Dr. Jasmine Zapata is a double board-certified physician specializing in the fields of pediatrics and preventive medicine. She currently serves as the Chief Medical Officer and State Epidemiologist for Community Health within the Bureau of Community Health Promotion at the Wisconsin Department of Health where she provides expert guidance for a variety of public health promotion, planning and policy efforts. In this role she has served as a member of the DHS COVID-19 Strategic Advisory Committee, co- chair of the Governor’s Health Equity Council Subcommittee on Power, Access, and Representation as well as co-chair of the Wisconsin Maternal Mortality Review Team. She is also an assistant professor at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health where she practices clinically in the newborn nursery and is involved in a variety of scholarly activities aimed at increasing diversity in medicine and promoting health equity. She has many lived experiences that help her uniquely connect with the communities she serves and is well known for her infectious energy, passionate advocacy, and heart for service. Her ultimate mission in life is to “heal, uplift, and inspire.”

Sarah Ornst Bloomquist, CFLE, is Co-Founder and Executive Director of Mom’s Mental Health Initiative (MMHI). She has been advocating for perinatal mental health since she experienced her own postpartum depression and anxiety after the birth of her first son. Sarah brings over 20 years of professional experience,including her work as child advocacy program coordinator, life coach, family support specialist for perinatal couples, and crisis pregnancy counselor. Sarah is a Certified Family Life Educator, advocate and speaker. She is committed to helping moms break down the obstacles to effective treatment and find hope in the process. Born and raised in the greater Milwaukee area, Sarah is a cheesehead at heart but spent many treasured years as a Hoosier. She currently lives in Ozaukee County and is a proud mom of two. She enjoys playing soccer, being active, hanging out with friends and neighbors, and taking her rescue dogs for hikes.

Molly is an International Board-Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) and has been working with breastfeeding families since 2016. She has a bachelor’s degree in Speech Pathology but quickly found her passion for breastfeeding shortly after graduating from college. Molly owns Peterson Lactation Services where she practices inside Authentic Birth Center in Wauwatosa, WI. She believes that it is important to provide unique evidenced based support to parents to help them meet their feeding goals. She loves empowering them along the way and making sure to customize each visit to that family’s specific needs. Molly enjoys spending time with her husband and amazing two-year-old daughter. When she is not working, she loves to bake, be outside, and drink copious amounts of coffee. 

Elizabeth Maxwell Hovis, MD, is staff psychiatrist for The Periscope Project. She is an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine at the Medical College of Wisconsin where she specializes in Perinatal Psychiatry and Emergency Psychiatry. Dr. Hovis completed medical school at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, residency in General Adult Psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, and a fellowship in Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry at the Medical College of Wisconsin. In addition to her clinical roles within Perinatal and Emergency Psychiatry, Dr. Hovis is a staff psychiatrist with The Periscope Project where she strives to improve access to quality care for patients struggling with mental health concerns during and following pregnancy.

Session Details: This break-out session will highlight the many resources SAHRC has available to the adolescent and young adult health workforce related to topics such as adolescent development, positive youth development, protective factors, adolescent brain development, youth engagement strategies, mental health promotion, and adolescent healthcare. They will share key resources available through SAHRC as well as highlight resources of several of key partners. They look forward to answering questions and discussing best practices and successful models of adolescent health promotion being implemented around the country.

Lynn Bretl is the Director of the State Adolescent Health Resource Center (SAHRC), a national training and technical assistance center whose mission is to support the national community of state-level adolescent health professionals in their efforts to promote the health and well-being of the nation’s young people.

Session details: This breakout session will highlight Us 2 Behavioral Health Care, the mission of which is to advance health equity by removing barriers and creating an inclusive community where people can reach their full potential. Through a partnership with DHS and a Health Equity grant, Kinsey is working to create access to trained perinatal mental health providers throughout the state of Wisconsin.

Kinsey Pierre is a Clinical Director for Us 2 Behavioral Health Care in Appleton, WI. She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with a demonstrated history of working with various groups, across different disciplines, while advocating for minoritized communities. With Kinsey’s skillset and passion, Us2 is the recipient of the Maternal and Child Health Equity Grant, where Kinsey is pioneering the program development to create greater access to trained perinatal mental health providers across the Fox Cities region.

Session Details: This session will highlight the Roots4Change (Raíces para el Cambio) program. It is the first immigrant marketing cooperative in Dane County focusing on health. They are working to change the maternal and child health landscape to address inequities in perinatal well-being, by empowering families and challenging the system. Roots4Change (R4C) is owned by five independent social enterprises led by Latina and Indigenous doulas and community health workers, who walk with families in their journeys of parenting, childbirth, motherhood, and womanhood. Their ultimate goal is to develop community leadership from within.

Maricela Martinez Munguía is originally from the town of San Pedro Benito Juárez, which is two hours from the city of Puebla, Mexico. She is a wife, mother of four children, member of the Raíces para el Cambio cooperative, and owner of her own Apapachar Colectivo business where she performs her role as Doula, facilitator on mental health issues, trauma informed care, mindfulness and among others. Her mission as a Mindfulness Facilitator is to create and provide safe spaces where we are in the present moment, recognizing the sensations and emotions of our living being, creating a positive impact on the lives of mothers, infants and, in turn, entire families in positive directions. She provides workshops on mindfulness, talks with mothers on postpartum issues – postpartum depression, mental and physical health, among others. As a doula, she provided physical and emotional support and connection of resources. Maricela has had the opportunity to accompany births where the mother is alone during pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum. This is the reality of many mothers who, due to immigration, work and other reasons, are alone at such an important moment in their lives and that is where her role as Doula takes on its purpose. As Doula and Health Promoter, Maricela is working with her Latino/indigenous community informing and preventing illnesses, encouraging mothers to breastfeed as basic nutrition for newborns, talking about issues, mental and physical health, and breaking down with informed education, stigmas that prevent the well-being of the Latino community. When we inform and serve, we also respect the culture and practices of the community.

Aida Inuca belongs to the community of the original Kichwa peoples of the Andes. She lives with her family in the city of Madison. Currently, she is a Member of the Raíces Para el Cambio Cooperative where she works with the indigenous and Latino community of Madison and its surrounding area as a labor and postpartum Doula. Aida has taught workshops on trauma-informed care and is also a facilitator and coach in Mindfulness-based Childbirth and Parenting (MBCP).

Session details: The African American Breastfeeding Network (AABN) was established 15 years ago to improve maternal child health and champion breastfeeding equity. The organization is committed to advancing system and policy changes, partnering with allies and implementing community-based, family-centered culturally tailored health education and support services. The AABN has built eminent goodwill in the community and has been recognized and featured in local, state, and national media and reports.

Dalvery Blackwell is Executive Director and a co-founder of the African American Breastfeeding Network (AABN). She is a Certified Lactation Consultant and holds a bachelor’s in journalism/Communications. Through Dalvery’s leadership, the AABN has received several awards and recognitions including: 2023 Black Excellence Award, 2021 Wisconsin Public Health Association Award for Excellence in Health Promotion and Disease Prevention, 2017.

Session Details: Moms Mental Health Initiative (MMHI) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping moms navigate perinatal mood and anxiety disorders by sharing information, connecting them to resources and providing peer-driven support. As experienced community advocates, we make sure moms know they are not alone, ensure they get the right help quickly when they are suffering and give them a community to help them heal. In this breakout session, you will learn how MMH connects moms with perinatal mental health disorders to one another and evidence-based treatment.