HJC 2025 : simplebooklet.com

Mission StatementThe Health Justice Conference is an annualstudent-run event dedicated to fostering advocacyand empowerment among Upstate students andhealthcare professionals.Our theme for HJC 2025, "Beyond Labels:Unveiling Intersectional Pathways to HealthEquity," aims to elevate marginalized communitiesby increasing awareness of critical social issues thataffect health. We believe education is a powerfultool for developing effective advocacy strategies anddriving positive change.In today's society, health disparities and barriers toaccessing quality healthcare remain pressingchallenges. By addressing these inequalities, westrive to improve health outcomes fordisadvantaged populations and move closer toachieving health equity for all.“Of all the forms of inequality, injusticein healthcare is the most shocking andinhumane.”— Martin Luther King Jr.ABOUT US

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KEYNOTE SPEAKERMary Crossley is a Professor of Law and John E. Murray Faculty Scholar,and began serving as Interim Dean of the University of Pittsburgh School ofLaw in July 2023. Widely recognized for her scholarship in disability andhealth law, Professor Crossley has written broadly on issues of inequality inhealth care financing and delivery and has published articles in numerous lawjournals, including Columbia Law Review, Iowa Law Review, and Notre DameLaw Review. She is also the author of Embodied Injustice:Race, Disability, and Health (Cambridge University Press 2022). She teachescourses on Health Law, Health Justice, and Torts. She was selected in 2013 asa Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Public Health Law Scholar in Residence,and in 2014-15 she served as a Faculty Mentor for the Robert Wood JohnsonFoundation Future of Public Health Law Education FacultyFellowship Program.

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Nicole Fleming is a registered nurse residing in Rochester NY. She completedan accelerated second-degree program at University of Rochester to earn herBSN and become a registered nurse. She is now in school at the University ofRochester working towards her Master’s as a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner. Sheenjoys incorporating healthy lifestyle education with medicine to help patientsachieve their best health outcomes. She also works to educate fellow healthcareproviders and interpreters on Deaf culture, child development, and socialdeterminants of health. Nicole became Deaf during college and now uses acombination of ASL, cochlear implants, and her wonderful service dog, Freya, toensure complete access to the world around her.SPEAKERSJersey Cosantino (they/them), a former K-12 educator, is a doctoralcandidate in Cultural Foundations of Education at Syracuse University,holding certificates of advanced study in women’s and gender studies anddisability studies. A Mad studies and trans studies scholar, Jersey employsMad trans oral history methodologies that center the experiences andsubjectivities of Mad, neurodivergent, trans, and gender non-conformingnarrators. Challenging sanism, ableism, and transmisia, their researchconfronts medical model discourses and the pathologizing gaze of thepsychiatric industrial complex. A former Trans Lifeline call operator, Jerseyholds a master’s degree in high school English education (‘14) and a graduatecertificate in mindfulness studies (‘19) from Lesley University.Bobbierre Heard graduated from the Engineering and Design Program atCorcoran High School. Continued her education at Morrisville state college earninga business degree. And went on to get a design degree from SUNY Oswego in 2022.She is an innovative graphic designer and a proud advocate for children withdisabilities. Bobbierre has her own clothing line BREKY (Being Real ExtraordinaryKool Youth) and has collaborated on several projects with the Fitness InclusionNetwork. Bobbierre's passion for creating inclusive community programmingcomes from her personal experiences living with cerebral palsy. Born at just 26weeks weighing 1lb 2oz leading to her diagnosis. She was recently named as one ofthe winners of Syracuse University's 2021 'Unsung Heroes' award.Maddy Locastro is a third-year medical student in the MD/MPHprogram at Upstate Medical University. She serves as the EquipmentNavigator at the Golisano Center for Special Needs, working withfamilies to navigate the processes to access adaptive technologies thatboth include and extend beyond insurance reimbursement. She ispassionate about disability rights and plans to pursue a career indevelopmental pediatrics and advocacy.

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Professor Katherine Macfarlane is an Associate Professor of Law andDirector of the Disability Law and Policy Program at Syracuse UniversityCollege of Law, and a Senior Fellow at the Burton Blatt Institute. She teachesand writes about Disability Law, Civil Rights Litigation, and ConstitutionalLaw. Professor Macfarlane recently served as Special Counsel to the U.S.Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights, where she worked on theDepartment’s overhaul of regulations implementing Section 504 of theRehabilitation Act of 1973. Her appointment was supported by a FordFoundation U.S. Disability Rights Program grant. She received her B.A.,magna cum laude, from Northwestern University, and her J.D., cum laude,from Loyola Law School, Los Angeles. Liz Bowen, PhD, is an Assistant Professor of Bioethics and Humanities atUpstate Medical University, where she is a member of the Ethics ConsultService. She is Co-President of the Health Humanities Consortium and aPresidential Scholar at The Hastings Center, where she led a working groupthat produced the issue brief "Anti-Ableist Medical Education: Meeting theChallenges." Her research explores the intersections of disability studies,bioethics, and the health humanities, with a focus on how cultural narratives ofdisability shape public perceptions of ethical responsibility. Dr. Bowen is also apoet and associate editor of The Healing Muse. She has authored two books ofpoetry that address her experiences of disability and chronic illness.SPEAKERSAnnika Mounts is a third-year medical student currently enrolled in thelongitudinal elective course Physicians and Social Responsibilities III. Building onthe foundational skills she developed in Physicians and Social Responsibility I andII, Annika is now focused on applying advocacy strategies in the clinical settingthrough the completion of micro-projects. These projects are completed withmembers of the clinical care teams and are aimed at addressing system-levelbarriers to care. In this presentation, Annika will describe one of the microprojectsshe has completed this year.Madeline Lee is a 3rd-year medical student at Upstate MedicalUniversity participating in the elective course Physicians and SocialResponsibilities III.

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Caitlyn Copfer has been a member of the YWCA team since June 2021, andhas lived in the Syracuse community since 2019. Over the last decade, Caitlynhas worked with women and children in various capacities, including homelessand housing services, case management, and youth programs in Syracuse andUtica. In 2019, she earned a Master’s of Public Administration and Policy fromAmerican University. Caitlyn’s drive to empower girls and young women to fulfilltheir goals is fueled by the work done at the YWCA; as Chief DevelopmentOfficer, Caitlyn’s role is to develop programming that meets the needs ofunderserved girls and women in Syracuse and to tell the story of the impactmade on the community.SPEAKERSErica Belliveau is a junior, studying Clinical Laboratory Science (MedicalTechnology) at Upstate’s College of Health Professions. This will be her firstprofessional speaking engagement. She is ecstatic for the opportunity to raiseawareness of a topic of personal significance- rare diseases.Sarah C. Reckess, J.D. is an Assistant Professor of Bioethics and Humanities atUpstate Medical University. Ms. Reckess works at the intersection of policy, law andbioethics. She has a special interest in health care access for justice-involvedpatients, pediatric medical ethics, research ethics, and the rights of patients wholive with mental health issues and substance use disorders. Ms. Reckess islaunching the Syracuse Medical-Legal Partnership with SU College of Law andUpstate Pediatric and Adolescent Clinic (UPAC) in 2025. She earned her JurisDoctorate at Syracuse University College of Law, with a concentration in FamilyLaw and Social Policy, and is licensed to practice law in New York State. Alexcia Stevens is a recent re-addition to the YWCA team; she was a GirlsInc at YWCA Program Facilitator until early 2021, and returned to theorganization in Fall 2024. Born and raised in Syracuse, Alexcia’s experiencesas a student in the Syracuse City School District and her time as a youthemployee with CNYWorks fueled her passion to work with youth in Syracuse.In her current role as Girls Inc at YWCA Program Manager, Alexcia fuels herpassion to empower young girls to be their true selves and have self-love bycreating a safe space for all girls to learn and grow.

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SPEAKERSGordon Agyei R. Edwards, Jr. is a first year medical student at SUNYUpstate Medical University’s Norton College of Medicine. They earned theirBachelor of Science in Public Health from American University in Washington,D.C. in 2016 and his Master of Public Health in Epidemiology and Biostatisticswith a specialization in maternal, child, reproductive, and sexual health(MCRSH) from CUNY Grad School of Public Health & Health Policy in Harlemin 2021. Agyei worked full-time in research, evaluation, and communityengagement roles in HIV prevention, infectious disease, harm reduction, mentalhealth, and substance use recovery interventions at the CDC, BOOM!Health, theinaugural NYC Test & Trace Corps and NYC Department of Health and MentalHygiene. His research interests include clinical interventions integrating publichealth in the primary care setting to eliminate delays to mental health care andimprove community health outcomes. Dr. Waseem Sous is a board-certified internist passionate about health equity andrefugee care. He grew up in Amman, Jordan and moved to the U.S. at the age of 18to pursue a career in medicine as a first-generation professional. He received hisundergraduate degree in Biology from North Park University and Doctor ofOsteopathic Medicine degree from Des Moines University. He completed internalmedicine and chief residency training at SUNY Upstate Medical University.Subsequently, He pursued a two-year global health equity fellowship through theUniversity of California, San Francisco (UCSF). His global health work involvedbidirectional learning with Malawian colleagues to provide clinical services,longitudinal educational activities, support to local communities, and advocacyefforts to promote health justice. In the Fall of 2024, he joined the Department ofMedicine as an Assistant Professor at SUNY Upstate Medical University. He worksat the Upstate Center for International Health, providing community-connected carefor refugee populations in the Syracuse area. Dr. Michaela Sous is a board-certified OB/GYN passionate about reproductivejustice and health equity. She received an undergraduate degree in French fromCornell University and a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine from Des MoinesUniversity. She completed residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at SUNYUpstate Medical University. In the Fall of 2024, she joined the Department ofObstetrics and Gynecology as an Assistant Professor at SUNY Upstate MedicalUniversity, with a goal to bring specialized women’s healthcare services to theUpstate Center for International Health serving newly resettled refugees.Furthermore, she aims to develop global women’s health partnerships forbidirectional medical education. She serves as the Assistant Program Director forthe Upstate OB/GYN Residency program.

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Tolani Ajagbe, MBBS is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Addiction Psychiatryin the Division of Pain and Addiction Medicine at SUNY Upstate MedicalUniversity. He also serves as the Chief of Psychiatry and Medical Director ofAddiction Treatment Services at Crouse Health. Dr. Ajagbe earned hisundergraduate and medical degrees from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria. Hecompleted his residency training in Psychiatry at SUNY Upstate MedicalUniversity in Syracuse, NY. Dr. Ajagbe later completed a clinical fellowship inAddiction Psychiatry at the same institution. He is board certified in GeneralPsychiatry, Addiction Psychiatry and Addiction Medicine. Dr. Ajagbe is a memberof the American Psychiatric Association, American Academy of AddictionPsychiatry and the American Society of Addiction Medicine. He is a member of theCrouse Health Foundation Board and the Onondaga County Drug Task Force.Dr. Martha A. Wojtowycz, PhD is the Vice Chair for Education, in theDepartment of Public Health and Preventive Medicine at SUNY Upstate MedicalUniversity, with a joint appointment in the Department of Obstetrics andGynecology. She also serves as the Director of the Upstate Public HealthProgram. Dr. Wojtowycz is a health services researcher with experienceconducting research on a variety of topics, including social and economicdeterminants of low birth weight, nonclinical factors associated with cesareandelivery, satisfaction with care, the role of insurance and different paymentmethodologies on access to care, utilization of services and health outcomes. SPEAKERSMarcea Bond is a current MS3 student at Upstate and will be applyingOB/GYN for residency. She is originally from the west coast and but hasspent over half her life in the Syracuse community. She was trained as acommunity doula in 2023 and is motivated to meld these twoskills/worlds together. Outside of work, she is passionate about nature,food, and friends/family.Elizabeth G. Crockett, PhD, RD, CDN earned a Master’s and PhD in Nutritionfrom Syracuse University. She has 35 years’ experience in public health programmingand administration, 24 years at REACH CNY. REACH CNY’s mission is empoweringindividuals and families to live their healthiest lives. Its Community Health Workersprovide home visiting for pregnant and parenting individuals and their infants,connecting families to resources, providing health education and other supports.

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SeQuoia Kemp is a Black feminist birth worker and Student Midwife fromSyracuse, NY, where she serves as a community organizer, health justiceadvocate, community health nurse, and doula trainer. SeQuoia is the Founder andCEO of Doula 4 a Queen, and one of three co-founders of Sankofa ReproductiveHealth and Healing Center. Kemp also serves on Crouse Health's InauguralDiversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging Advisory Board. Her work is informedby a birth justice, reproductive justice, and abolitionist framework. She holds aBachelor of Arts in Public Health (2016) and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing(2020) from the University of Rochester. Kemp’s mission is to provide a safe andaffirming space for birthing people to learn how to navigate reproductive healthcare while also advocating for an end to obstetric violence and medical racism.SeQuoia is working towards becoming a Certified Professional Midwife with plansto provide trauma-informed, community-based care. SPEAKERSAudrey Roosevelt is an MS1 student in the Upstate MedicalUniversity MPH/MD program. She is looking forward to moderatingthe reproductive health panel, as she is planning to work as an OBGYNin the future. She hopes to leave the conversation with a greaterunderstanding of ways to advocate for patients and provide access tocomprehensive and compassionate care.Dominique Harris is an experienced healthcare administrator with expertise incompliance, training, and risk management. As QA & Compliance Director at ACRHealth, they lead audit preparation, implement training programs, and developemergency response protocols.Previously, Dominique held leadership roles at Planned Parenthood CNY and CentroCNYRTA, focusing on staff training, client services, and operational efficiency. Sheholds a Bachelor’s and Associate’s degree in Healthcare Administration from theUniversity of Phoenix.

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SPEAKERSHillary Warner, a Syracuse native, is a public health professional with over adecade of experience in community outreach and education. She currently serves asthe Justice Coordinator for the New York State Courts Fifth Judicial District.Previously, Hillary led reproductive health initiatives at Planned Parenthood ofCentral & Western New York, focusing on education and advocacy.In addition to her professional work, Hillary facilitates a family program atHuntington Family Center, serves on local nonprofit boards, and is an MPHcandidate at Johns Hopkins University. She is committed to advancing access andequity, working alongside others to create a more inclusive and just future for all.

HJC 2025

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