Susan Hunter Yates joined the UNM practice in June 2016. Caring for pregnant women goes back in her family to her grandfather, the first Obstetrician in Olympia, Washington in the 1930's. He planted the seeds of awe and beauty of the birthing process through the stories he told her when she was a child. Her training at Columbia University in NYC provided exposure to a diverse population and education. After graduation, she had the unique opportunity to volunteer at Holy Family Birth Center in Texas where labor sitting, water births, and home visits were part of daily clinical care. From there she moved to Colorado and worked with the University Nurse Midwives for 3.5 years where she mentored students, was active in several committees, and practiced full-scope midwifery. Her interest in international experience led her to leave Colorado and move to rural Honduras where she worked side-by-side with local doctors, midwives, and community members as the Women's Health Director for a small NGO. After Honduras, Susan practiced at Planned Parenthood in Utah, in a mountain town in Southern Colorado, and at a small privately-owned midwifery clinic in Olympia, Washington.

Prior to pursuing Nurse-Midwifery and Women's Health, Susan was a L + D nurse in a busy NYC hospital, spent several years in maternal and child health nursing (directing TeenSmart, an internet-based, health promotion program for Latino teenagers, and developing Start Out, a CNA training program for disadvantaged multi-ethnic youth), worked with teen community service programs in the Dominican Republic, Tortola, South Carolina, and Peru, and was a carpenter for a design-build firm in Seattle. Susan understands that all women have their own philosophies of health and she honors these ideals while trying to help women attain their optimal wellness. She continues to be amazed at the strength of women and the miracle of birth.