Community Invited to Guest Presentation at Salus University

1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Salus University
Elkins Park Campus
Classroom S305-B
8360 Old York Road
Elkins Park, PA 19027

Salus University is hosting a special presentation, Sexual and Reproductive Health in 2019: It Was the Best of Times; It Was the Worst of Times, with distinguished speaker Melissa Weiler Gerber, president and CEO of AccessMatters - a Philadelphia based advocacy organization for transforming access to sexual and reproductive health. 

The presentation will highlight some of the most promising advancements in sexual and reproductive health, and focus on the political challenges to their realization. To do so, the talk focuses on the history of publicly-funded reproductive health work in the United States, the politicization of such work, the current climate for engaging in it and the most pressing avenues for advocacy to ensure continued access to medically-accurate information and comprehensive, client-centered care. 

Please RSVP to Marie Szlona at 215.780.1526 by Monday, January 14 if attending.
About Melissa Weiler Gerber



Since August 2010, Melissa Weiler Gerber has served as the President & CEO of AccessMatters  in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. AccessMatters advances sexual and reproductive health  outcomes to promote health equity for individuals, families and communities.  Through  research, training, delivery of evidence-based programs, community engagement and  advocacy, AccessMatters is transforming access to sexual and reproductive health.  During her  tenure, Melissa has led the organization through a far-reaching strategic planning,  restructuring and rebranding process. This transformative work has positioned the 45+ year  old agency for a new health care and public health funding environment, recognized access to  sexual and reproductive health care within a social justice framework, and emphasized the  centrality of sexual and reproductive health care to overall health and wellbeing.

Prior to joining AccessMatters, Melissa served for over a decade as the Executive Director of  WOMEN'S WAY, a non-profit organization that raises money and public awareness to fight for  and achieve women's equality, safety, self-sufficiency and reproductive freedom through  women-centered funding, advocacy and education. A lawyer by training, Melissa also served  as the Senior Staff Attorney at the Homeless Advocacy Project and began her career as an  Associate at the law firm of Morgan Lewis specializing in healthcare and insurance regulatory  matters.

Melissa has been active in many community organizations. Currently, she serves on the  Philadelphia Department of Public Health's HIV Fetal Infant Mortality Review Community  Action Team and its Maternal Mortality Review Team. She also serves as Vice Chair of the  Board of Governors of Hahnemann University Hospital, as Chair of the Board of Directors of  the Family Planning Councils of America, and on the Board of the Committee of Seventy, a  good government nonprofit.

Melissa graduated magna cum laude from Princeton University with a degree in History. She  earned a JD, cum laude, from Georgetown University. Melissa enjoys living, working and  playing in the City of Philadelphia where she is raising her two children, Bea and Oscar.


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