitals behind the maternal health crisis [00:07:52 - 00:08:20] Why the midwifery training pathway is well suited to growing rural care teams [00:12:00 - 00:12:47] The data case: midwife-physician teams outperform two-physician teams [00:12:48 - 00:13:14] Amanda's two-part call to action: public awareness and organizational legwork on hospital privileging

2. 

   9 Aug 2026

   Employer Strategies for Women's Health

   Executive Summary Recorded live at the MedCity Bullseye event in Chicago, host Marissa Plescia sits down with Cheryl Larson, CEO of the Midwest Business Group on Health, to unpack how employers are approaching women's health benefits. Larson shares new survey data on what employers are offering today, from parental leave to menopause support, and lays out concrete steps HR and benefits leaders can take to close persistent gaps in coverage and care. Key Takeaways Menopause support saw the sharpest jump in employer benefits: 43% of Midwest Business Group on Health members offer it today, and another 37% are considering it, making it one of the fastest-growing categories in women's health coverage. Caregiver assistance remains the biggest gap. Only 31% of employers offer it despite the pressures of the sandwich generation. Women remain underrepresented in clinical research, and employers can push vendors and health plans to help close that evidence gap. Plan design details, like requiring a 90-day fill for hormone therapy, can quietly block women from getting the care they need. Larson urges employers to hold vendors accountable by asking how they measure improvement in women's health outcomes, not just whether a benefit exists on paper. Links and Resources Host: Marissa Plescia, MedCity News Email: mplescia@medcitynews.com LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/marissaplescia Keywords women's health benefits, employer strategies, menopause support, Midwest Business Group on Health, Cheryl Larson, employee benefits strategy, HR benefits, self-insured employers, PBM contracting, GLP-1 coverage, fertility benefits, maternity support, caregiver assistance, clinical trial representation, hormone replacement therapy, workplace flexibility, mental health benefits, absenteeism, presenteeism, health equity Episode Highlights [00:00:30 - 00:02:00] Cheryl Larson explains what the Midwest Business Group on Health does and its record year of employer action briefs. [00:04:30 - 00:06:00] Fresh survey data shows where employers stand on parental leave, maternity, fertility, mental health, menopause, and caregiver benefits. [00:08:50 - 00:09:30] Larson breaks down why women remain underrepresented in clinical research and what that means for care. [00:10:30 - 00:11:30] A real employee story shows how rigid plan design can block access to hormone therapy. [00:16:15 - 00:17:00] Larson's closing message: closing the gap in women's health takes benefits, policy, education, and data together.

3. 

   30 Jun 2026

   Inside Winona's New Women's Health Research Initiative

   EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Dr. Cathleen Brown, board-certified OBGYN and medical director at Winona, joins MedCity FemForward to discuss the newly launched Winona Research Institute, a company-funded initiative designed to support early-career researchers in women's health. She traces the persistent research gap that has left women's health understudied for decades and shares what Winona's internal patient data reveals about the real state of menopause care today. KEY TAKEAWAYS Winona launched the Winona Research Institute to fund medical students, residents, and early-career physicians conducting women's health research, with the goal of getting studies peer-reviewed and presented at scientific meetings. Women have historically been excluded from clinical trials because researchers viewed hormonal variability as a confounding factor, creating a research gap that persists across nearly every area of women's health. Medical school and residency training devotes as little as one to two hours to menopause, and the Women's Health Initiative study's media coverage triggered decades of fear around hormone therapy that most physicians have not overcome. Winona's state-of-menopause report found that women present with an average of nine or more symptoms simultaneously and often spend one to three years seeking care before finding a provider willing to help. Telemedicine can meaningfully expand access to menopause care but cannot replace in-person exams. Dr. Brown argues both are necessary, and that access to care is the central issue the field must address. LINKS AND RESOURCES Marissa Plescia (Host)  |  Email: mplescia@medcitynews.com  |  LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/marissaplescia KEYWORDS menopause care, women's health research, Winona Research Institute, hormone replacement therapy, HRT, perimenopause, telehealth menopause, Women's Health Initiative, menopause symptoms, menopause treatment, telemedicine women's health, OBGYN training, menopause education, Dr. Cathleen Brown, Winona telehealth, women's health gap, menopause research funding, brain fog menopause, access to care, early-career researchers EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS [00:00:47 - 00:01:33]  Dr. Brown shares how her own perimenopause experience led her to join Winona. [00:02:57 - 00:03:34]  Why women were excluded from clinical trials for decades, and what that cost. [00:04:35 - 00:05:34]  How scholars apply to the Winona Research Institute and what support they receive. [00:07:41 - 00:08:24]  Medical training reality: one to two hours of menopause content in four years of residency. [00:09:03 - 00:10:07]  How the Women's Health Initiative media panic embedded HRT fear that persists today. [00:12:15 - 00:13:39]  State-of-menopause report: nine-plus symptoms, multiple doctors, years before getting help. [00:14:28 - 00:15:18]  Why telemedicine helps but cannot replace in-person women's health care.

Who has been a guest on MedCity FemFwd

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Amani Bright
• Julia Lasater
• Margaret Malone

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

YouTube views

322,002

Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

1 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

1 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 44 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

32

Social presence

0

YouTube

82

Engagement

60

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Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

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