Lyn Behnke
Dr. Lyn Behnke, a WomenHeart Champion, has a long and varied career as a primary care provider, a critical care nurse, a family practice and a psychiatric nurse practitioner, a cardiovascular nurse practitioner, an assistant professor, and a researcher with over 50 publications and invited presentations in the past ten years.
Dr. Behnke served as a rural health equity consultant for Saginaw Valley State University in Saginaw, MI, and is adjunct faculty at the University of Michigan – Flint. Her research interests include primary care of women living with heart disease and heart failure, appropriate medical diagnosis of women with heart disease, and the development of a medical device designed to take the place of the dreaded speculum in women’s health.
Dr. Behnke’s passion for the appropriate diagnosis and treatment of women with heart disease began with her own challenges with heart disease and is apparent in her practice and in her presentations to funders, donors, and other women with heart disease. Her sense of humor, ability to adapt to different cultures, and belief in health equity for everyone serve to provide leadership at the board level and beyond.
Dr. Behnke is also active on the social front, serving on the Northeast Michigan Community Service Agency Governing Board for several years. She is committed to facilitating change in rural communities to accommodate the eradication of poverty and the enhancement of education on both a micro and macro level.
She is passionate about the education of health care clinicians so that older adults may age in place and young families and middle-aged adults can enjoy the benefits of a rural lifestyle. She actively works to enhance the five domains associated with social determinants of health. With 48 years of experience in nursing, she understands that it takes much more than medication to facilitate health and healing.
Dr. Behnke prides herself on her connection to the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, the LGBTQIA community, and being a bellringer for rural health equity and prosperity.
I am so excited to work with this amazing group to bring current, evidence-based information about women's health. I remember reading the original "Our Bodies, Ourselves" and asking doctors questions who were suddenly concerned about how I might know enough to ask the question. The staff at OBOS Today are careful to vet information carefully. Misrepresentation and misinformation are not allowed in this organization. Consequently, women have a solid evidence base to make health care decisions.