Midwifery & Obstetric Standards of Care Expert

Specialties & Experience of this Expert Witness

Additional Information

Risa L. Klein, MSN, CNM, is a Certified Nurse Midwife with more than twenty years of clinical experience providing full-scope midwifery care in hospital-based, home birth, collaborative, academic, and consulting environments. Her background includes antepartum, intrapartum, postpartum, and gynecologic care, as well as extensive experience co-managing high-risk pregnancies in collaboration with obstetricians and maternal-fetal medicine specialists. Throughout her career, she has practiced within established midwifery and obstetric standards of care, emphasizing patient safety, clinical judgment, interdisciplinary communication, and evidence-based decision-making. In addition to hospital-based practice, Ms. Klein maintained a solo private practice midwifery model that included physician collaboration and co-management, providing comprehensive care while coordinating consultation, referral, and escalation of care when clinically indicated. Her clinical experience spans both routine and medically complex pregnancies across hospital and out-of-hospital settings. Ms. Klein currently practices as a Nurse Midwifery Expert Witness, providing independent medical record review, standards-of-care analysis, case merit evaluation, report preparation, deposition preparation, and testimony for both plaintiff and defense counsel in matters involving obstetric and midwifery care. Her analyses address clinical decision-making, chronology of care, and adherence to applicable professional standards. She earned her Master of Science in Nursing with a specialty in Nurse Midwifery from Columbia University School of Nursing and completed Columbia University’s Entry-to-Practice Bachelor of Science in Nursing program. She holds licensure as a Certified Nurse Midwife and Registered Nurse in New York and New Jersey, maintains national certification through the American Midwifery Certification Board, holds New York State licensure as an OB/GYN Nurse Practitioner, and maintains an active New York State DEA Controlled Substance Registration. She is a member of the American College of Nurse-Midwives. Ms. Klein has served in hospital leadership and academic roles, including Director of Midwifery within a Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at a New York City hospital and as an Assistant Professor in Obstetrics and Gynecology, where she educated medical residents and advanced clinical providers. She is a published co-author in peer-reviewed obstetric journals, including the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology and the Journal of Perinatal Medicine. Her professional expertise has also been referenced in national and regional media outlets, including The Huffington Post, Healthline, NBC News, and PIX11 News, in coverage addressing maternity care delivery, birth settings, and hospital-based midwifery programs.