Where do you call home?
I am a nomad. I grew up in California, which is where my heart lives, and learned how to be a doctor in upstate New York, so that is what made me a doctor. And I now live in New Mexico, which supports my soul.
What are your clinical or research interests?
I am particularly interested in the reproductive desires of people who use drugs and how we, as a medical system, can change the ways we support people who use drugs. I am passionate about dignified, comprehensive reproductive health care that is responsive to the particular needs and challenges of people who use drugs. Working in New Mexico, I have learned a lot about service gaps in both reproductive health care and services for people who use drugs in rural areas.
What current policy issue motivates you to be an advocate?
The Dobbs decision was passed weeks before I began my Complex Family Planning fellowship in New Mexico. I arrived at a clinic that was already hustling to adjust to double patients after the passage of SB8 in Texas and was now experiencing a 500% increase in patients. It was immediately clear to me that we needed more than research, which has proven for years the safety and benefits of abortion. We needed people willing to leverage this research for advocacy. People who are willing to speak out about the harms of restricting abortion and research that expands the narrative from safe and effective to crucial and necessary. It was then that I began to understand the power of storytelling and the power of research that moves outside the silo of medical academia and into the realm of community engagement and empowerment.
What local justice-centered organization do you wish we knew about?
I am sure people know this incredible group, but Indigenous Women Rising is committed to honoring Native & Indigenous People’s inherent right to equitable and culturally safe health options through accessible health education, resources, and advocacy.
What is bringing you joy these days?
My patients. I have met some of the most resilient people in the entire world. I get the privilege of hearing the stories and have started understanding the power of storytelling.
Our Meet Our Advocates series showcases the talents and passion of one of our doctors and finds out, in their own words, what inspires them to be physician advocates. Miriam McQuade (MD) is one of our Leadership Training Academy Class of 2024 Fellows. Dr. McQuade practices obstetrics and gynecology in New Mexico.