Dr. Lucrecia Mena-Meléndez is a first-generation Latina immigrant, scholar of sexual and reproductive health (SRH) and family planning, and leader. She is passionate about advancing equity in abortion, family planning, and SRH in the US and Latin America and the Caribbean, particularly among minority populations. Her research broadly examines how social-demographic (eg, ethnoracial identity, rural-urban ...Read more >

Dr. Rachel Logan is a public health researcher dedicated to improving sexual/reproductive health care experiences and outcomes in multiply marginalized communities. Her work seeks to mitigate and eliminate healthcare-related harm by addressing mistrust and disrespect, especially among those racialized as Black. She has used critical theories and reproductive justice in her work—a human rights-based perspective ...Read more >

Background: Medication abortion provided via telehealth has greatly increased since the COVID-19 pandemic. Telehealth can increase access to health services for individuals who may face many barriers to coming in person, such as transportation, distance to a clinic, inability to take time off work or need for childcare. Studies have shown that direct-to-patient telemedicine abortion ...Read more >

Marissa Velarde is a PhD student within Maternal and Child Health at UNC’s Gillings School of Global Public Health. Marissa received her MPH from Boston University and spent 10 years working in the U.S. and Latin America on collaborative research to advance access to sexual and reproductive health and inform policy. She also has experience ...Read more >

Tecora Turner is a third-year medical student at Pritzker School of Medicine. She attended the University of Texas at Austin, where she obtained a degree in Public Health while playing Division 1 soccer. She has held various leadership roles during her medical school tenure including co-leader of the Obstetrics and Gynecology Interest Group and co-lead ...Read more >

Reiley Reed is a Social Welfare PhD student at UC Berkeley, where she also earned MPH and MSW degrees. She has experience conducting patient-centered contraceptive care research and developing trainings for reproductive healthcare workers. Previously, she worked at the Person-Centered Reproductive Health Program at UC San Francisco and Planned Parenthood. Her research interests include criminalization ...Read more >

Access to abortion is tied to financial ability to pay for the procedure, even for those who have health insurance. Since the Dobbs ruling, the financial barriers to access abortion care have only been exacerbated since more people have been pushed to cross state lines in order to access this health care service. Abortion seekers ...Read more >

A native Wisconsinite, Alexandra Phelps attended college and medical school at the University of Wisconsin. In between, she volunteered with Americorps at a community health center in Boston, where her experiences motivated her application to the “Training in Urban Medicine and Public Health” program in medical school. There, she practiced advocacy, building community partnerships, and ...Read more >

The internet is a key source of information on family planning, especially for those in areas with limited contraceptive access or abortion restrictions. However, it is difficult to engage in any online activity without leaving behind a digital footprint, thereby risking one’s privacy. Many people lack sufficient knowledge and skills to protect their privacy online, ...Read more >

Bria Peacock has a strong background in advocating for vulnerable communities, particularly focusing on sexual health education and support for adolescent girls and mothers. From beginning her career as a Youth Program Intern at Planned Parenthood of Metropolitan Washington in 2012 to as a first-year medical student, she founded Sisters Informing Healing Living and Empowering ...Read more >