When a Black mother dies, there is a ripple effect. Following the deaths of two young women due to childbirth complications, two bereaved families galvanize activists, birth-workers, and physicians to reckon with one of the most pressing American crises today: the US maternal health crisis. Directed by Paula Eiselt and Tonya Lewis Lee.
Pizza and beverages will be served at the event. For questions about this event, please contact edi-events@utah.edu.
As an additional resource, the Black Physicians of Utah have provided a playlist of educational videos on Black Maternal Mortality.
This event is part of Women’s Week: February 27 – March 3, 2023.
Women’s Week is an annual, weeklong event focused on gendered issues and challenges faced in today’s socioeconomic and political climate, intersectionality, and cultural movements. Women’s Week 2023 events will investigate when public policy becomes personal, and explore what this means for us as individuals, citizens, and participants in a diverse democracy.
Women’s Week 2023 is planned in partnership with various organizations across the University of Utah and sponsored by 
Moderator
Dr. Alice Akunyili, MD, received her Medical Degree from the Victor Babes University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Timisoara, Romania. She has worked in Medical Education as the Associate Director of Clinical Academics with Kaplan Medical and more recently at the Florida International University. She is currently the Assistant Dean of Academic Affairs at the Noorda College of Osteopathic Medicine.
Panelist
Dr. Adebayo Adesomo is a fellow in the department of Maternal-Fetal Medicine. He obtained his medical degree from the University of Texas Health Science Center prior to completing his residency training in Obstetrics and Gynecology at The Ohio State University. Dr. Adesomo’s clinical focus is evidenced-based counseling and management of medically and obstetrically complicated pregnancies. His research interests include fetal growth restriction, diabetes in pregnancy, and critical care.
Panelist
Vanessa Bassett is a 43-year-old woman who has spent her entire career in biopharma and pharmaceutical sales. She is currently serving as the Area Vice President for a small biopharma company. Vanessa has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Spanish from Wake Forest University and a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Colorado, Denver.
Vanessa is a proud wife and mom of 2 young children. A 4 1/2-year-old daughter named Blake and a 20-month-old son named Connor. As a family, they enjoy outdoor activities such as hiking and skiing and they enjoy all that life has to offer in Denver, CO. As a Black woman who is conscientious about her personal health and familiar with common medical outcomes that afflict the Black community, Vanessa is happy to share her birthing experience with her son Connor and hopes that her story can help guide other women of color through the birthing journey.
Panelist
Dr. Debbink is an Assistant Professor in Maternal-Fetal Medicine at the University of Utah. She graduated from Rice University, with dual degrees in Sociology and Policy Studies. Following graduation, she worked for the Texas Program for Society and Health at the Baker Institute for Public Policy. She then attended University of Michigan Medical School, completing both her MD and PhD in social epidemiology. Following ObGyn residency at Michigan, she completed her fellowship in Maternal Fetal Medicine at the University of Utah in June 2020. In 2020, she was selected as a Reproductive Scientist Development Program Scholar. Dr. Debbink’s research focuses on how social structures, neighborhood factors, and health policy can produce health risk or resiliency (and reproductive justice or injustice), particularly with regard to racial inequities in maternal morbidity among Indigenous, Black, and other birthing people of color.
Panelist
Jeelan Fall is a Certified Nurse Midwife and Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner providing full-scope services including routine gynecologic care throughout the lifespan, contraception, pre-conception counseling, pregnancy, labor, birth, and postpartum care. Jeelan is a first-generation graduate with a life-long calling to the world of childbirth and women’s health. She believes in the philosophy of shared decision-making between patients and their care providers. She received a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Westminster College in Salt Lake City, Utah, and a Doctor of Nursing Practice from the University of Utah.
Dr. Fall has a particular passion for maternal health disparities and how they tie into increased rates of morbidity and mortality among mothers and neonates who are Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC). In her free time, she enjoys traveling to any place in the world with a beach and spending time with her family.