Welcome New and Returning Board Mmebers

In the last NWHN Board of Directors elections, all three incumbents were re-elected: Bindiya Patel, Laura Kaplan and Susan Wood. In addition, three members will join the board in June: Priscilla Huang, Charlea Massion, and Zipatly Mendoza. Learn more about these excellent women in their candidate’s statements, below:

Priscilla Haung: I have worked to promote racial, gender and immigrant equity in health since forming my law school’s chapter of Law Students for Choice (now Law Students for Reproductive Justice) in 2003. Upon graduating from American University, Washington College of Law, where I was one of 10 Public Interest/Public Service scholars, I received a Georgetown Women’s Law and Public Policy fellowship to work at the National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum (NAPAWF).  As a fellow, I worked on a number of health policy issues affecting Asian and Pacific Islander women, including access to abortions and barriers to Medicaid eligibility for immigrants. In 2007, I became NAPAWF’s Policy and Programs Director, where I oversaw policy advocacy, government relations, communications and coalition work relating to the organization’s reproductive justice, immigrant rights and anti-trafficking programs. I had the pleasure of working alongside NWHN staff to advocate for a progressive health reform bill that would provide quality, affordable health coverage for all women and their families regardless of income level or immigration status. I’ve served on the national boards of Law Students for Reproductive Justice, SisterSong Women of Color Reproductive Health Collective, and as an Advisory Board member of Raising Women’s Voices.  In February, I started a new position at the Asian and Pacific Islander American Health Forum (APIAHF) as the Associate Policy Director, leading APIAHF’s immigration policy work.  I hope to stay connected with the women’s health community as a member of NWHN board.

Charlea Massion: Women’s health is my passion. For over 20 years, I have co-taught a women’s health course at Stanford Medical School; we introduce medical students to the psychological, political, social, and cultural aspects of women’s health — topics that deserve much more attention in the curriculum! During medical school, I observed the gap between what women need to be healthier and what our current medical system offers. My three decades as a family physician in community clinics, the Indian Health Service, and now as a hospitalist (caring for hospitalized adolescents and adults in Santa Cruz, CA) have allowed me to learn from my patients how to improve my own doctoring and what to teach medical students and physicians to provide better care to women. I helped found the American College of Women’s Health Physicians, which advocates for a more complex, integrated vision of women’s health. Our digital library can be seen on Medpedia. (www.medpedia.com, search: Advancing Women’s Health). I am a long-term Network member and supporter. Adriane Fugh-Berman and I co-write “Rx for Change” in The Women’s Health Activist. I co-authored the NWHN book, The Truth About Hormone Replacement Therapy, and wrote on bone health for Our Bodies, Ourselves: Menopause. I also advocate for better integration of alternative therapies into mainstream health care. I want to help strengthen NWHN as a board member, especially by reaching out to younger women and exploring new sources for fundraising to ensure the Network thrives in the new millennium.

Zipatly Mendoza: I believe all individuals, regardless of race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, age, gender, sexual orientation, and/or immigration status, have the right to quality and affordable health care services. In addition to health care services, I believe individuals must have access to a healthy social and physical environment to reach their full health potential. There are so many injustices that occur in this country and lead to health disparities and inequities. As the Office Chief of the Arizona Health Disparities Center at the Department of Health Services, I am able to address these injustices by addressing the impact of social determinants of health on Arizona’s residents. The NWHN board is an important mechanism to address health inequities and policy issues which directly impact women’s health. I have worked with various vehicles to reach women including my sorority (community service-based). As an undergraduate member, I was a founding member of the first Domestic Violence Awareness Week. This was the springboard to my work in power dynamics and gender equality and lead to a two-year fellowship at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. I went on to earn an MPH in Maternal and Child Health, which paved my way in the fight for social justice. I am very passionate and committed to eliminating health inequities. I will bring my experience in health equity, program development, grant writing, and youth mentorship to the NWHN Board of Directors. I look forward to the opportunity to serve on the Board.