Reproductive Equity Part II

Reproductive Equity: Part II
Wednesday, February 1, 2023   |   6:00 PM EST  | ZOOM

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Join us virtually on February 1 from 6:00 PM-7:15 PM for part II of our conversation about the overturning of Roe v. Wade and what reproductive equity means in black, brown, transgender, and gender diverse communities and what we can do about it.

Our panelists include Dr. Laurie Nsiah-Jefferson, PhD, MPH, MA, UMass Boston; Nandini Sangarasivam Choudhury, LCSW, MPH, Fenway Health; and Mary-dith Tuitt, Veterans Outreach Center of Harvard Street Neighborhood Health Center.

Guest Panelists:

Dr. Laurie Nsiah-Jefferson, PhD, MPH, MA
Laurie is the director for the Center for Women in Politics and Public Policy at UMass Boston, and graduate program director for the Gender, Leadership and Public Policy graduate certificate program. She has held faculty and senior scientist positions at the Heller School for Social Policy and Management at Brandeis University, where she was affiliated with the Institute for Child, Youth and Family Policy, the Institute on Assets and Social Policy, and the Sillerman Center for the Advancement of Philanthropy.

In prior academic roles, Nsiah-Jefferson has headed efforts related to diversity, equity, and inclusion at the Heller School, and has served as affiliate faculty with the Health, Science, Society and Policy Program, Women, Gender, and Sexuality Program, and the African and Afro-American Studies Department at Brandeis University. She is also an affiliate of the Intersectionality Institute for Policy and Research, Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, British Columbia. She was recently appointed associate research professor at the University of North Carolina, College of Health and Human Services.

Nsiah-Jefferson earned a PhD in social policy with a concentration in Health Policy/Health Services from the Heller School for Social Policy and Management, and a Master’s in women and gender studies from the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, Brandeis University. She also received a Master’s in Public Health (MPH) degree in Health Services Administration from Yale University School of Medicine, Dept. of Epidemiology and Public Health. In addition, she holds a BA in African and Afro-American studies and politics from Brandeis University.

Nandini Sangarasivam Choudhury, LCSW, MPH
Nandini is the Reproductive Health Equity Specialist at Fenway Health’s Reproductive Health & OB/GYN Department. She manages population health projects such as cervical cancer screenings outcomes for communities of color and LGBTQIA+ communities. Sangarasivam Choudhury oversees community outreach and engagement activities focusing on reproductive and whole-body health. She strives to remove the barriers to social determinants of health for sexual health education, reproductive health, cancer care, and mental health for communities of color and LGBTQIA+ communities.

Mary-dith Tuitt
A United States Navy veteran, political consultant, community activist and strong advocate for women and girls, Mary-dith is the Program Manager of the Veterans Outreach Center of Harvard Street Neighborhood Health Center. Previously, she worked on Beacon Hill in the State House and also at City Hall, providing support to the underserved communities of Boston, and has worked on various political campaigns. She has been active with organizations and groups that focus on veteran and women Issues. She presently serves as President of the National Association of Commissions for Women, a Commissioner on the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women, Vice President of Suffrage 100MA Board, a member of the MA Women Veterans Network Steering Committee, and as Commander of the Wm E. Carter American Legion Post 16.

crystal hardy
Licensed Professional Counselor, Nationally Certified Sign Language Interpreter, and is a doctoral student studying clinical psychology with a focus in neuropsychology. crystal loves finding ways to imagine and build community that is centered around autonomy, shared power, justice, love, and joy.  In crystal’s community work, crystal provides sound healing, community workshops, and other services to help communities come together and move towards transformative justice. crystal enjoys dancing, kicking it with friends, lifting weights, traveling, and a good laugh!

 For more information, contact Dominique Hardy at dhardy@ywcacm.org