Advocacy and Activism in Academic Medicine for Reproductive Health Post-Dobbs - September 11

The recent Supreme Court Dobbs v. Jackson decision will have profound and lasting effects on physicians and scientists across the academic medical continuum, beginning with an impact on medical education and extending to practicing physicians’ ability to deliver care, especially for historically excluded groups. With such an imminent threat to health care training and health equity, it is critical for the medical community to leverage advocacy tactics to support trainees and faculty, as well as access to health care for all. Additionally, it is important to assess the impact of the Dobbs decision in real time to understand the evolving landscape our member schools and physician workforce face. This session will provide advocacy strategies to equip physician leaders to be at the forefront of reproductive justice and rights. Finally, this session will highlight the activities of the Group on Women in Medicine and Science/Medical Education Senior Leaders (GWIMS/MESL) Women’s Reproductive Health Rapid Action Team as a promising advocacy model of collaboration other institutions and organizations can employ.

Ana Maria Lopez
Professor and Enterprise Interim Chair, Medical Oncology
Sidney Kimmel Medical College

Dr. López is Professor and Vice Chair of Medical Oncology Sidney Kimmel Medical College and Chief of Cancer Services at Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center - Jefferson Health –New Jersey. Dr. López joined Jefferson in 2018 from the Huntsman Cancer Institute in Salt Lake City, UT, where she was Director of Cancer Health Equality and Inclusion and served as Associate Vice President of Health Equality and Inclusion at the University of Utah Health. A board-certified Medical Oncologist, Dr. Lopez’s clinical expertise is in women’s malignancies, integrative medicine and oncology, and telehealth. Dr. López is President-Emeritus of the American College of Physicians, the largest medical specialty organization in the U.S.  Her strong commitment to health equity is reflected in her work with the American Society of Clinical Oncology as former Chair of the Health Equity Committee and with the Association of American Medical Colleges where she serves as Member of the Steering Committee of the Group of Women in Medicine and Science. Her areas of expertise and research focus include cancer prevention, integrative oncology, and innovations in healthcare. Dr. Lopez was honored in February 2022 with a Lifetime Achievement Award from Al DÍA News Media.

Caitlin Bernard
Assistant Professor of Clinical Obstetrics & Gynecology

Caitlin Bernard, MD is a family planning fellowship-trained obstetrician and gynecologist. Her clinical interests are in contraception, abortion and miscarriage care, in addition to general obstetrics and gynecology. Her research interests include improving access to contraception and understanding how to decrease unintended pregnancy and improve pregnancy outcomes. She has worked in Kenya for the past four years through the AMPATH/IUSM-Kenya partnership. There she is engaged in care, teaching and research programs, including improving access to contraception, early pregnancy care and improving maternal and neonatal outcomes.

Pamela Merritt
Executive Director, Medical Students for Choice

Pamela Merritt is the Executive Director of Medical Students for Choice, where she leads a dynamic team working to create tomorrow’s abortion providers and pro-choice physicians. Prior to joining Medical Students for Choice, Pamela co-founded and served as the co-director of Reproaction, a national organization that leads bold action to increase access to abortion and advance reproductive justice. Pamela is chair of the Guttmacher Institute’s Board of Directors, Honorary Chair of Reproaction’s Advisory Council, and serves on the Our Bodies Ourselves Today Leadership Council.


Maya Rupert
Special Adviser, Government & External Relations
Center for Reproductive Rights

Maya Rupert joined the Center in 2017 and is responsible for overseeing the Center’s federal, state, and local policy work in the U.S., and is responsible for developing, implementing, and managing the Center's multi-faceted reproductive rights policy initiatives and strategies across multiple branches of government. Maya also leads the Center’s Washington, D.C. office and focuses on deepening the Center’s efforts, maximizing impact, and forging new partnerships and opportunities in our nation’s capital. Prior to joining the Center, Maya served the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development as Senior Policy Advisor to Secretary Julián Castro and earlier, as Chief of Staff and Senior Counsel in the Office of General Counsel. Prior to HUD, Maya was Policy Director at the National Center for Lesbian Rights. In that role, she led the organization’s policy and legislative work and advocated on behalf of the LGBT community in areas including housing, employment, relationship recognition, and immigration. Maya has also been a contributing writer to a number of media outlets—including O Magazine, the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, and The Huffington Post—where she frequently addresses the intersection of politics, race, and gender. She has been recognized by the National Association of Black Journalists for her writing and by national outlets like Ebony Magazine and The Root for her leadership in the black community. Maya received her B.A. from U.C. Santa Barbara and her J.D. from U.C. Berkeley. She clerked for the Honorable Eric L. Clay of the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals.