About ANSIRH

Staff & faculty

ANSIRH faculty and staff

Faculty and Researchers

Tracy Weitz, PhD, MPA, ANSIRH Director; Associate Professor, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences and Director of Research at ANSIRH Tracy Weitz, PhD, MPA, Associate Professor, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences and ANSIRH Director. Tracy Weitz is a lifetime advocate of women’s health and reproductive rights. Dr. Weitz’s passion is for those aspects of women’s health that are marginalized either for ideological reasons or because the populations affected lack the means or mechanisms to have their concerns raised. Dr. Weitz’s current research focuses on innovative strategies to expand abortion provision in the U.S. Dr. Weitz also serves as the Associate Director for Public Policy at the UCSF National Center of Excellence in Women’s Health, and was its founding executive director over a decade ago. In 2006, Dr. Weitz was appointed by Governor Schwarzenegger to the Women’s Health Council, an advisory body to the California Departments of Health Care Service and Public Health. She is a current board member of the ACLU of Northern California, Breast Cancer Action, and the Society of Family Planning. In 1999, she received the UCSF Chancellor’s Award for the Advancement of Women and, in 2012, she received the Academic Senate Distinction in Mentoring Award. She has an MA degree in public administration with an emphasis in health care and a PhD in medical sociology from the University of California, San Francisco. Phone: 510-986-8939. Download bio.

Diana Greene-Foster, PhD, ANSIRH Director of Research; Associate Professor, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences Diana Greene Foster, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences and Director of Research at ANSIRH. Diana Greene Foster, PhD, is a demographer who uses quantitative models and analyses to evaluate the effectiveness of family planning policies and the effect of unintended pregnancy on women’s lives. Dr. Foster has worked on the evaluation of the California State family planning program, Family PACT. This work demonstrated the effectiveness of the program in reducing the incidence of unintended pregnancy. Dr. Foster created a new methodology for estimating pregnancies averted based on a Markov model and a microsimulation to identify the cost-effectiveness of advance provision of emergency contraception. She is currently leading a nationwide longitudinal prospective study of the health and well-being of women who seek abortion including both women who do and do not receive the abortion. Dr. Foster received her undergraduate degree in Political Economy of Natural Resources from UC Berkeley, her MA in Public and International Affairs from Princeton University, and her PhD in Demography and Public Policy from Princeton University. Phone: 510-986-8940. Download bio.

M. Antonia Biggs, PhD, Senior Researcher. M. Antonia Biggs serves as a senior researcher at ANSIRH, as part of her work for the Bixby Center for Global Reproductive Health at the University of California, San Francisco. Dr. Biggs’ research is dedicated towards better understanding the barriers faced by economically disadvantaged populations in accessing reproductive health services so that policy can be designed to improve their social and health outcomes. Her specific research interests include program evaluation, Latina adolescent childbearing, delivery of long-acting contraceptive services, and the psychological well-being of women having abortions. Currently, Dr. Biggs is directing a survey of family planning providers’ delivery of long-acting contraception in California, participating in the evaluation of the Colorado and Iowa Initiatives to reduce unintended pregnancy by increasing access to long-acting contraception, and working on a nationwide longitudinal prospective study of the health and well-being of women who seek abortion. Dr. Biggs holds a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Wisconsin and an M.A. and Ph.D. in Psychology from Boston University. Phone: 510-986-8961, 415-476-9813. Download bio.

Karuna S. Chibber, DrPH, MS, ANSIRH Research Fellow Karuna S. Chibber, DrPH, MS, Research Fellow. Karuna Chibber is a public health social scientist at ANSIRH. Her research interests include gender inequalities and women’s health, particularly intimate partner violence and its impact on women’s reproductive, sexual, and maternal health; and developing innovations to improve health care access, quality of care, and service delivery by improving health systems. For the past ten years, she has conducted community-based research in India examining the links between gender inequalities and women’s reproductive and sexual health. Dr. Chibber’s current research focuses on the status and quality of relationships in the United States between pregnant and parenting women and their intimate partners and on the impact that being denied an abortion has on women’s experience of intimate partner violence. Dr. Chibber received her undergraduate degree in Economics from Delhi University, India; an MA in Economics from Tufts University; a Masters in Health Sciences from the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health; and a Doctor of Public Health from the University of California, Berkeley. Phone: 510-986-8963. Download bio.

Lori Freedman, PhD, Bixby Visiting Scholar Lori Freedman, PhD, Medical Sociologist. For the past decade, Lori Freedman, PhD has researched the ways in which reproductive health care is shaped by our social structure and medical culture. Her recent book, Willing and Unable: Doctors’ Constraints in Abortion Care, is based upon 40 in-depth physician interviews and examines how abortion politics affect medical practice, focusing on the challenges to integrating abortion into physician practice. Unexpected findings from the interviews led her to research and write about the intersection of religion and health care, especially in the case of Catholic-owned hospitals. This research experience has spawned her interest in how physician employers use conscience clauses in medical practice at individual and institutional levels. Dr. Freedman’s interest in reproductive health care research was born at San Francisco General Hospital (1998) when she worked as a research assistant for several contraception-related studies. Dr. Freedman is currently embarking on a two new studies: The first focused on the bedside bioethics of religiously affiliated health care institutions and their employees and a second focused on the experiences of newly abortion trained nurse practitioners, certified nurse midwives, and physician assistants. Dr. Freedman received her BA at the University of Oregon and her PhD in Sociology from the University of California, Davis. Phone: 510-986-8948. Download bio.

Caitlin Gerdts, MHS, PhD, Epidemiologist at ANSIRH Caitlin Gerdts, PhD, MHS, Epidemiologist. Caitlin Gerdts is an Epidemiologist at ANSIRH. Her research focuses on the measurement of morbidity and mortality due to unsafe abortion in the developing world. Dr. Gerdts is particularly interested in using quantitative bias analysis techniques to identify and correct for bias in studies that seek to measure the health sequellea of unsafe abortion. Dr. Gerdts is currently collaborating with researchers at ANSIRH to design and implement a “Global Turnaway Study.” The study, building on the framework of the U.S. Turnaway Study, aims to assess how being denied an abortion affects women's physical, mental and social health in countries with varying laws and cultural norms relating to abortion. Dr. Gerdts received her undergraduate degree in Human Biology from Stanford University; an MHS in Population, Family, and Reproductive Health from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health; and a PhD in Epidemiology from the University of California, Berkeley. Phone: 510-986-8967. Download bio.

E. Angel James, CNM, WHNP-BC, Research Resident, ANSIRH. Angel James is a predoctoral student in the UCSF School of Nursing, Family Health Care Department. She is a recipient of the National Institute of General Medical Sciences IMSD fellowship. In addition, Ms. James is currently a volunteer clinician at the Women's Community Clinic. Her research interests include unintended pregnancy and the nursing role in unintended pregnancy prevention and abortion care. Ms. James has many years of experience as a nurse in women's health both in the hospital and clinic settings. Prior to returning to school, she worked as a certified nurse midwife and nurse practitioner for Planned Parenthood of the Pacific Southwest. She received her BSN and MS from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Download bio.

Sujatha Jesudason, PhD, CoreAlign Director. From examining the fault lines in efforts to curtail sex selection to exposing attempts to pit reproductive rights against disability rights, Dr. Jesudason works to forge unlikely collaborations and look past forced simplifications. She brings her expertise in social justice organizing and advocacy to her role as Director of CoreAlign, a “think and do tank” that is creating a 30-year strategy to win resources, rights and respect for all people’s sexual and reproductive decisions. With over 20 years’ experience as a researcher, advocate and organizer for women’s lives, Dr. Jesudason has worked at Generations Ahead, Center for Genetics and Society, Asian Communities for Reproductive Justice, and 9to5 National Association of Working Women. She works at the intersection of issues too often considered separately: economic inequality, domestic violence, cultural norms, discrimination, gender roles and racial identity. In this, Dr. Jesudason merges not only topics but methods, from rigorous academic research to on-the-ground movement building, and from legislative education to media advocacy. A leading voice on the ethics of human genetics, women’s rights and racial justice, Dr. Jesudason holds a doctorate in sociology from the University of California, Berkeley and an undergraduate degree from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. Phone: 510-986-8922. Download bio.

Carole Joffe, PhD, Professor emeritus of sociology at UC Davis; professor of obstetrics and gynecology at ANSIRH. Carole Joffe is a professor at ANSIRH and a professor of sociology emerita at the University of California, Davis. Her research focuses on the social dimensions of reproductive health, with a particular interest in abortion provision. In January 2010, Dr. Joffe’s book, Dispatches from the Abortion Wars: The Costs of Fanaticism to Doctors, Patients and the Rest of Us, was published by Beacon Press. Besides writing for an academic audience, she also writes frequently for the general public on the topics of reproductive health and reproductive politics. In 2006, Dr. Joffe was awarded the Public Service Award by the Academic Senate of the University of California, Davis. Some recent publications are “Abortion and Medicine: A Sociopolitical History,” in M. Paul, ed., The Management of Abnormal and Unintended Pregnancy and “The Religious Right and the Reshaping of Sexual Policy: An Examination of Reproductive Rights and Sexuality Education,” in Sexual Research and Social Policy, Winter 2007 (with Diane di Mauro). She is the author of Doctors of Conscience: The Struggle to Provide Abortion Before and after Roe v. Wade (Beacon Press) and The Regulation of Sexuality: Experiences of Family Planning Workers (Temple University Press 1986). Dr. Joffe received her BA from Brandeis University and her PhD from the University of California, Berkeley. Phone: 510-986-8938. Download bio.

Katrina Kimport, PhD, Qualitative Sociologist Katrina Kimport, PhD, Assistant Professor. Katrina Kimport is a qualitative sociologist whose research focuses on gender, sexuality, and social movements. Dr. Kimport's current research engages two central themes: an examination and critique of heteronormativity, including analysis of its effect in the social experience of abortion; and an investigation of claims-making around abortion. Other recent work by Dr. Kimport has examined the relationship between heteronormativity and same-sex marriage, aiming to understand why same-sex couples choose to marry and to analyze the impact of their marriages both for participants and for broader social processes, and has investigated the use of the internet for protest. Dr. Kimport's work has been published in several journals, including the American Sociological Review, Gender & Society, Symbolic Interaction, and Perspectives on Sexual and Reproduction Health. She has a forthcoming book entitled Queering Marriage: Challenging Family Formation in the United States (Rutgers University Press) and is the author, with Dr. Jennifer Earl, of Digitally Enabled Social Change (MIT Press). Dr. Kimport received her BA from Yale University and her PhD from the University of California, Santa Barbara.. Phone: 510-986-8947. Download bio.

Sarah Roberts, DrPH, Public Health Social Scientist. Sarah CM Roberts, DrPH, is a public health social scientist at ANSIRH. Her research interests include gender equality and women’s health, state-level abortion restrictions, and alcohol and drug use in the context of pregnancy, parenting, and reproductive health. Dr. Roberts’ current research focuses on the impact of receiving versus being denied an abortion on women’s alcohol and drug use, abortion restrictions, and strategies to reduce racial/ethnic disparities in Child Protective Services reports related to maternal drug use. Dr. Roberts’ work has been published in Social Science & Medicine, Women’s Health Issues, Maternal and Child Health Journal, and Alcohol and Alcoholism. Dr. Roberts received her undergraduate degree in history from Columbia University, her MPH and a Graduate Certificate in Women’s Studies from the University of Michigan, and her DrPH from the University of California, Berkeley. Phone: 510-986-8962. Download bio.

Corinne Rocca, PhD, MPH, Epidemiologist. Corinne Rocca is an Epidemiologist at UCSF's Bixby Center for Global Reproductive Health. Her research interests include prevention of unintended pregnancy, adolescent sexual behavior, contraceptive use, pregnancy intentions, and latent variable measurement. Dr. Rocca's research has focused on the measurement and significance of pregnancy intentions, including what influences young women's attitudes towards pregnancy and the role of intentions and ambivalence in shaping contraceptive behavior. She is particularly interested in using quantitative psychometric techniques, such as Item Response Theory, to improve measurement of latent variables, including attitudes and social norms. Her current work includes creating a valid measure of childbearing attitudes for use among diverse populations of adolescents and young women; using data from a nationally representative sample of unmarried young people to examine the roles of pregnancy ambivalence and fatalism on use of effective contraception; and examining barriers to safe abortion in Nepal. Download bio.

Gretchen Sisson, PhD, Sociologist. Gretchen Sisson is a qualitative sociologist whose research focuses on social constructions of parenthood, specifically examining teen pregnancy and young parenthood, infertility and assisted reproductive technologies, and adoption and birth motherhood. Her current research with ANSIRH focuses on representations of abortion and reproductive decision-making in popular culture, including film and television. Dr. Sisson’s past work on reframing models of teen pregnancy prevention has been published in the Journal of Sexuality Research and Social Policy. She received her BA from Amherst College and her PhD from Boston College. Download bio.

Diana Taylor, RN, MS, PhD, Director of Research and Evaluation, Primary Care Initiative. Diana Taylor is a nurse practitioner, educator and researcher, and is Professor Emerita at the University of California-San Francisco (UCSF) School of Nursing. She has served as Director of UCSF’s Women’s Health NP Program, as well as the co-Director of the UCSF Center for Collaborative Primary Care to advance interprofessional collaboration and innovation related to primary care education, practice and research. Dr. Taylor has been a leader in policy-shaping activities for multiple professional groups on regional, national level and international levels. She has participated in the development of innovative women’s health care delivery models, interdisciplinary education programs, practice standards, and evidence-based practice guidelines. She has served on national boards and committees of the Health Professions Division of the US Public Health Service, the Institute of Medicine, the National Academy of Sciences, the American Nurses Association, the National Organization of NP Faculties, the Association of Women’s Health Nurses, as well as state and local nursing practice and education committees. Dr. Taylor has more than 100 scientific articles, books and publications in the area of women’s health. Some recent publications include “When politics trumps evidence: Legislative or regulatory exclusion of abortion from advanced practice clinician scope of practice” published with Barbara Safriet and Tracy Weitz in the Journal of Midwifery and Women’s Health (2009; 54: 4-7) and Providing Abortion Care: A professional toolkit for nurse-midwives, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants (UCSF ANSIRH, 2009). Currently, Dr. Taylor is also an active board member of the Reproductive Options Education Consortium in Nursing (Abortion Access Project); a board member of Clinicians for Choice (NAF); and Board chair (as well as a practicing clinician) of the San Francisco Women’s Community Clinic. Dr. Taylor received her BSN from the University of Oregon, her MS from UCSF and PhD from the University of Washington. Phone: 510-986-8950. Download bio.

Ushma Upadhyay, MPH, PhD, Research Specialist Ushma Upadhyay, PhD, MPH. Ushma Upadhyay is a Public Health Social Scientist at ANSIRH. Her research interests include unintended pregnancy, gender-based relationship power, and access to contraception and abortion. Her current research focuses on measures of women’s empowerment and assessing its influence on contraceptive use, abortion decisions, and fertility in the US and sub-Saharan Africa. Dr. Upadhyay developing a theory-based, validated scale to quantitatively measure women’s empowerment that reproductive health researchers can incorporate into interview assessments in a variety of research contexts. She is co-author of Family Planning: A Global Handbook for Providers, a Johns Hopkins/WHO publication providing evidence-based guidance on the provision of contraceptive methods. Dr. Upadhyay has a BA in Communications and International Studies from American University, an MPH from Columbia School of Public Health, and a PhD from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Phone: 510-986-8946. Download bio.

Staff

Roula AbiSamra, MPH, Project Coordinator, Health Workforce Pilot Project. Roula AbiSamra is the Project Coordinator for ANSIRH's Health Workforce Pilot Project. Her experiences prior to joining ANSIRH have driven her desire to see reproductive health improved based on high-quality evidence. She has been involved in reproductive health work in multiple capacities, which included providing patient care and case management in several languages, coordinating data collection and analysis for clinical and social-science research, and assisting in the development of the graduate Seminar on the Global Elimination of Maternal Mortality from Abortion at Emory University in Atlanta. Ms. AbiSamra received her BA from Emory University and an MPH from Emory University's Rollins School of Public Health. Phone: 510-986-8930. Download bio.

Patricia Anderson, Administrative and HWPP Director. Pat Anderson works both as ANSIRH’s Administrative Director and as Director of the Health Workforce Pilot Project (HWPP). She has spent most of her career in various positions within the field of reproductive health and rights. Most recently, she served as the Director of the Society of Family Planning and before that as the Program Manager for the California Program on Access to Care with the University of California, Office of the President. She was the founding director of Medical Students for Choice and served as Membership Director and Interim Executive Director at the National Abortion Federation, while spearheading a special initiative on the shortage of abortion providers. Ms. Anderson received her BA and MPH from the University of California, Berkeley. Phone: 510-986-8929. Download bio.

Rana E. Barar, MPH, Project Director, Turnaway Study. Rana E. Barar, MPH, is Project Director for the Turnaway Study. Prior to joining ANSIRH, Rana managed the Teen-to-Teen Sexuality Education Project and served as Interim Director at Answer, a leading national organization dedicated to providing and promoting comprehensive sexuality education based at Rutgers University. In that capacity, Rana oversaw publication of Answer's teen publications - Sex, Etc. magazine and Sexetc.org. Rana began her public health career working in several health and human rights projects at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health and received her MPH in population and family health in 2006. She was Senior Program Officer for the Averting Maternal Death and Disability (AMDD) Program, charged with overall administrative management of the AMDD Program, including strategic planning and launching AMDD's new look and Web site. She has a strong background in international relations as well, which has been enhanced by her substantial experience in Europe, Russia and Africa. Phone: 510-986-8937. Download bio.

Megan Burgoyne, Program Specialist. Megan Burgoyne is a Program Specialist at ANSIRH. A passionate advocate and active member of the reproductive health, rights, and justice community, Ms. Burgoyne thrives on working to ensure women have an equal place at life's table. Prior to joining ANSIRH, she was a Public Affairs Manager and Community Organizer for two Planned Parenthood affiliates—Planned Parenthood Southeast in Georgia and Planned Parenthood Northern New England in New Hampshire. Using her extensive knowledge about reproductive health and rights and her in-depth experience in community organizing, public policy, and volunteer program management, Ms. Burgoyne works to expand ANSIRH’s reach in the larger community. In 2011, she was selected as a fellow for the Women’s Policy Institute in Sacramento, CA. Ms. Burgoyne is a graduate of the University of California, San Diego with a degree in Communications as a Social Force with a focus on law. Phone: 510-986-8945. Download bio.

Janine Carpenter, Research Analyst, Turnaway Study. Janine Carpenter is an Interviewer for the Turnaway Study. Prior to joining ANSIRH, she worked as a Research Assistant on Project Viva, a maternal/child public health study cosponsored by Harvard Medical School and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute. She has experience coordinating, monitoring, and evaluating student-run volunteer service programs. She has also done outreach to disadvantaged women about the availability of health insurance and provided eligibility screenings. Ms. Carpenter received her B.A. in Sociology and Latin American Studies from Columbia University. Phone: 510-986-8959. Download bio.

Kate Cosby, MPH Kate Cockrill, MPH, Research Analyst and Project Manager. Kate Cockrill is currently directing the Social and Emotional Aspects of Abortion Program. She is leading the Measuring Abortion Stigma team, which is developing and testing an abortion stigma scale to measure stigma experienced by women who have abortions. She is also developing a framework for understanding abortion stigma that connects lived experiences of abortion to stigma theory. Ms. Cockrill has a MPH from UC Berkeley and has 10 years of experience in the field of abortion care and women’s health. Prior to graduate school she worked at the Feminist Women’s Health Center in Atlanta, Georgia, the Fayetteville Women’s Clinic in Fayetteville, Arkansas and the National Abortion Federation in Washington, DC. Phone: 510-986-8935. Download bio.

Sheila Desai, MPH, Research and Evaluation Manager, HWPP Project. Sheila Desai is Research and Evaluation Manager for ANSIRH's HWPP Project. Her work and research to date have focused on improving access to reproductive and maternal health care through community-based and community-run interventions. She is particularly interested in the social determinants of women's health, with a focus on gender inequities. Prior to joining ANSIRH, Ms. Desai worked in Boston with John Snow, Inc. (JSI)—a global health organization—managing public health programs in parts of East and West Africa, South Asia, and Eastern Europe. Before this, she spent three years in western India working with a rural women's collective and the local government to strengthen national and community-level maternal and reproductive health programs. Ms. Desai received her BA from Brown University and her MPH from Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. Download bio.

Loren Dobkin, RN, MPH, Research Analyst, Turnaway Study Loren Dobkin, NP, RN, MPH, Clinical Research Analyst, Turnaway Study. Loren Dobkin is a Clinical Research Analyst for the Turnaway Study. At ANSIRH, she enjoys integrating her training as a Family Nurse Practitioner and adolescent health provider (UCSF, 2012) with her MPH in Epidemiology and Biostatistics (UC Berkeley, 2007). Like the Turnaway Study itself, Ms. Dobkin began with recruitment—analyzing challenges and successes of study implementation at healthcare facilities. Currently, she is evaluating the implications of Turnaway data for primary care practice, with an eye toward improving options counseling and referral systems for patients with unintended pregnancies. She is also analyzing Turnaway participants’ physical health following birth and abortion. Prior to working at ANSIRH, she helped to conduct HIV and STI research at UCSF and provided related counseling services at community clinics. She received her BA in International Development Studies and Biology from McGill University. Phone: 510-986-8966. Download bio.

Ivette Gomez, Research Analyst, Turnaway Study. Ivette Gomez is an Interviewer for the Turnaway Study. Prior to joining ANSIRH, she worked as an interviewer for the U.S. Census Bureau, where she worked with immigrant communities. Although new to working in women's reproductive health field, in college Ms. Gomez focused on critical issues in women’s health and women’s history. She is very excited to be joining the ANSIRH team and looks forward to learning more about the field. Ms. Gomez received her BA from Stanford University in Anthropological Sciences. Phone: 510-986-8973. Download bio.

Heather Gould, MPH, Research Coordinator, Turnaway Study. Heather Gould currently serves as the research coordinator for the Turnaway Study. Ms. Gould has been involved with the Bixby Center for Global Reproductive Health since it was founded and has worked on many center research and policy projects over the years. She has extensive experience designing and implementing qualitative and quantitative research studies, managing reproductive health programs, and writing grants. Ms. Gould has worked in several reproductive health clinics as a manager or health specialist, including New Generation Health Center, Planned Parenthood Golden Gate, and the Marin County Women’s Health Services. In addition, she has served as a consultant to several organizations, including Planned Parenthood Federation of America-International (PPFA-I), the Association of Reproductive Health Professionals (ARHP), and Population Services International (PSI). Her particular areas of interest include access to abortion and family planning, quality of reproductive health care, social determinants of health, and policies that support reproductive justice more broadly. Ms. Gould received her MPH from the University of California, Berkeley. Phone: 510-986-8936. Download bio.

Whitney Losh, Project Coordinator. Whitney Losh is a Project Coordinator for ANSIRH supporting multiple teams with the organization. Prior to ANSIRH, Ms. Losh worked as an Administrative Assistant for Putnam Investments. Although new to the field of reproductive health, she is excited to jump onboard and is confident that sexual and reproductive health will be the home of a lasting career. In addition to working at ANSIRH, Ms. Losh is an Associate Board member of Girls on the Run Bay Area, whose mission is to educate and build confidence in young girls through non-competitive, curriculum-based running programs throughout the Bay Area. Ms. Losh grew up in Northern California and graduated from San Francisco State University. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Liberal Studies with an emphasis in Health Education. Phone: 510-986-8975. Download bio.

Rebecca Michelson, Analyst, ANSIRH Sea Change Program Rebecca Michelson, Analyst, Sea Change Program. Rebecca Michelson is an Analyst with the Social and Emotional Aspects of Abortion Program, focusing on abortion stigma. She enjoys an interdisciplinary perspective in the field of reproductive health and has volunteered as a doula, advocate, and researcher. With Access Women’s Health Justice, she’s lobbied at Reproductive Freedom Day, led reproductive justice trainings, and is currently their Grants Fellow. At UC Davis, she created a literature review with ANSIRH’s work for a senior research project determining the top three barriers to reproductive health care in California and proposed three solutions. She volunteers with the Bay Area Doula Project and San Francisco General Hospital. Ms. Michelson recieved her BA in Cultural Anthropology where she worked on Nursing school prerequisites. Phone: 510-986-8934. Download bio.

Aura Orozco-Fuentes, Office Manager. Aura Orozco-Fuentes began her employment with the University of California in 1992. She currently serves as the Office Manager for ANSIRH. Prior to joining ANSIRH, Ms. Orozco-Fuentes worked at the Center for the Health Professions with the School of Dentistry as a Program Coordinator for the Pew Programs in the Biomedical Sciences where she provided administrative and grant management support to over 120 grantees established at various academic institutions in the continental United States, in addition to organizing the group’s annual scientific conference. Ms. Orozco-Fuentes also worked for the Medical Center’s Department of General Internal Medicine at Mt. Zion and Parnassus as a Supervisor and Program Coordinator for the residency program. Ms. Orozco-Fuentes received a Bachelor’s degree in Graphic Communication with an emphasis in Design from San Francisco State University. Phone: 510-986-8923. Download bio.

Selena Phipps, Research Analyst, Turnaway Study. Selena Phipps is a Research Analyst for the Turnaway Study. Ms. Phipps has a history of work in public health, specifically HIV counseling and testing, adolescent pregnancy prevention, and working with communities of color. Prior to joining ANSIRH, she worked as a bilingual counselor at the Women's Option Center. Ms. Phipps grew up in North Carolina and earned a Bachelor's degree in Public Health from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Phone: 510-986-8970. Download bio.

Chelsea Simms, ANSIRH Program Coordinator Chelsea W. Simms, ANSIRH Program Coordinator. Chelsea Simms is ANSIRH’s Program Coordinator, supporting the successful operation of the entire office as well as providing assistance on multiple projects. She began her UCSF career in 2006 as a research assistant at the Bixby Center for Global Reproductive Health. She subsequently served as Program Assistant at the Center for Gender Equity for four years, where she coordinated professional development, wellness, and violence prevention programs for the UCSF community. Most recently, she served as Patient Navigator for the Obstetrics Services department within the Medical Center, where she provided tailored customer service to pregnant patients throughout their care with UCSF. Ms. Simms is a fierce advocate for the underserved, which is demonstrated through both her career choices and her volunteer work. She has volunteered as a patient escort for Choice Medical Group, health educator for The Women’s Community Clinic, sexual assault crisis counselor and patient advocate for Bay Area Women Against Rape (BAWAR), and as a birth doula for the UCSF Medical Center. Phone: 510-986-8922. Download bio.

Elisette Weiss, BA, Project Assistant, Turnaway Study Elisette Weiss, BA, Project Coordinator, Turnaway Study. Elisette Weiss is the Project Coordinator for ANSIRH’s Turnaway Study. Prior to joining the ANSIRH research team, Ms. Weiss graduated from Brandeis University with a BA in Health: Science, Society, and Policy; Sociology; and Women’s and Gender Studies. At Brandeis, she led an award-winning sexual health counseling organization, Student Sexuality Information Service, as Group Coordinator. Ms. Weiss further explored her research interests in women’s reproductive health and safer sex initiatives while studying abroad in Nairobi, Kenya. While there, she conducted an independent research project investigating community programs fighting HIV through sport and peer-led education. Ms. Weiss volunteers time as Client Services Coordinator at the Women’s Community Clinic in San Francisco. Phone: 510-986-8952. Download bio.

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