27th Annual HeLa Women's Health Symposium

Shedding Light, Saving Lives: MSM Symposium on Maternal Mortality

Thursday, April 17, 2025 | 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM
Morehouse School of Medicine
National Center for Primary Care (NCPC) Auditorium

Time Agenda Items Speaker(s)
8:30 – 9:00 AM
Guest Check-In and Networking
  • Registration table opens
  • Light refreshments available

Part 1: Understanding Women’s Reproductive Health and Justice
9:00 – 9:15 AM Opening Remarks on the 27th HeLa Symposium

Dr. Roland Matthews
9:15 – 9:25 AM  Welcome Remarks

Dr. Valerie Montgomery Rice
9:25 – 9:35 AM Opening Remarks on Maternal Mortality Crisis Dr. Michael Lindsay
9:35 – 9:45 AM Collaboration for Impact in Maternal Health Dr. Kalahn Taylor-Clark
VP & Head of Social Impact & Sustainability, Merck
9:45 – 10:15 AM Dr. Roland Pattillo Lecture: Maternal Health Crisis and Research Funding in Georgia Yosha Dotson, MSW
10:15 –10:30 AM  Break
Part 2: Conversation on Maternal Health Disparities
10:30 – 10:45 AM  Personal Testimony: A Family Advocate’s Perspective Armand Kadima
10:45 – 11:45 AM Panel Discussion: Understanding the Disparities

Moderator:

  • Joyce Littel (WAOK Program Director)

    Panelists:
  • Dr. Carla Willis, PhD, MA  (GA Dept of Community Health- Director, Performance Management Office) 
  • Dr. Tracy Dubose, MD (OB/GYN with The Southeast Permanente Medical Group) 
  • Dr. Renee McLeod-Sordjan, DNP, PhD, RN, FNP-BC (Ethics and Maternal Health Expert)
  • Anjli Hinman, CNM, FNP, MPH (Midwife and Patient Advocate)
11:45 AM – 11:55 AM Call to Action: What Needs to Change

Dr. Autum Acklin (MSM OB/GYN Resident)
11:55 AM – 12:05 PM Closing Thoughts and Next Steps

Dr. Natalie Hernandez-Green
12:05 – 1:00 PM

Reception
Light Refreshments, Networking, and Michelle Browder’s Mobile Art Exhibition

Featuring: Michelle Browder’s Mobile Art Exhibit on the Mothers of Gynecology.

  • Engage with attendees, speakers, and panelists to explore collaborations for advancing maternal health equity.