The Doctors We Are Losing
How Physicians Are Affected
This policy doesn’t just move appointments around. It pushes out some of the most credentialed clinicians in the field — and many of them are mothers.
Who These Doctors Are
The physicians and PhDs affected by this policy are not interchangeable. They are among the most credentialed people in their fields — specialists in reproductive and maternal mental health who are sought after by institutions across the country. They could practice almost anywhere. They choose to be here, caring for our community.
Many of them work part-time for one reason: they are mothers. They have built careers at the very top of medicine while raising children — and the flexibility to do both is exactly what lets them stay in academic medicine and keep treating patients. That is not a lack of commitment. It is a different kind of strength, and our community is better for it.
What the Policy Does to Them
The new requirement to hold a large share of appointments for UCSD — reported as 60% for current faculty and MSP staff physicians and 80% for new hires — while restricting outside practice, collides directly with part-time arrangements. For a physician balancing medicine with raising a family, “convert to full-time or leave” often means leave.
As their own colleagues and union (UPTE) have warned, the policy disproportionately impacts women and mothers in academic medicine — many of whom rely on flexible arrangements — and risks driving experienced faculty and staff physicians out the door. These are clinicians who cannot be easily replaced.
Why Losing Them Costs Everyone
- Patients lose the specialists who know them — and the continuity of care that keeps fragile patients safe.
- Residents and trainees lose mentors and teachers who shaped the next generation of care.
- The institution loses leaders, educators, and researchers — and undercuts its own stated commitments to equity and to the families it serves.
- The community loses access at a time when California already faces a severe shortage of perinatal mental health providers.
These are some of the most credentialed people in their field. They are sought after everywhere. They choose to be here — helping us. We should be doing everything we can to keep them.
Stand With the Physicians
Help us keep these doctors where they belong — caring for our community. Add your name, or share your story.
In crisis or need support? Call or text 988, or the National Maternal Mental Health Hotline at 1-833-852-6262. This website does not provide medical or legal advice.