Hi Everyone! I’m excited to “meet” you and share a little bit more about me! I am so passionate about bringing awareness to the behavioral and mental healthcare struggles of underserved communities. I am a former Speech and Behavioral therapist for children. So my advocacy work started with advocating for access to care for underinsured families so they could get the help they need. Usually this affected people from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, People of Color and immigrants.
I’m not shy when it comes to speaking up about social justice issues (access to quality healthcare is one!). I help to inform others through Op-Ed pieces, nationwide presentations and social media content. Follow me on IG! I also served as the Anti-Racism committee lead for a Social Justice Task Force advocating for marginalized communities and prompting difficult conversations about race in professional settings. I’m a member of IAEDP’s AAEDP(African-American Eating Disorder Professionals) subcommittee and this year I completed Brave/r Space training where I learned to build a framework for racial equity transformation in corporate organizations using tools and protocols to engage, sustain and deepen brave/r conversations about race.
Currently, I work in outreach for an eating disorder treatment facility. During my time in my current role, I have seen an overall lack of diversity in the field, which is why I am so happy to be leading the community group, HUGS- ED. HUGS-ED (Historically Underrepresented Groups Specializing in Eating Disorders) is for all eating disorder professionals, advocates and researchers with marginalized identities (LGBTQIA+, BI&POC, People in Bigger Bodies). I wanted to create a safe space for us to network and connect! I hope you can join us!
Our next (virtual) meeting will be on October 7th at 6pm CDT. Please email me if you’d like to join [email protected].