Jane Kimani-Chomba, M.Ed., CHES
Jane Kimani is the founder and current president of Uhai For Health Inc. She is a strong advocate, Health Educator and a Community Organizer in the African community in Worcester Massachusetts. Jane holds a Bachelors degree in Community Health Education and a Masters in Education concentration in Health Education from Worcester State University. She is also a Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES) and has conducted numerous Health Education workshops both locally and in Africa. Jane is currently working at the University of Massachusetts Memorial Hospital as a Case Manager for the Healthy Start Program. She is also an active member of the Community Engagement Committee of the Obstestrician/Gyneocology Department with the goal of improving the health outcomes of the African women in Worcester.
Katharine O’Dell, RN, Ph.D., CNM
Kate O’Dell is a certified nurse midwife and nurse-practitioner with over 35 years of experience providing healthcare to women. She received her original nursing education at the Mayo Clinic/ Rochester MN, her midwifery diploma at the Frontier Nursing Service in Kentucky, a Master of Science from Case Western Reserve University, and a PhD from UMass. She currently holds a faculty position as Assistant Professor of OB/GYN at UMass Medical School, and continues active practice in general out-patient women’s health and urogynecology. Her interests include community outreach, health education, and increased access to care.
Pegeen Eslami, MD, FAAP
Pegeen Eslami is an attending physician in the Pediatric Emergency Department at UMass Memorial University Hospital and as Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at the UMass medical school. She is a graduate of Columbia University and the Harvard Medical School. Dr. Eslami has been a practicing pediatrician for 20 years in a variety of inner-city, rural, academic and community hospitals, specializing in pediatric resuscitation and transport issues. She became interested in international health and traveled with UHAI to Kenya in 2010, where she taught basic resuscitation skills to nurses and health care workers at the clinics in which UHAI For Health conducted screenings. She has spearheaded the collaboration of UHAI For Health with the Helping Babies Breathe initiative and obtained pilot funding from the University of Massachusetts for these programs in 2012.
Marianne Sarkis, Ph.D.
Marianne Sarkis is an assistant professor of international development and social change at Clark University in the Department of International Development, Community and Environment. She is an applied medical anthropologist and health researcher who focuses on issues related to reproductive health and experiences of African refugees and immigrants in the United States, specifically the link between refugee resettlement policies, reproductive strategies and fertility changes in host cultures. Her current two projects include chronic diseases, HIV/AIDS, and health inequalities among African refugees and immigrants. Her international work focuses on gender and health in Kenya, Lebanon, and the U.S.
Diane Pingeton, MD.
Dr. Pingeton graduated from Fitchburg State College with a BS – (magna cum laude); and proceeded to enroll in the premedical program at Harvard Extension School; and finally obtained her MD as well as OB/GYN residency at the University Of Massachusetts Medical School. She was a University of Massachusetts Medical Center Fellow, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists; and is a member of American Medical Women’s Association, UMass Memorial Prenatal Issues Committee and the Public Health Committee, Worcester District Medical Society. A Worcester-area native, Dr. Pingeton began her career as a nurse. As her interest in women’s health care grew, she undertook premedical coursework while a labor and delivery nurse at Beth Israel Hospital. Dr. Pingeton is interested in wellness for women of all ages, holistic health care, natural childbirth, stress reduction and gynecologic surgery.
Kristen Maki, MPH – (Treasurer)
After earning a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from Bard College, Kristen served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Mali, West Africa. The experience led her to pursue a Master of Public Health in International Health at Tulane University. After obtaining her degree, she moved to Worcester and worked for several years at the Great Brook Valley Community Health Center (now the Edward M. Kennedy Community Health Center). She is currently a Research Administrator at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. In addition to serving on the UHAI Board of Directors as Treasurer, Kristen volunteers with a number of community groups in Worcester, including serving as Co-Chair of her Neighborhood Crime Watch group.