Lisa D. Brabham, MD

Ensuring Safer Labor and Delivery in Brooklyn

To her colleagues at NYC Health + Hospitals/Woodhull, Dr. Lisa Brabham is the backbone of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. For more than two decades, she’s been a dedicated practitioner and admired mentor whose indelible presence on the labor floor has helped ensure safe birthing experiences for a generation of women in Brooklyn. 

Dr. Brabham is lauded as her department’s go-to doctor, a physician who exudes calm in a crisis and won’t hesitate to come in from home to assist in an emergency. Two years ago, her leadership was recognized with her appointment as Director of Gynecology.

What Dr. Brabham finds most satisfying is caring for people in the community where she lives. “I have seen my patients in the grocery store, in the laundromat and walking past my house while I was gardening,” she says. “It’s gratifying to know I have a hand in the health of my community and it’s what motivates me to come to work every day. Despite the challenges our patients face, they still show up for care at Woodhull and I have to show up to provide that care.”

It’s a special point of pride for her that three members of her family – her stepdaughter, niece and a cousin – have come to Woodhull for their prenatal care and given birth on her labor floor. “I was overjoyed that they put their faith in me and our women’s health team,” she says. “Knowing I had even a small part in the second generation of my family, and the fact that it occurred here at Woodhull, makes me very proud.”

Dr. Brabham was inspired by her mother, a labor and delivery RN who became a nurse educator later in her career. “From the time I was very young, she stressed the importance of health for our family and caring for our community. I still hold those values close today.” After she earned her medical degree and served her residency at Howard University, “my mother would tell everyone that would listen, ‘My daughter is a doctor.’ She’s my most fervent supporter.”

And there may be no stronger supporter of the women and families who come to Woodhull than Dr. Brabham. “Our patients have hard lives,” she reflects. “Some may seem obstinate or defiant on the outside but inside they are scared for their families, scared for their lives or scared for their health. We must take that into consideration while caring for them and have compassion for their condition and their lives. Our mission is to try to improve their health, so they can improve their lives.”

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