The Gloria Sarto Reproductive Health Equity Symposium (formerly the Women's Health and Health Equity Research Lecture & Symposium) is an annual meeting that connects healthcare professionals, population health experts and community advocates dedicated to advancing health equity. Since the first event in 2005, hundreds of people have shared their research addressing persistent gender, racial, and health disparities through presentations and posters at the event.
Gloria Sarto Reproductive Health Equity Symposium
2025 Keynote Presentation

Karen Sheffield-Abdullah, PhD, RN, CNM, FACNM
Founder and CEO, Dr. Karen, LLC
Dr. Karen Sheffield-Abdullah is a researcher, assistant professor, mindfulness coach, and thought leader in maternal morbidity and mortality, Black perinatal mental health, and women’s reproductive health. Her work focuses on reducing health disparities faced by Black birthing people, using mindfulness-based stress reduction to address psychological distress in underserved communities. Guided by the Superwoman Schema, Dr. Sheffield-Abdullah explores how stress and anxiety affect pregnancy outcomes for Black women. She is dedicated to destigmatizing mental health within the Black community and envisions a world where Black women are seen, heard, and valued. Her research has been published in top journals, and she has advised organizations like the CDC and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Dr. Sheffield-Abdullah holds advanced degrees in nursing and physics/mathematics and enjoys traveling, family time, and neo-soul music in her spare time.
History of the Symposium:
This event, formerly known as the UW Women’s Health and Health Equity Research Lecture and Symposium, grew out of the pioneering vision of Dr. Gloria Sarto and Dr. Gloria Johnson-Powell.
In 2003, Dr. Johnson-Powell and Dr. Sarto received NIH funding to establish a comprehensive center to investigate the role of biological and social factors on disparate health outcomes, primarily among minority ethnic and racial populations. The first Symposium was held in 2005.
Dr. Gloria Johnson-Powell (1936-2017), the first African-American female professor at Harvard, joined the University of Wisconsin-Madison faculty in 2001 as Professor of Psychiatry and Pediatrics, Associate Dean for Cultural Diversity, and Director of the Center for Cultural Diversity and Health Care. Dr. Johnson-Powell had remarkable influence in highlighting the importance of social equality as it impacts health equality. She labored all her life to seek equality for all, through her research, writings, and work within communities.
Dr. Gloria Sarto (1929-2024) championed the health of women in innumerable ways throughout her professional career. As a physician, she personally treated many women and delivered their babies; as a department chair, she taught and mentored many students, residents, and young faculty; and as a national voice for women’s health, she had tremendous influence public policy, educational curricula, and national research initiatives.
Dr. Sarto passed away on June 8, 2024. To celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Symposium and honor Dr. Sarto’s immeasurable impact as an advocate for health equity, the event was re-named the Gloria Sarto Reproductive Health Equity Symposium in 2024.
Past Symposium Keynote Speakers:
- 2024: Charlotte Gamble, MD, MPH (video)
- 2023: Denise Howard, MD, MPH (video)
- 2022: Vanessa Northington Gamble, MD, PhD (video)
- 2021: Elizabeth Howell, MD (video)
- 2020: Erica Marsh, MD (video)
- 2019: Tiffany Green, PhD (video)
- 2018: Sheri Johnson, PhD
- 2017: Haywood Brown, MD (video)
- 2016: Melissa Gilliam MD, MPH (video)
- 2015: Florence Haseltine, MD, PhD
- 2014: David Grimes, MD, FACOG, FACPM (video)
- 2013: Vivian Pinn, MD (video)
October 23, 2025
7:20-10:30am
Health Sciences Learning Center