Dr. Michelle O’Brien chose the specialty of family medicine due to her passion for women’s health/reproductive health and pediatrics.  After practicing in rural Minnesota and providing prenatal, delivery and postpartum care for six years, she broadened her scope by obtaining her masters in public health in maternal and child health at Boston University.  Since returning to Minnesota over a decade ago, Michelle has been involved in multiple projects, serving on committees and task forces at her healthcare institutions (University of Minnesota Fairview and Healthpartners) and the Minnesota Department of Health (Maternal Child Advisory Task Force and co-chair of the Perinatal Subcommittee of the I-MOM Project).

Currently Dr. O’Brien is one of the medical directors at UCare, working closely with the plan’s maternal and child health department and advising plan leaders on perinatal health matters. She continues her clinical work as a mental health physician at telehealth mental health provider, Lyra, and is an advocate for improved screening for mental health and substance use disorders and more accessible, patient-centered, community based mental health treatment for individuals in their reproductive years.