Gloria Sarto Reproductive Health Equity Symposium

Jenny Higgins, PhD, MPH
Professor and Division Director, Reproductive and Population Health

Between Two Worlds: Birth, Belonging, and the Rohingya Mothers of Milwaukee
Amulya Suresh, BS
Medical Student

Environmental Exposures and Ovarian Cancer Risk
Rachel Pomazal, MS
PhD Candidate - Epidemiology
Center for Demography and Ecology - Predoctoral Trainee

Community Based Organizations’ Perspectives on Structural Racism and Systemic Failures’ Impact on Black Birthing People: “This System is Cracked"
Tiwaladeoluwa Adekunle, PhD, MA
Professor, Department of Ob-Gyn, CORE

Reimagining Reproductive Health: Integrating Gender Affirming Caring into Ob-Gyn Practice
Laura Hanks, MD, FACOG
Assistant Professor, Department of Ob-Gyn

Presentation: Exploring Black Birthing People’s Perspectives on Racial Concordance with Obstetric Care Providers
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.

Janean Dilworth-Bart, PhD
Professor of Human Development and Family Studies, School of Human Ecology

Janean Dilworth-Bart is a Professor of Human Development and Family Studies in the School of Human Ecology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She is a 1995 graduate of Hampton University in Hampton, Virginia, and she received her doctorate in Psychology from Rutgers University in 2001.

Dr. Dilworth-Bart has over 20 years of professional experience in rigorous home- and lab-based research using quantitative and qualitative methodologies as well as culturally responsive outreach in Black and/or high-risk communities, child-care settings, and schools. Her work crosses disciplinary and methodological boundaries and is grounded in a Human Ecology perspective that focuses on relationships between people and their social, natural, and built environments. Her research contributes to basic knowledge about early lifespan development, including father-child and coparenting relationships in families of color, neurocognitive function of children born preterm, and social and physical environment predictors of child outcomes.  

Dr. Dilworth-Bart is also a teacher, advisor, and academic leader who is dedicated to training models that prepare students to consider the complexity of systems that promote or inhibit individual, family, and community thriving. She engages in intensive mentoring of undergraduate and graduate students, many of whom are members of first-generation college and/or ethnically diverse communities. 

Dr. Dilworth-Bart lives in Madison, WI with her husband, two children, two dogs, and numerous woodland creatures living in the backyard. She is an enthusiastic - but unsuccessful - gardener. She is also an avid reader of Black science and speculative fiction.

Tatiana Maida
Equity and Community Partnerships Director, healthTIDE

Tatiana is a public health leader and consultant with 20 years of experience advancing equity, racial justice, and systems change. As founder of Conexión LLC and through leadership roles with healthTIDE, the University of Wisconsin–Madison, and Sixteenth Street Community Health Centers, she has consistently centered community leadership in innovative, culturally grounded interventions that improve health outcomes and drive systems toward equity.

Her work—partnering with organizations such as the American Cancer Society, Wisconsin AHEC, Healthy Early, Community Initiatives, and Share Collaborative—focuses on designing and facilitating strategies, trainings, and coalitions that embed cultural humility, trauma-informed practices, and inclusive engagement. These efforts strengthen collaboration between grassroots leaders and institutions, creating shared ownership of solutions.

Whether advising statewide and national agencies or building programs within a team, Tatiana brings a clear vision and a proven ability to mobilize communities, bridge sectors, and turn collective vision into lasting impact.

Amy Meinen, MPH, RDN
Statewide Partnerships Director, healthTIDE
Research and Outreach Program Manager, School of Human Ecology

Amy is a registered dietitian with formal training in public health. Amy earned a Bachelor's degree from Viterbo University in Community-Medical Dietetics and a Master's in Public Health from the University of Minnesota. She has spent the past 24+ years working in the public health prevention field. With experience locally and statewide, Amy previously worked for the Ho-Chunk Nation Tribal Health Department and with the Wisconsin Department of Health Services’ Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity Program. Currently, Amy is the Statewide Partnerships Director for healthTIDE, a statewide network that supports healthier communities. She also works part-time for the University of Wisconsin-Madison's School of Human Ecology as a Research and Outreach Program Manager. In these current roles, she is focused on supporting multi-sector partnerships, aligning resources and building connections between people and organizations to create policy, systems, and environment changes.

Andrew Borchardt (he/him)

Andrew was born and raised in Stevens Point, WI. He graduated from Stevens Point Area Senior High (SPASH) and completed a few years of college at UW-Milwaukee and then dreaded COVID hit. As a young adult, he finds time to do the things he loves to do like hang with friends and family, weightlifting, video gaming, skiing, video editing and playing with his pets. He is also a pretty awesome drummer!

Kelly Borchardt (she/her)

Kelly is Andrew’s mom and also lived her entire life in central Wisconsin. She graduated from UW-Stevens Point with an education degree. She is currently the Executive Director of Childcaring, Inc. and has worked in early childhood education for most of her adult life. Kelly loves to hang with her two young adult kids and enjoys being active. She likes spending time with her sisters and traveling with her yaya friends!

Callen Smith, RN, MSN (they/them)
Gender Services Program Coordinator at UW Health

Callen has been with The University of Wisconsin Hospitals and Clinics since 2016 where they started their nursing work with transgender and gender diverse patients. In 2018 they became UW Health’s first gender services navigator providing guidance for patients pursuing gender-affirming surgery. Callen completed their master’s degree at Edgewood College in Nursing Administration in 2021 and is now the Gender Services Program Coordinator. Callen has presented at trans health conferences across the country including USPATH and XGM. Callen has helped develop several programs such as a medical legal partnership with The University of Wisconsin, and an LGBTQIA2S+ Health Project Echo. Callen’s work includes educating staff across the organization, supporting the growth of UW Health’s Gender Services program and partnering with DEI initiatives to support LGBTQIA2S+ patients and staff.

Jenny Higgins, PhD, MPH
Professor and Division Director, Reproductive and Population Health