As the summer comes to a close, and as Upstream’s work is kicking back into gear, we have some exciting news to share about our Massachusetts Council of Advisors.
First, we are honored to announce that Lauren Baker, Massachusetts’ First Lady, has joined our Council as Honorary Chair. In this role, Lauren will help build awareness about and expand Upstream’s work across the Commonwealth. We are also thrilled to welcome Dr. Katharine White, Principal Investigator for Partners in Contraceptive Care and Knowledge (PICCK) at Boston Medical Center, to our Council. As the other state-funded contraceptive care program in Massachusetts, Kate and the PICCK team are close partners of ours, as we work together to expand contraceptive access statewide.
Finally, we want to extend a heartfelt congratulations to Upstream Council member Ed Sayer on his recent retirement and years of service to patients across Massachusetts.
As our work expands across the Commonwealth, we are humbled by the dedication of so many champions supporting contraceptive access. We are honored to be working alongside them.
New Advisory Council Members
We are excited to announce two new members of our Upstream Massachusetts Council of Advisors:
Massachusetts First Lady, Lauren Baker
Honorary Chair, Upstream MA Council of Advisors
Lauren Schadt Baker currently serves as the First Lady of Massachusetts alongside her husband, Governor Charlie Baker. As First Lady, Baker works to improve the lives of the children of Massachusetts, focusing in particular on children involved with the MA Department of Children and Families through her work with the Wonderfund, a private nonprofit she helped launch.
Baker is a veteran of the advertising world in both New York and Boston where she managed the development of brand campaigns for consumer products, technology companies and non-profit organizations. Today, Baker works as a senior marketing communications consultant, building brand strategies for independent schools with The Baker Group. Her continued passion for service is evident through her current work to increase awareness and raise funds for a number of causes for children, education, health and social services.
I’m honored to be joining the Council of Advisors for Upstream Massachusetts. Upstream’s work in other states like Delaware has yielded incredible results for women and families. Massachusetts has made tremendous progress ensuring access to women’s healthcare, but there is more work to be done. In the Commonwealth, nearly half of all pregnancies are unintended. The work that Upstream is doing to ensure access to the full range of contraceptive methods is crucial in helping Massachusetts residents decide if and when they want to become pregnant. I am delighted to support this initiative and help expand Upstream’s work in Massachusetts.”
– Lauren Baker, First Lady of Massachusetts
Dr. Katharine White, Principal Investigator, Partners in Contraceptive Choice and Knowledge (PICCK) at Boston Medical Center
Council Member, Upstream MA Council of Advisors
Dr. Katharine White is the Director of the Family Planning Fellowship at Boston University/Boston Medical Center and is an Associate Professor of OB/GYN at the Boston University School of Medicine. She completed her residency in OB/GYN at Baystate Medical Center, and her Fellowship in Family Planning at Columbia University (where she also received her masters of public health).
Dr. White is the principal investigator for the Partners In Contraceptive Choice and Knowledge (PICCK) program, to improve contraceptive access and quality across Massachusetts birth hospitals. She frequently lectures locally and nationally on a number of topics related to reproductive health. Dr. White is also on the advisory board for Women’s Health and is a contributor on sexual health issues for Glamour magazine.
Congratulations to Edward Sayer
Upstream Council of Advisors member Ed Sayer recently retired from his position as CEO of the Community Health Center of Franklin County. We send our warmest congratulations to Ed, as well as a heartfelt thank you for his many years of service to patients across Massachusetts. Throughout his career, Ed has worked hard to make healthcare accessible, affordable, and convenient for all.
We’re grateful that Ed will be continuing his role on our Council of Advisors, and appreciate his dedication to our mission and ongoing support.
There are so many things I love about Upstream. It’s staffed by people who are compassionate and very responsive to our health center, and I’m sure to other health centers. Reproductive healthcare is essential, and what Upstream does is amazing because they go beyond reproductive health planning. They focus on the patient’s experience, whatever that may be, which is core to the ethos of our health center. It’s all about the patient and not just the organization, so I’m a big fan.”
– Ed Sayer, Former CEO of Community Health Center of Franklin County
Congratulations Ed!
If you are interested in learning more about working with Upstream MA, please reach out to us at MA@Upstream.org.
