In honor of Endometriosis Awareness Month, PERIOD, in collaboration with The Black OBGYN Project present an important conversation about Endometriosis and Reproductive Justice. This will be a live panel discussion.

This is a free event, as we believe this is an important conversation to share with our community. PERIOD is happy to share that honorariums are always offered to our panelists, and PERIOD remains committed to ensuring conversations like these remain free and available to share with the public. We invite you to support this work to continue to offer these important conversations with a suggested donation of $10.00 to PERIOD. Thank you in advance for being a part of this conversation and movement. We look forward to having you join us!

Panelists:

Dr. Smitha Vilasagar, she/her, Assistant Professor at Atrium Health in Charlotte, NC

Smitha Vilasagar, MD, FACOG is a minimally invasive gynecologic surgeon who specializes in endometriosis, complex laparoscopic surgery, and chronic pelvic pain. After completing OB/GYN residency, she completed a subspecialty fellowship in minimally invasive gynecologic surgery and chronic pelvic pain at the University of Rochester in Rochester, NY. She performs laparoscopic surgery for treatment of endometriosis, and her practice focuses on excision of this inflammatory disease. She has remained steadfast about providing compassionate care to patients suffering from endometriosis and the downstream effects of this potentially debilitating condition, like chronic pelvic pain and infertility. She focuses on educating others, including those in the medical community, about endometriosis and creating the most optimal methods to care for these patients utilizing a multidisciplinary approach.

Dr. Haben Debessai, she/her, Resident OB/GYN Physician at Emory University

Dr. Haben Debessai is an ObGyn and an advocate. She received her Bachelor of Science in Biopsychology, Cognition, and Neuroscience with a minor in Gender and Health at the University of Michigan. Shortly following graduation, she began a year of volunteering as a CNA with AmeriCorp in the city of Chicago at a site called Misericordia. She then received her medical degree at Michigan State University College of Human Medicine and is a member of the Gold Humanism Honor Society.

Her passions are in community involvement/activism, academic mentorship in medicine, healthcare in underserved populations, as well as women's health policy work. She is also interested in global health as it relates to maternal health and reproductive justice. When she’s not working, she enjoys yoga, hiking, reading, and watching her favorite shows on Netflix with her friends and family

Doris Murimi, Author, Adolescent Menstrual Health Advocate, CEO Endo Sisters East Africa Foundation

Doris Murimi is an Endo warrior who unknowingly struggled with endometriosis for 30 years before finally obtaining a diagnosis and also suffered from fibroids. Six years ago, this experience bore her passion project, creating awareness on endometriosis. This passion project metamorphosed first into a program, then into a Foundation now known as Endo Sisters East Africa Foundation which runs the #YellowNailsMovement campaign on endometriosis awareness. In 2020, her dream of seeing menstrual disorders taught in schools was realized through the Foundation. Thereafter in 2021, she authored her first book entitled ‘When Something is Wrong…Understanding Menstrual Disorders’. Academically, she holds an MSc degree, Skills and Performance (University of Leicester) as well as an MBA degree (Maastricht School of Management, Netherlands), and other professional qualifications.

Nenji Yilpet, she/her, Endometriosis Patient and Advocate, K-12 Educator/Leader

Nenji is a K-12 Educator/Leader, an Endometriosis Patient and Advocate. She has a Bachelor’s in Journalism and Ethnic Studies from Azusa Pacific University, and a Master’s in Education from the University of Southern California (USC). Over the past decade, she has been a teacher, coach, director and Founding Principal. Nenji is a lifelong educator committed to anti-racist education.

Since her diagnosis in 2015, Nenji has been an Endo patient and advocate. She shares her story to educate women, particularly Black women, about advocating for their reproductive health. She is passionate about both the mental and physical impact endometriosis has on menstruators.

LCDR Alana M. Abernethy, USN, Endometriosis Patient, Author, and Advocate

LCDR Alana M. Abernethy is an Author, an Endometriosis Patient, Advocate, and Naval Officer. In 2020, she received her Bachelor of Science in English from the United States Naval Academy and a commission in the United States Navy as a Surface Warfare Officer.

She was diagnosed with Endometriosis in 2019 and has taken a deep dive into learning about the disease and spreading awareness for Endometriosis and Women’s reproductive health.

Alana’s passions are in mentoring, mental and physical wellness, leadership, and creativity. She is the author of four poetry collections. She enjoys photography, reading, writing, traveling, and quality time with friends and family.

Sandra Eidor, Endometriosis and Infertility Advocate, Founder of Filling Empty Wombs

Sandra graduated from an HBCU Florida Memorial University with her bachelor's degree in Communications. She has always been passionate about entrepreneurship and started her own wedding planning company while in college. She has then retired herself from planning weddings to advocating and educating women about Endometriosis and infertility.

As a patient, it took Sandra 21 years to be officially diagnosed with stage 4 of Endometriosis. Three months after being diagnosed, she found out she was also infertile due to her Endometriosis. In 2013, she opted to do In-Vitro fertilization (IVF) and got pregnant with her son. She realized not many people were willing to speak about the process and felt alone in this space. It's not until talking about her process that she began to find her tribe.

In the process, she founded the brand Filling Empty Wombs. The goal is not just to fill you up with a baby but to fill you with hope and education. She offers support and education on all social platforms. Her brand Filling Empty Wombs was recently ranked number six out of ten top pregnancy-related groups on Clubhouse. Her company is in the process of obtaining its 501c3 non-profit status. Her goal is to create community, provide education and advocacy, and provide financial assistance to couples looking to expand their family through infertility treatment or adoption.

Moderator:

Dr. Rachel Bervell, she/her, Resident Physician, Founder of The Black OBGYN Project

Dr. Rachel Bervell, MD, MS is a physician, creator, mentor, advocate, dreamer, and doer. She is focused on serving those who are most vulnerable and tackling disparities in medicine.

Since graduating from Harvard, Georgetown, and the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine where she received her undergraduate, graduate, and medical degrees respectively, she has remained passionate about community engagement and population health. Her work with underserved communities, both abroad and locally, and passion for addressing social determinants of health has steered her interests in medicine. She has been humbled to receive numerous honors including being inducted to the Gold Humanism Honor Society, as a result. She is dedicated to equitable ObGyn care, reproductive justice & health, and wellness for all communities, and brings those interests together on various platforms, including on Instagram at The Black ObGyn Project.

When she’s not keeping herself occupied doing "the work", she can be found tending to her plants as a "plant mom", being a foodie, and enjoying traveling with her loved ones.

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This Spotlight will be recorded and will be available within 1-2 weeks of the recording on PERIOD's communication platforms. We invite you to view any of our other recorded spotlight conversations on PERIOD's YouTube channel at videos.period.org.

Stay connected on our social media @periodmovement and @theblackobgynproject