Staff

 
Erin Aufrichtig (she/hers)

Development Associate

Erin’s passion for reproductive rights dates back to when she was a teenager. She earned her BA in Sociology with a minor in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies from Binghamton University in 2021. She is now earning her Masters in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies from Rutgers University, with a research focus on reproductive justice, decolonization, and ethical fundraising practices. Erin has a history doing development work for two nonprofit organizations focusing on empowering and supporting women and children in need. When Erin isn’t dedicating her time to reproductive rights and justice, you can find her writing songs, feeding the neighborhood cats, or playing with her own cats, Bradley and Galaxy!

 
Brandy Bautista (she/hers)

Senior Program Coordinator

Brandy’s first interest in reproductive health justice started after taking a Women and Gender Studies course in college. Soon after she earned her B.A. in Women and Gender Studies with a minor in Political Science from California State University Fullerton. From there she joined Planned Parenthood Orange and San Bernardino Counties as an Administrative Medical Assistant. During her time at Planned Parenthood, she worked directly with patients to make sure they were receiving access to quality, safe, and empathetic primary and reproductive healthcare. Once her time at Planned Parenthood came to end, Brandy joined RHAP in 2021 as the Program Coordinator. In her off time, Brandy enjoys watching movies, spending time with her pets, and traveling. 

 

Amelia Cecchetto (she/hers)

Manager of Communications

Amelia is passionate about reproductive health and rights, and educating and empowering people through social media and communications. She earned her BA in Peace and Conflict Studies from the University of California, Berkeley. From there, she began her career in advocacy and political action as a field organizer during the 2020 election cycle. She transitioned into communications at NextGen America where she worked on mobilizing young voters in progressive issues and social justice through social media. Currently, she is obtaining her Master’s of Public and Nonprofit Management and Policy at the NYU Wagner School of Public Service, where she is specializing in communications, advocacy and political action. She is excited to be working at RHAP where she can bring patient education and policy advocacy to previously disengaged audiences.

 

Athena Guice (she/hers)

Senior Program Coordinator, Network (Central and Eastern Region)

Athena is a seasoned community advocacy leader, full-spectrum doula, mentor, educator, writer,
and birth & repro justice organizer from Broward County, South Florida.
Athena’s International Baccalaureate student journey accelerated when she enrolled in College
Academy at Broward College at the age of 16. At 17 years old, she co-founded a Broward
College chapter of Dream Defenders, a social justice organization that centers an anti-oppressive
vision away from prisons, deportation, and war – and towards healthcare, housing, jobs and
movement for all. By the age of 18, Athena served as the chapter’s Vice President, organizing
around the school-to-prison pipeline to center educational reform, and earned her Associate’s
degree in Biology.

In the fall of 2014, Athena became one of the youngest instructional staff for Broward County
Public Schools then began studying reproductive health and maternal mental health inequities to
address her community’s perinatal needs within the scope of a Doula’s practice. In 2016, Athena
founded her Doula practice, Hija Del Sol Birth Services, furthering her lactation and postpartum
advocacy efforts before joining the Health Innovations & Strategies team in Historical Sistrunk
of Fort Lauderdale’s YMCA of South Florida to focus on maternal health projects.
Athena served in the Florida Legislature as both a District & Legislative Aide for Florida House
of Representatives’ District 99 while attending Florida International University to pursue a
Bachelors in Psychology and Communications. Because of Athena’s “sincere professionalism
and dedication to service,”she was honored by the National Black Caucus of State Legislators’
Legislative Staff Leadership Council as ‘Top 22 of 2022.” As a devoted, Black & Puerto Rican
mother of two daughters, her commitment to sexual & reproductive activism is deeply rooted in
her passion for navigating language & policy, her heritage, career as a doula, and conviction to
collaboratively build toward a more equitable future through developing legislative alliances
between local, statewide, national, and global stakeholders.

 

Khashae (Shae) Jackson, BA (she/hers)

Manager of Organizing & Advocacy, Network

Shae’s interest in reproductive rights and abortion access began to flourish after her own activism while attending Spelman College in Atlanta, GA. She has lobbied for the passing of the Each Woman Act and created campus events that centered on storytelling and anecdotal activism to de-stigmatize abortion. After earning her B.A. in Sociology and Comparative Women’s Studies, Shae worked for an independent abortion clinic for three years as the Front Desk Supervisor and cross-trained as a Health Educator. During her time, she provided compassionate counseling on sexual health, logistical support to seven other departments in the clinic, and influenced a more equitable environment for LGBTQ+ patients. Shae joined RHAP as their new Associate and has taken on the role as Manager of Organizing and Advocacy in hopes to further dismantle stigma on sexual/reproductive health and increase knowledge of abortion care. You can find Shae leading the Network Team and RHAP’s organizing efforts or managing her flourishing business that offers Abortion Guides, KEJ Services.

 

Zoe Klett (she/hers)

Manager of Operations

Zoe began her interest in public health, specifically pertaining to women’s and reproductive health, during her academic career at NYU. Zoe received a BA in Political Science with a minor in Gender & Sexuality Studies. Following the completion of her degree, Zoe began her career as a coordinator of health services at a children’s nonprofit. From there, she spent two years with NYC’s Test & Trace Corp as a Community Engagement Specialist. During that time, she conducted field outreach to communities most affected by COVID-19, ensuring her clients’ health and providing them with critical resources. With her deep commitment to health care equity and justice, Zoe joined the Reproductive Health Access Project to join the mission to make sexual and reproductive health care accessible to all.

 

Ruth Leal (she/hers)

Manager of Development

Ruth is an experienced fundraiser with over six years of experience in campaign management, event planning, and donor stewardship. She began her work in fundraising with organizations working in the Human Services sector in 2015, with a focus on women with children. From there, she moved on to work on efforts to end homelessness among families, veterans, and unaccompanied adults in Massachusetts. Ruth sought to focus on reproductive justice and equity by learning the intersections of race, health care, and housing. She is joining the Reproductive Health Access Project with hopes of enhancing its efforts of expanding access to reproductive health care and knowledge for all. Ruth earned her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science with a focus on Non-profit Management and a minor in Social Justice from Virginia Commonwealth University.

 

Madison Pettaway, BA (any pronouns)

Organizing and Advocacy Associate

Madison earned her BA in Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies at the University of Pennsylvania, where she also minored in Africana Studies. At Penn, Madison completed coursework to explore a wide array of topics regarding gender, sexuality, race, and social inequalities. Outside of the classroom, she co-coordinated Civic House’s Community Engagement Program, served as a Penn Anti-Violence Educator with Penn Violence Prevention, and worked closely with the Penn Women’s Center. Madison’s passion for reproductive justice (RJ) was sparked in 2018 when Serena Williams shared her nearly fatal birth experience and prompted a national conversation about Black maternal health in the US. In 2019, she completed a Collective Rising Internship (formerly known as the Reproductive Rights Activist Service Corps) with Black Mamas Matter Alliance, which solidified her desire to make fighting for reproductive liberation the focus of her life and career pursuits. Before coming to RHAP in 2022, Madison worked at NARAL Pro-Choice America as an Organizing Intern with the Distributed Team. 

 

Laura Riker, MSSW (she/they)

Director of Organizing and Advocacy

Laura began working with the Reproductive Health Access Project in 2014 as a second-year social work intern. Her interest in reproductive justice began as a Woman’s Studies major during her undergraduate years at Vassar College, where she interned at Planned Parenthood. They later volunteered as a counselor for Exhale’s after-abortion talkline, and after completing an internship at a large community health center, decided to focus on reproductive health advocacy. Laura has previously worked in interpersonal violence prevention and alternatives to incarceration programs. She received her Master of Social Work from Columbia University, where she studied Social Enterprise Administration & Management. 

 

Jessy Rosales (they/she)

Senior Program Coordinator, Network (Pacific and Mountain Region)

Commencing their advocacy journey in 2016, Jessy Rosales has been at the forefront of reproductive justice, dedicating their efforts to addressing community needs through local policy initiatives. A passionate and vocal activist, Jessy not only organized various communities to mobilize for reproductive justice legislation but also utilized media platforms to amplify their message, contributing op-eds and interviews with journalists.

Under Jessy’s leadership, significant strides were made, culminating in the passage of Senate Bill 24—the nation’s first abortion mandate. This groundbreaking legislation required the University of California and California State University to offer medication abortion services within their student medical systems. Jessy’s impactful abortion storytelling played a pivotal role in this achievement, garnering recognition from esteemed entities such as the California State Assembly, State Senate, State Controller, and the 2019 Audre Lorde Award bestowed by the Reproductive Justice Coalition in San Diego.

Identifying as a queer Latinx activist, Jessy is committed to non-hierarchical systems of organizing. Beyond this landmark victory, Jessy has continued to collaborate with various non-profits and stakeholders, actively contributing to the implementation of reproductive justice policies at both state and national levels.

 

Silpa Srinivasulu, MPH (she/hers)

Director of Programs and Evaluation 

Silpa is a public health researcher and practitioner with a focus on sexual and reproductive health and rights. Through her experiences as a Community Health Specialist with Peace Corps in the Dominican Republic, she became deeply committed to sexual and reproductive health and rights and bodily autonomy. She previously worked as a Program Manager with the Institute for Family Health where she managed the Hands-on Reproductive Training (HaRT) Center, a project to increase the availability of comprehensive family planning services in New York City. She’s implemented a variety of research and evaluation projects centered on access to reproductive health care in primary care, as well as clinician training. Her work has been published in a range of scientific journals including Contraception, Family Medicine, Women’s Health Issues, and Progress in Community Health Partnerships. She is committed to incorporating a reproductive justice framework into her work, to ensure all people have access to high-quality and dignified sexual and reproductive health education, services, and care. Silpa earned her MPH from Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. She’s currently pursuing a PhD in Community Health and Health Policy at the City University of New York.

 

Rory Tito, MPH (she/hers)

Manager of Technical Assistance

Rory earned her Master of Public Health degree with a focus in Health Equity from Simmons University. There, she learned how to approach public health issues through a lens of anti-racism and social justice. She focused her work on reproductive health inequities, specifically inequities in access to fertility treatment for the LGBTQIA+ community. Prior to joining RHAP, she managed the Reproductive Health Department at a Federally Qualified Health Center in Boston, where she focused on system-level changes to improve quality of care and patient access. She previously worked as a family planning counselor, which ultimately inspired her to pursue reproductive health work, including access to contraception and abortion, on a larger scale. 

 

Danise Wilson, MPH (she/hers)

Executive Director

Danise came to RHAP after serving as the Executive Director for Erie Niagara Area Health Education Center since 2016, where she worked to create and train a diverse health workforce through career exposure programs, mentorship, and increasing understanding of cultural competency. She acted as a change agent for those within her community by addressing social determinants of health, educational opportunities, and practicing career exploration activities. 

Danise is originally from Buffalo, born and raised on the Eastside, where she resided with her husband and five children for 29 years. She has committed 25 years to addressing health disparities and advocating for underserved communities.  

Continuing her commitment to addressing health equity, Danise is a beloved University at Buffalo School of Public Health and Health Professions field education supervisor. Without her efforts, many students would not realize how they can impact health outcomes that affect them, their families, and their communities. Since earning her Masters in Public Health in 2014, she has served as an undergraduate public health mentor, guest lecturer, and alumni panelist for several classes.

Danise is also the co-founder of the Hamilton Wilson Student Support Fund, established in 2018. The fund supports two students of color entering the Master of Social Work and Master of Public Health programs at the University at Buffalo each year. Danise consistently utilizes her knowledge of advancing through adversity to instruct others to do the same, allowing them to chart a course of continued success.   

Danise is an active member of several health equity committees and organizational boards in the community.  She was a recipient of the Buffalo Business First 40 Under 40 award and one of two Western New York residents listed on Business Journals’ Influencers: Rising Stars 2018 list.  She also served as the Board Chair of SUNY Erie, where she feverishly advocated for improving excellence in education to guarantee student success.  Danise is a leader that will never give up on people. As a parent, neighbor, alumna, volunteer, teacher, fundraiser, and mentor, Danise is committed and driven to improve the lives of others and advocate for those most in need.

 

Clinical Consultants

 

Maya Bass, MD, MA (she/hers)

Regional Clinical Network Leader – Northeastern/Mid Atlantic United States 

Dr. Bass currently works as an Assistant Professor and Associate Program Director in the Department of Primary Care at Cooper University with an interest in resident and medical student education, reproductive health, underserved care, wellness, chronic pain, and addiction. She is a fellow of the AAFP, Chair of the resident and medical student affairs committee for PAFP, and Regional Clinical Leader for the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic region for the Reproductive Health Access Project. She earned a master’s degree in Stem Cell and Developmental Biology from Wesleyan University, Connecticut. She earned her medical degree from Jefferson Medical College (now Sidney Kimmel Medical College) at Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia. She completed her family and community medicine residency at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Philadelphia. She completed her fellowship in the Leadership Training Academy through Physicians for Reproductive Health learning to be a physician advocate for Reproductive Rights and Justice. She is a certified trainer through Providers Clinical Support System and the Health Federation of Philadelphia to run trainings required to prescribe medication-assisted treatment for opioid use disorder as well as through the IMPACT program of ACOG to run trainings on management of early pregnancy loss. She is dedicated to providing compassionate care to stigmatized populations and to improving the overall wellness of her patients and communities. Dr. Bass supports clinician activists in RHAP’s Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island Clusters.  

 

Dalia Brahmi, MD, MPH (she/hers)

Regional Clinical Network Leader – Southeastern United States

Dr. Brahmi is a family physician and global reproductive health specialist. Motivated to pursue medicine through her work in human rights and HIV peer education, she enjoyed caring for families at San Francisco General Hospital’s Refugee Medical Clinic during residency and conducted medical exams for survivors of torture. After pursuing specialty training in Family Planning and public health, she worked at the World Health Organization where she conducted systematic literature reviews on the safety of abortion and contraception, field tested contraceptive counseling materials for community health workers, and conducted strategic assessments to address health inequities impacting maternal mortality and scale up successful interventions with Ministries of Health, professional organizations and the communities most impacted. Dr. Brahmi has experience incorporating comprehensive reproductive health services into primary health clinics and has trained clinicians globally. As the associate medical director of Ipas, Dr. Brahmi worked to reduce maternal mortality from unsafe abortion and advocate for reproductive rights, especially for adolescents, through training, advocacy and evidence-based clinical guidelines. She currently trains residents and students at Planned Parenthood South Atlantic and teaches in the DrPH Global Health Leadership program at Indiana University Fairbanks School of Public Health. Dr. Brahmi is active in advocacy and education efforts with the NC Academy of Family Physicians. Dr. Brahmi supports clinician activists in RHAP’s Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, North Caroline, and Virginia clusters.

 

Samantha Hyacinth, MSN, WHNP-BC (she/hers)

Clinical Committee

Samantha is a Queer, Black, board-certified women’s health nurse practitioner originally from the Bronx. After graduating from Princeton University with a BA in psychology in 2009, she worked closely with social workers as a case associate at New Alternatives for Children. While accompanying families to medical visits for their children, she became frustrated by the lack of sensitivity and understanding coming from providers. Her frustration combined with her interest in psychology and medicine led her to nursing school. She graduated from the Yale School of Nursing in 2014. Her passion for providing accessible reproductive health care brought her to Planned Parenthood of Southern New England. There she was able to deepen her love for providing patient-centered, trauma-informed care to individuals with limited income, adolescents, and the LGBTQ community. In recent years, she’s transitioned to quality improvement working with federally qualified health centers in Massachusetts, helping them expand their contraceptive offerings to patients. She currently sits on RHAP’s Clinical Committee.

 

Ruth Lesnewski, MD (she/hers)

Co-founder and Clinical Committee

Ruth Lesnewski graduated from the University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine in 1987 and completed her residency in family medicine at Montefiore Medical Center in 1990. She is a Board Certified Family Physician. Currently, Ruth works as an attending physician at Beth Israel Residency Program in Urban Family Practice. In 2010, she became the clinical director of MyChart MyHealth, the patient portal for the Institute for Family Health.

 

Catherine Romanos, MD, FAAFP (she/hers)

Regional Clinical Network Leader – Midwestern United States

Dr. Romanos received her undergraduate degree from New York University in Spanish literature and her medical degree from the University of Connecticut. Dr. Romanos completed a residency in family medicine at the Lawrence Family Medicine Residency Program in Lawrence, MA.  Like many of her fellow Regional Clinical Network Leaders (RCLs), she completed her fellowship in the Leadership Training Academy through Physicians for Reproductive Health, where she honed her skills as a physician advocate for reproductive rights and justice. Dr. Romanos has been a member of the Network for over 10 years and she works as an abortion provider throughout the state of Ohio. She is an Ohio Academy of Family Physicians board member, member constituency alternate delegate to the AAFP’s Congress of Delegates, women’s constituency co-convener for the 2022 National Conference of Constituency Leaders (NCCL), and former president of the Central Ohio AFP chapter. She also enjoys teaching OBGYN and family medicine residents and students about reproductive health, physician advocacy, and reproductive justice. Dr. Romanos supports clinician activists in RHAP’s Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, and Ohio Clusters.

 

Angeline Ti, MD, MPH (she/hers)

Clinical Committee

Angeline is a family physician and family planning specialist in Atlanta, GA. She received her Masters of Public Health from John Hopkins in 2008, graduated from the University of Michigan Medical School in 2012, and completed residency in Family and Community Medicine and a fellowship in Family Planning at the University of California, San Francisco in 2017. She then completed a 2-year research position at Emory University and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), where she conducted research to support the CDC Contraceptive Guidance. She is currently an Assistant Professor at Emory University in the Division of Family Planning, where she is the medical director of the Title X program at Grady Memorial Hospital.

 

Ying Zhang, MD, MPH (she/hers)

Assistant Fellowship Director

Dr. Ying Zhang is a family physician, abortion doctor, and Associate Professor in the Department of Family Medicine at the University of Washington. Born in China, she immigrated to the US with her family at the age of 2 and grew up in the Southeast. After finishing medical school at East Carolina University, she completed her family medicine residency at the University of Washington. She then sought out more reproductive health and family planning training and academic and research skill development through a National Research Service Award (NRSA) Fellowship and Master of Public Health at UW. Dr. Zhang practices full spectrum family medicine, including outpatient, inpatient, and OB care. Her clinical and research interests focus on reproductive health and family planning among refugee and immigrant communities in the U.S. Ying is a Co-Director for the UW Reproductive Healthcare & Advocacy Fellowship and is excited to be working with Silpa & Brandy on the national RHAP Fellowship strategic planning and leadership team. In addition, Ying is the AAFP Liaison for the Washington Reproductive Health Access Project (RHAP) Cluster and engages in advocacy work at the local and national level. Outside of work, Ying enjoys spending time with her family, exploring the outdoors, and running/riding the Peleton.