Rachyl is a postdoctoral research fellow at the Terasaki Institute for Biomedical Innovation studying patient education for transplantation. Rachyl earned her PhD in Communication at the University of California, Santa Barbara. For the last five years, Rachyl has been researching healthcare communication and relationships. Rachyl’s MA degree focused on young adolescents’ identity negotiation as they translate for their parents as it is associated with the quality of their parent-child relationship. Her PhD focus is improving communication between health professionals and aggressive patients in healthcare settings. In general, Rachyl is passionate about improving care for those who traditionally have experienced health disparities. Her research has been published in journals such as Health Communication, Communication Monographs, Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, and Journal of Cross Cultural Psychology. Rachyl has presented her research findings at conferences in more than 7 countries. In addition to her research work, Rachyl is an adjunct professor in Communication at Santa Barbara City College where she has taught classes like interpersonal communication, family communication, public speaking, and small group communication. .

 

Dr. Madina Agénor is an Assistant Professor of Social and Behavioral Sciences at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and a Lecturer on Studies of Women, Gender, and Sexuality at Harvard University. She holds a Doctor of Science (ScD) in Social and Behavioral Sciences with a concentration in Women, Gender, and Health from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and a Master of Public Health (MPH) in Sociomedical Sciences from the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. As a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health/Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Educational Program in Cancer Prevention, she completed postdoctoral training in social epidemiology, cancer prevention, and LGBTQ health.

In her scholarship, Dr. Agénor  uses both quantitative and qualitative research methods to investigate and address health inequities, especially social inequalities in sexual and reproductive health and cancer screening and prevention by gender, sexual orientation, race/ethnicity, and/or socioeconomic position (SEP). Her current research examines how sexual orientation and gender identity, in relation to race/ethnicity and SEP, influence access to and utilization of sexual and reproductive health and cancer screening and prevention services, including Pap tests, human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination, and sexually transmitted infection (STI) testing. Her past research has investigated how sexual orientation and race/ethnicity simultaneously influence cervical cancer screening  among women, sexual orientation disparities in HPV vaccination among women and girls, and cervical cancer prevention among transmasculine individuals (with The Fenway Institute). In addition, to research Dr. Agénor developed and teaches courses on sexual and reproductive health, rights, and justice in the U.S. and globally.

Katherine Ellin, PhD, MSW, DTR is a licensed clinical psychologist and certified sex therapist with a practice focused on sexuality and intimacy in Cambridge, MA. She provides therapy for individuals and couples, as well as clinical supervision and consultation for psychotherapists. She earned her PhD in Clinical Psychology, MSW and Masters in Dance Therapy from City University of New York and completed her pre-doctoral and post-doctoral training at Massachusetts Mental Health Center/Harvard Medical School and MIT. Before beginning full time private practice, she worked at the Trauma Center and served as Clinical Director, Director of Home-based Services and Director of Training at the Children’s Community Support Collaborative in Brighton, MA. Her goal is to help people experience their own sexuality with clarity, acceptance, compassion and joy.

Dr. Eduardo Hariton is an obstetrics and gynecology resident at Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. His clinical interests are in reproductive endocrinology and infertility, as well as oncofertility. He is also interested in healthcare management and working at the intersection of business and medicine, particularly in the infertility space. Dr. Hariton holds a bachelor of science in biology and a minor in nutritional sciences from the University of Florida, a doctorate from Harvard Medical School and a master’s degree in business administration from Harvard Business School. His past experience includes global health work in Rwanda, healthcare consulting with McKinsey and Company, medical education projects across the Harvard system, and clinical research in a variety of fields.

Dr. Jason James is a board certified obstetrician/gynecologist who is the current chief of the department of Ob/Gyn at Baptist Hospital of Miami. As medical director at FemCare Ob-Gyn, Dr. James’ medical practice is perpetually on the cutting edge of medicine, performing over 90% of all gynecologic procedures utilizing minimally invasive techniques, including the da Vinci robot for major surgery and performing office-based procedures to minimize patient discomfort and recovery. He has spearheaded a pioneering protocol at Baptist Hospital to ensure universal screening of all new mothers for postpartum depression, and recently won the American College of Ob/Gyn’s Issue of the Year Award for postpartum depression research. Dr. James was recognized as a future leader of Baptist Hospital by being one of a select number of physicians chosen to participate in its Collaborative Leadership program, during which he helped spearhead an initiative to virtually eliminate non-medically indicated deliveries prior to 39 weeks gestational age, in accordance with recommendations by the March of Dimes and the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG). He helped create the visionary Medical Simulation Laboratory at Baptist, the first of its kind in South Florida. Active in community philanthropy, he serves on the Steering Committee of Young Philanthropists of Baptist Health, and chairs the Physicians Committee. He has led numerous community discussions about various topics concerning women’s health. He recently testified before the Florida Senate regarding umbilical cord blood education. Dr. James is considered a key opinion leader on various topics, including contraceptive technology, postpartum depression, umbilical cord blood banking, minimally invasive gynecologic surgery, early term deliveries, and nausea and vomiting in pregnancy (NVP). You can follow Dr. James on Twitter at @drjasonjames or learn more at https://about.me/drjjames.

Dr. Jennings received her Ph.D. in Nursing and M.S. in Nursing from Boston College. She is certified as an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse in the specialty of Family Psychiatric-Mental Health Nursing. She is a scholar of the Jonas Nurse Leaders Scholar Program and a fellow of the Robert Wood Johnson New Careers in Nursing Scholarship. Dr. Jennings has over 10 years of experience in adolescent and adult psychiatric and medication evaluation and management as well as psychotherapy, and has had clinical appointments at Klarman Eating Disorders Center at McLean Hospital and Walden Behavioral Care. Dr. Jennings currently is a T32 Eating Disorders Postdoctoral Research Fellow at The University of Chicago.

Megan Kovacs is the Prevention Education Program Coordinator at Raphael House of Portland. She sits on the Board of Directors for Bitch Media and serves as Co-Chair of the Oregon Attorney General’s Sexual Assault Task Force’s Prevention & Education Subcommittee, and of the Prevention & Public Awareness Subcommittee of the Multnomah County Family Violence Coordinating Council and sits on the steering committee of the Oregon Alliance to End Violence Against Women. Megan lives in Portland, competes in triathlons, and big sisters to a wonderful now 18 year old. She likes good music, feeding people, scouring vintage stores, puns, sending mail, and all the quaint and normal things (hiking, biking, reading, writing, canning, crafting, traveling).

Richard E. Kreipe, MD, FAAP, FSAHM, FAED is the Dr. Elizabeth McAnarney Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Rochester. He is Board Certified in Pediatrics and in Adolescent Medicine. He co-edited the first Textbook of Adolescent Medicine, and is a co-editor of the Textbook of Adolescent Health Care, published by the American Academy of Pediatrics in 2011, and the 2012 recipient of the Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine (SAHM) Outstanding Achievement in Adolescent Health Award. Dr. Kreipe serves on the SAHM Board of Directors as the Past-Presidents’ Council Representative. He is a co-Investigator at the University of Rochester in the New York State Department of Health Center of Excellence for the Assets Coming Together (ACT) for Youth, a statewide, community-based effort to promote positive youth development as a public health strategy since 2000. Dr. Kreipe is the Medical Director for the Western New York Comprehensive Care Center for Eating Disorders based at the University of Rochester Medical Center, and was a member of the Eating Disorders Workgroup for DSM-5, published May 2013. He was awarded the Academy for Eating Disorders Leadership Award for Clinical, Administrative or Educational Service in 2014.

Dr. Eva Luo is an obstetrics and gynecology resident at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. In addition to clinical care, her research focus is in innovations in value-based care delivery, primarily models that arise from the entrepreneurship space, and their impact on overall policy. Her areas of focus are prenatal care, labor and delivery operations, and prenatal diagnostics. Dr. Luo holds a bachelor of arts degree from Harvard College, a doctorate from the University of Michigan Medical School and a master’s degree in business administration from Harvard Business School. Her past experience is at the intersection of clinical medicine and business, including in depth knowledge of quality metrics, patient safety, maternal mortality in the global context, and digital health trends. To learn more, follow her on Twitter at @EvaMLuo

Haley McCarthy, MPH, CHES is a health and wellness enthusiast who has worked, consulted and volunteered in the health education field for over 12 years. She is a Certified Health Education Specialist and has a Master of Public Health from Southern Connecticut State University. She had worked in the higher education field at both Yale University and the University of Connecticut. Haley is passionate about LGBTQ health, sexual health, stress management and a variety of other areas to increase health quality and outcomes. She currently works as a private consultant and enjoys spending her free time outdoors.

Kate McCombs, MPH is a sex and relationships educator who’s geeky about empathy and connection. Her passion is facilitating communication workshops that help people build amazing relationships. Ultimately, all of her work is about helping people feel more comfortable talking about sex and feelings. She believes that meaningful conversations and accurate information can help us create a healthier and more joy-filled world. She’s the founder of Sex Geekdom, an international community devoted to creating safe spaces for exactly these kind of conversations. On the academic front, she has a Master’s in Public Health from the University of Melbourne and a Bachelor’s in Anthropology from UC Berkeley. She looks at relationship communication through the lenses of both these disciplines. To connect with Kate, read her latest articles, and stay in-the-know about her upcoming workshops, sign up for her newsletter at KateMcCombs.com.

Alecia McGregor earned her Ph.D. in Health Policy from Harvard University in 2014, where she received a certificate in Latin American Studies and was a National Institute of Mental Health trainee. From 2014 to 2016 she was a Postdoctoral Research Associate in the Center for Health and Wellbeing at Princeton University. At Princeton, she helped launch an initiative on Race, Inequality and Health Policy in the United States. Dr. McGregor’s research focuses on health inequalities and the political determinants of health. She has done work on HIV/AIDS disparities, religion and public opinion, mental health and substance abuse policy, and urban health policies. Outside of work, she enjoys bicycling, tennis, and anything outdoors

Melanie Norton is a recent graduate of the Master of Public Health program at the Yale School of Public Health with a concentration in Social and Behavioral Sciences. Much of Melanie’s graduate work concentrated on sexual and reproductive health issues, relationship dynamics, and intimate partner violence. Her master’s thesis examined the relationship between traditional masculine norms and sexual relationship outcomes.

Dr. Kirti Patel is a board-certified obstetrician/gynecologist, healthcare and health tech writer, and speaker. Her background includes scientific research, 14 years of clinical experience in Ob/Gyn, a master’s degree in healthcare leadership, and experience writing for and speaking to media. She has been interviewed by the Boston Globe and Fox News and has written for the health innovation sites MedTech Boston and Healthegy. Dr. Patel holds a bachelor of arts degree from Boston University, a doctorate from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, and a master’s degree in healthcare leadership from the School of Professional Studies at Brown University. She has a depth of knowledge about the current healthcare environment and healthcare trends, is an avid follower scientific and technology innovations in healthcare, and is a frequent advisor to healthcare investors, entrepreneurs and startups. She is also a passionate advocate for women’s health and leadership. To learn more, follow her on Twitter at @kirtipatelmd or visit her website, www.kirtipatel.com.

Dr. Lisa Rapalyea holds a PhD in Human Development, an MS in Child Development, and bachelor’s degrees in Biology and Psychology from the University of California at Davis. She teaches Human Sexuality, Family & Social Issues, Social and Personality Development, Adulthood & Aging, Research Methods, and other developmental courses at UC Davis and California State University at Sacramento, as well as mentoring student researchers. She is also a former sorority advisor, a Certified Athletic Trainer and a former computer tech whose interests span multiple fields. Early in her career Dr. Rapalyea did cell biology research; later she worked on projects involving sports and physical activity. That work led to research on the intersection of sports involvement and character (her dissertation topic), and sports involvement and academic outcomes. She also spent three years developing psychoeducational standardized tests and shepherding products to digital format for a publisher catering to the special-education market. Dr. Rapalyea has presented lectures on Taking Care of the Sexual Body, Dealing with Disabilities, Eating Disorders, Performance Enhancing Drugs/Substances for Sports & Exercise, Contraceptives, Child & Adolescent Sexuality, Love & Communication, and Sexually Transmitted Infections. Most recently, her projects involve exploring the intersection of sports and sexuality, and sexual issues involving sororities and fraternities to increase safety awareness.

Veronica Thomas is a recent graduate from the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, where she studied Social and Behavioral Sciences with concentrations in Health Communication and Maternal and Child Health. While in school, she researched a number health issues related to women and adolescents, and wrote for the health blog of Boston’s NPR station, WBUR. Veronica currently lives in NYC and works as an analyst in the Center for Communication Science at RTI International, where she applies behavioral theory and marketing techniques to help people make informed decisions and live healthier lives.

Dr. Nisha Verma is an obstetrics and gynecology resident at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. Her career choice was motivated by a passion for the effects of sexual violence on women and their ability to receive non-judgmental medical care. She received a grant from Futures Without Violence, a non-profit based out of San Francisco, to create a training about intimate partner violence and sexual assault for medical, social work, nursing, and public health students. She leads these trainings in North Carolina and Boston. Her goal is to teach more providers how to respond to people experiencing trauma in an empathetic and approachable way, so patient feel safe seeking help and discussing all types of sex-related issues. Dr. Verma holds a bachelor of science degree in biology and a bachelor of arts degree in anthropology from UNC-Chapel Hill and a doctorate from the UNC School of medicine. Her past experience includes working with women as a First Responder at The Women’s Center of Chapel Hill, researching the effectiveness of training programs aimed at health care providers at improving clinical care, studying the development of chronic pain, and working to improve abortion access for women.

Lulu Zhang is a candidate of Master of Liberal Arts in Psychology at the Harvard University Extension School, and a candidate of Master of Education in Mental Health Counseling at Cambridge College. She is trained as a Sex Therapist at the Institute of Sexuality Education and Enlightenment. She is the Chief Sex Therapist of Yummy Online Community, the largest online community of women’s pleasure in China. She is the Expert Advisor of InMe, a mobile life-coaching and psychological service platform. She is also the Lecturer and Mentor of Her Village Institute of Happiness, an Institute founded by the famous Chinese TV host Yang Lan.