Dr. Eboni January, widely known as Dr. EJ, is a nationally recognized OB-GYN, maternal health expert, health equity advocate, and bestselling author whose work is reshaping how pregnancy and postpartum care are delivered and understood. Through clinical practice, education, and authorship, she focuses on improving pregnancy outcomes, reducing maternal mortality, and addressing the systemic disparities that continue to place Black women and other marginalized communities at risk.
Dr. EJ’s approach is both data-driven and deeply human. She does not frame maternal mortality as an unsolvable crisis but as a pattern that can be traced, interrupted, and prevented when health systems and providers listen sooner and act with intention.
When asked about the most urgent factors contributing to maternal mortality, particularly for Black women, Dr. EJ is clear that the issue is not mysterious. As she writes in Empowered Motherhood, maternal mortality is a map, and that map leads to the same problem areas repeatedly. Symptoms are often brushed off or recognized too late, with warning signs like severe headaches, blurry vision, chest pressure, shortness of breath, or sudden swelling labeled as normal pregnancy experiences until they escalate into emergencies. Care is fragmented, with patients receiving prenatal care in one setting, delivering in another, and receiving little to no postpartum follow-up, even though the most common causes of maternal death require close monitoring after delivery.
Access remains unequal, not just in terms of insurance, but in securing the right provider or specialist in time. Chronic stress from housing instability, childcare responsibilities, long work hours, and transportation barriers often leads women to push through symptoms that need urgent attention. Overburdened clinics and short-staffed hospital units further compound the issue, resulting in rushed visits where concerns are minimized and bias can quietly influence decision-making.
In Nevada, where Dr. EJ practices, rapid population growth has outpaced maternal health infrastructure. She describes patients bouncing between emergency rooms, urgent care centers, and clinics because they cannot establish consistent care. This lack of continuity is often how vague symptoms escalate into life-threatening situations by the time a patient is admitted. During a listening session with doulas, one statement stood out to her: they are not asking doctors to be perfect, they are asking to be believed the first time. That belief, she says, is at the core of the crisis nationwide.
Patient advocacy is another cornerstone of Dr. EJ’s work. She wrote Empowered Motherhood after hearing women repeatedly say they knew something was wrong but did not know how to speak up without being dismissed. Advocacy becomes more effective when women understand what their bodies are telling them. She emphasizes that symptoms like shortness of breath, headaches that do not respond to medication, dizziness, heart palpitations, fever, heavy bleeding, foul-smelling discharge, or sudden anxiety and intrusive thoughts are not normal and should never be ignored. Before pregnancy, she encourages women to learn their baseline health numbers and ask providers direct questions about risks and monitoring plans. During pregnancy, she advises using clear language that communicates urgency and personal concern. After delivery, she stresses the importance of monitoring blood pressure, keeping a simple symptom checklist, and requesting early follow-up when something feels off. Advocacy, she explains, does not have to feel confrontational when clinicians treat patients as partners and respect their instincts.
Dr. EJ also points to persistent gaps in prenatal and postpartum care, particularly in education, communication, and continuity. Many families are not taught how to distinguish between common discomforts and dangerous symptoms that may signal hypertension, infection, or cardiovascular complications. Postpartum care is especially fragile, even though most complications occur at home. Too often, women leave the hospital without a clear plan for blood pressure monitoring, mental health support, infection warning signs, or surgical recovery. To address this, Dr. EJ developed a four-block micro-learning curriculum and postpartum recovery tools that translate complex medical information into clear, practical guidance. She advocates for universal blood pressure cuffs for at-risk patients, early postpartum check-ins, and education that is usable rather than buried in medical jargon. When families are treated as active partners in care, engagement improves and outcomes follow.
Culturally responsive care, Dr. EJ explains, is not optional. It is lifesaving. When providers understand cultural norms, communication styles, historical trauma, and lived experiences, patients are more likely to report symptoms early instead of waiting until a crisis occurs.
She has heard countless women say they stayed silent because they did not believe they would be taken seriously.
Doulas and community birth workers consistently echo the same truth: when women feel seen and respected, they speak up sooner, and early communication saves lives. Culturally responsive care means using relatable language, honoring support systems, making space for questions, and avoiding judgment. It transforms the patient-provider relationship from one of performance and fear to one of partnership.
According to Dr. EJ, health systems can take immediate steps to reduce disparities without waiting years for reform. These include standardized risk screening from the first trimester through twelve weeks postpartum, early postpartum visits for at-risk patients, clear red-flag education in plain language, expanded mental health screenings, and firm no-dismissal policies for reported symptoms.
She also stresses the importance of human-centered communication that treats patients as teammates rather than inconveniences. Redesigning patient education to be simple, culturally grounded, and accessible is essential. This philosophy underpins her Empowered Motherhood book and courses, which are designed to make lifesaving information approachable and actionable.
Dr. Eboni January’s work stands at the intersection of medicine, advocacy, and education. By centering belief, continuity, and respect, she is helping to close the gaps that have cost too many women their lives and reminding the healthcare system that listening, early action, and equity are not extras. They are essentials.
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