Dr. Nicholas (Nick) Rubashkin, PhD, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences at UCSF, where he works as an obstetric hospitalist. He holds a PhD in Global Health Sciences, also from UCSF. In his clinical practice, research, and advocacy, he seeks to address the social, cultural, and economic drivers of poor-quality care and mistreatment of women and pregnant people in birth facilities. Since 2022, he has been a Women’s Reproductive Health Research (WRHR) Scholar at UCSF, conducting NIH-funded research on equitable access to VBAC in California. He is the Principal Investigator of the UCSF Better Birth Options Study.
Naomi Lopez-Solano is a third-year Family Nurse Practitioner student currently pursuing advanced clinical training to provide holistic, patient-centered care. As a current Schweitzer Fellow, she is deeply engaged in service-oriented healthcare innovation and community health promotion. She earned her B.S. in Biopsychology from the University of California, Davis.
Before her graduate studies, Naomi worked as a qualitative healthcare researcher, bringing a rigorous and nuanced understanding to patient experiences and healthcare systems. She is passionate about advancing respectful care, reducing health disparities, and centering patients’ voices and dignity in clinical practice. Her future plans include becoming a primary care provider committed to equity, advocacy, and the well-being of underserved communities.
TaNefer Camara is a maternal health strategist, international board-certified lactation consultant, and certified doula dedicated to advancing birth and breastfeeding equity in California and beyond. Over the last two decades, she has led initiatives centered on Black family resilience, maternal and infant health, nutrition, and lactation. She is the founder of T.L.C. Consulting & Maternal Healing, a consulting firm that specializes in lactation and postpartum healing, and a co-founder of the B.L.A.C.K. Course. TaNefer has contributed to community-engaged research with UCSF’s Preterm Birth Initiative and continues to consult with researchers and organizations committed to advancing health equity.
Julia Piccirillo-Stosser is a second-year MPH student in the Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health program at UC Berkeley. After earning her B.A. in Public Health and B.S. in Molecular Environmental Biology from UC Berkeley in 2023, she pursued her MPH with a passion for improving the health of Black and Latinx mothers in the U.S. Julia has worked on community-oriented research projects focused on improving clinical outcomes and reducing disparities through patient-centered care. After completing her MPH in May, she plans to attend medical school to become an OB/GYN and hopes to influence medical training to be grounded in public health frameworks. Although she has enjoyed California for the past six years, she’s a native New Yorker and loves it when people say she has an accent.
Mariam Ghanem (not pictured) is a first-year student in the Entry Level Master’s (ELM) program at San Francisco State University. She earned her undergraduate degree in Biology and currently contributes to multiple research projects at UCSF, including work focused on HIV and reproductive health. Her academic and professional interests center on women’s health, with a strong commitment to community engagement and patient education. She is passionate about fostering meaningful connections and learning from people from all backgrounds. She loves to find new coffee places all of the Bay Area!