Dr. Linda Prine will be retiring from the Reproductive Health Access Project at the end of the month. As a co-founder and our Medical Director, Linda played a pivotal role in the development of our organization and she has been a teacher, mentor, leader, and source of inspiration to many.

While Linda isn’t leaving this work entirely (she will continue to provide health care and will always be an activist and ally), she is consciously stepping back from RHAP now so that the next generation of clinicians can help lead the organization. She has played so many important roles within our organization and leaves us with big shoes to fill.

Linda has served as our medical director since our founding.  She helped create all our tools and resources, guided the development of our clinical protocols, and helped shape the content of our educational programs. Moving forward, RHAP will no longer have a single medical director. Instead, for clinical leadership, we will rely on a multidisciplinary clinical committee. This shift will allow us to broaden the clinical expertise that guides our work, better reflect the diversity of the clinicians we work with, including folks of color, non-physicians, and people outside of the northeast. The committee is starting with three members and will expand as needed.

Linda established our Reproductive Health Access Network in 2009 to offer family physicians mentorship and support to provide abortion in primary care. Since then, the Network has developed into a vibrant, national community of primary care clinicians involved in advocacy, training, and education with chapters in 25 states. Linda has been critical in expanding the Network’s ability to leverage the American Academy of Family Physicians to support comprehensive reproductive health care. This past year, we have restructured the Network to allow for regional organizing.  We now have four Regional Clinical Leaders (RCLs) providing mentorship and support to our AAFP activists. The move to Regional Clinical Leaders has allowed us to engage more clinicians in leadership development and provide more support to each AAFP Liaison. Linda is currently the RCL for the northeast but will be transitioning that over to another Network member in March.

Linda has been the director of the New York Reproductive Health Care and Advocacy Fellowship since its inception in 2010. A few years ago, she formally began working with two Assistant Fellowship Directors and in the coming year, she will be handing off the reins of the NY fellowship fully but will stay involved to support the new New York fellowship leadership. The fellowship now trains six fellows a year in Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, and New York, and Washington.

We will be celebrating Linda’s legacy online on March 23^rd at 8:30 pm ET.  Please join us! You can also contribute to a memory book celebrating Linda’s legacy at RHAP and within our movement. Write a short note to Linda – share a story or anecdote about her, upload photos, create a top 10 list about her – whatever inspires you!