Healthy Start Symposium 2025

Be part of a powerful day focused on healing, equity, and postpartum care for Black mothers.

About this Event

Day 2: 2025 Healthy Start Symposium – Bridging Gaps in the Fourth TrimesterThursday, May 29 | 8:30 AM – 3:30 PM

William Pitt Union, University of Pittsburgh: 3959 Fifth Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15260

As part of a three-day event series focused on Black maternal health, Day 2 invites community members, providers, and advocates to gather for a full day of connection, learning, and systems-shifting dialogue. Held at the William Pitt Union, the 2025 Healthy Start Symposium will explore the theme: Postpartum Health Equity: Bridging Gaps in the Fourth Trimester.

You'll hear from dynamic speakers, including our keynote LaTasha Reece, M.S., PMH-C, CPD(CBI). LaTasha is a traumatic stress researcher, lactation educator, and postpartum doula. As co-founder of Postpartum Peace of Mind, she works to provide equitable, evidence-based postpartum care and education for Women of Color. Her work is grounded in lived experience and committed to dismantling the barriers that keep Black mothers from thriving. Attend breakout sessions, engage with poster presentations, and explore new pathways toward more equitable, community-rooted postpartum care.

Childcare will be available onsite
Light breakfast and lunch included

Agenda


🕑: 08:30 AM - 09:00 AM
Light Breakfast

🕑: 09:00 AM - 09:10 AM
Welcome

🕑: 09:10 AM - 10:00 AM
Keynote with Q&A – LaTasha Reece

🕑: 10:15 AM - 11:15 AM
Postpartum Wellness: Holistic and Ancestral Healing for Black Mothers
Host: Aquene Watkins-Wise

🕑: 10:15 AM - 11:15 AM
Empowering Inclusive Breastfeeding Support: CDLI Training for Health Equity
Host: Gina VanCant

🕑: 10:15 AM - 11:15 AM
Understanding PRAMS: Where and How Your Data is Used
Host: Sarah Graves

🕑: 10:15 AM - 11:15 AM
How to Use After-Action Review to Debrief Patients' Birth Experiences
Host: Elena Lands, MD

🕑: 11:30 AM - 12:30 PM
Lunch Presentation – EMBRACE Overview & Update

🕑: 12:30 PM - 01:00 PM
Poster Gallery Walk & Networking

🕑: 01:00 PM - 02:00 PM
The Fourth Trimester in the Other Baby ICU – Disparities and Opportunities for
Host: Jess Davis

🕑: 01:00 PM - 02:00 PM
Building Community Collaboration to Develop a Population-Specific Intervention
Host: Serwaa S. Omowale, PhD, LMSW, MPH

🕑: 01:00 PM - 02:00 PM
Nurturing Life: How Gardening Can Benefit Black Maternal Health
Host: Nadia Mercado

🕑: 01:00 PM - 02:00 PM
Impact of Telelactation on Breastfeeding by Race and Ethnicity
Host: Jill Demirci

🕑: 02:10 PM - 03:00 PM
First Steps & Birthing Beyond: Our Community's Stories, Our Defining Solutions
Host: Takiyah Durham

🕑: 02:10 PM - 03:00 PM
Milk with a Mission: Transforming Neonatal Care with Donor Milk
Host: Denise O'Connor

🕑: 02:10 PM - 03:00 PM
EMBRACE Reproductive Justice 101 Training: Reproductive Justice, Implicit Bias
Host: Ngozi Tibbs and Linda Adodoadji

🕑: 02:10 PM - 03:00 PM
Reimagining Postpartum Research: A Learning Health Systems Model
Host: Dr. Janet Catov

🕑: 03:00 PM - 03:30 PM
Closing Remarks & Evaluations

Also check out other Health & Wellness events in Pittsburgh, Workshops in Pittsburgh, Sports events in Pittsburgh.