President

Jen Romanello is the President and Founding Member of the Forum. She is a medical student at Rush Medical College (Class of 2024) and grew up in New York City. She studied Biology and Applied Ethics at the George Washington University (GW). During college, she led and founded GW’s chapter of The Triple Helix, a forum by undergraduates for writing and discussion in Bioethics. After graduating, she coordinated clinical research at the global fertility practice Shady Grove Fertility, and served as a voting member of the practice’s Ethics Committee. She was also an Ambassador at Planned Parenthood of Metropolitan Washington, DC, where she created a panel with local physicians and health educators on female pleasure, sexual communication, and language to discuss pleasure free of stigma and shame. She is currently involved in clinical research-one study is on lysis of clitoral adhesions and another is on medical trauma in patients with chronic pelvic pain. She loves creating opportunities for people to challenge and expand what they know. As a future physician, she intends to shape large-scale conversations on women’s health and well-being.

​

Connect with Jen on Twitter: @JenRomanello

Education Chair

Nicolette Codispoti is a medical student at Loyola University Stritch School of Medicine in the Class of 2023. Nicolette grew up on Long Island, New York and graduated from the University of Wisconsin - Madison with a major in Biology and certificates in Gender and Women’s Studies, and Global Health and Leadership. Following undergrad, Nicolette completed her Master’s in Public Health in Community Health and her Master’s in Science in Human Nutrition and Functional Medicine. While completing her Master’s of Science, Nicolette also worked as a Research Associate at Clinical Outcomes Solutions, where she supported patient-centered qualitative outcome research studies and clinical trials. Nicolette has a passion for women’s health and medical education, and is intimately involved in both areas at her institution as the Mentorship Chair for the Society of Women’s Health and the President of the Academic Medicine Interest Group. With her passion for obstetrics & gynecology, in conjunction with her previous experience conducting research on Female Sexual Arousal Disorder during her time as a research consultant, Nicolette looks forward to contributing on the Forum and learning more about how we can play a role in pushing the field forward as medical students.

​

Connect with Nicolette on Twitter: @nmcodispoti

Student Engagement Chair

Monica Contractor is a medical student at Loyola University Stritch School of Medicine (Class of ‘24). She graduated from Loyola University Chicago with a major in Psychology and a minor in Biology. Since college, Monica has been dedicated to supporting survivors of gender-based violence (GBV). As a freshman, she connected with peers who also recognized the epidemic of sexual assault, domestic violence, and other forms of GBV on college campuses, and co-founded CHANGE (Challenging Antiquated Norms for Gender Equality), with goals to create inclusive and critical spaces to challenge norms, further prevention, and empower survivors. Monica also worked as a campus ambassador for the One Love Foundation and led educational workshops with college students about relationship abuse. During her senior year, she completed her Psychology capstone as a research fellow studying gender harassment in educational and workplace settings, and bystander intervention.  Monica continues to dedicate time to supporting survivors of sexual violence as a rape crisis intervention advocate and has received over 100+ hours of training on supporting survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence. She is currently involved with a clinical research study on the impact of postpartum depression on sexual health and relationship satisfaction between new mothers and their partners. At her medical school, she is also involved with Society of Women’s Health, Medicus Podcast, New Life Volunteering Society, Class Board, and White Coats 4 Black Lives. 

​

Connect with Monica on Twitter: @monica_med24

Symposium Committee Chair

Monica Myers is a medical student at Chicago Medical School at Rosalind Franklin University (Class of 2024). She grew up in Grayslake, IL and attended the University of Iowa where she studied Human Physiology and Psychology. After graduating from undergrad, she worked full time in research in obstetrics at the University of Iowa for one semester prior to starting medical school. She is currently involved in the Women's Health Interest Group and Medical Students for Choice at Chicago Medical School, as well as various committees for the school's free clinic- focusing on research, grant writing, and a reproductive health exploratory committee. She is also currently involved in research involving the effect of positioning on blood pressure measurements in pregnant women as well as the lysis procedure to treat clitoral adhesions. She is passionate about all-things women's health, and is eager to participate in projects and initiatives that advance the clinical management of patients before, during, and after pregnancy and menopause.

Treasurer

Anh is a student at Midwestern University Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine in the class of 2023. She grew up in Bolingbrook, IL, a western suburb of Chicago, and graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in May 2018. Anh’s passion for women’s rights was spearheaded by her commitment as a student worker at the Women’s Resources Center, an advocacy and counseling center focused on combatting sexism and offering support to survivors of sexual assault and abuse. This experience has made women’s health and reproductive rights a motivator for Anh in her pursuit of a medical career.

​

Anh aspires to be a psychiatrist, in the hopes of advocating for her patients’ mental health, destigmatizing mental illness, and making mental health resources more accessible to underserved populations. Before entering medical school, Anh received EMT certification and worked as an office manager and medical receptionist for a psychiatrist and an internist in Carol Stream, IL. In her free time, she loves to watch films, eat out, cook, and run.

​

Education Chair

Elsa Nico is a medical student at the University of Illinois College of Medicine (Class of 2023) and a member of the Global Medicine program. She was born in Korçë, Albania and grew up in Naperville, IL. Elsa graduated from Johns Hopkins University with a double major in Neuroscience & Medicine, Science, and the Humanities in 2018, with her sophomore year completed at The University of Oxford studying Biochemistry. During her gap year, she conducted clinical research on peripheral artery disease at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine where she advocated for disadvantaged patient populations. In her first year of medical school, Elsa served as an M1 representative of the American Medical Women's Association (AMWA) and President of Chicago Cancer Society while simultaneously conducting research in neurocysticercosis, epilepsy, and surgical oncology. She is passionate about women's health, first-generation physicians, global health, and oncology. She hopes to advocate for other women and immigrants entering the field of medicine throughout her career. In her free time, Elsa loves binge-watching Netflix, diamond painting, taking care of her plants, and playing board games with friends.

​

Connect with Elsa on Twitter: @Elsa_Nico_

Community Outreach Chair

Masumi is a medical student belonging to the Class of 2023 at Chicago Medical School. She is very passionate about women’s health and aspires to be an obstetrician-gynecologist focusing on high-risk pregnancies. She is currently working on obstetric fistula research at the University of California, San Francisco, studying community perspectives in Sub Saharan and South Asian countries. She is also co-president of the Women’s Health Interest Group at her medical school. Raised in the Bay Area, Masumi plans to get involved in the healthtech space and collaborate with startups centered around women’s health. In her free time she likes to watercolor, watch reality tv, and cook.

​

Connect with Masumi on Twitter: @MasumiPadhye

Education Chair

Anna Petersen is a medical student in the Rush Medical College Class of 2023. She grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and studied biology at Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota. She was inspired to learn more about deficiencies in medical research, education, and treatment with regard to women’s health after reading Doing Harm: The Truth About How Bad Medicine and Lazy Science Leave Women Dismissed, Misdiagnosed, and Sick by Maya Dusenbery (2018), and is excited to be involved in this project. Before medical school, she worked as an EMT and Field Training Officer for a Bay Area ambulance company. During her first year of medical school, she joined Rush’s Student Committee on the Academic Curriculum and recently become a Peer Tutoring leader. Anna plans to specialize in Emergency Medicine and is motivated to close the gap of medical education to include historically ignored and under-researched conditions primarily affecting women. 

Community Outreach Chair

Patrice is currently a medical student at Rush Medical College in the Class of 2023. From California’s Bay Area, Patrice grew up passionate about women’s reproductive health and rights, which led her to participate in Planned Parenthood Generation Action and intern in the MIU at St. John’s Hospital during college. Before pursuing her MD, she worked as a Health Services Specialist and Medical Assistant at Planned Parenthood and a San Francisco Ob/Gyn clinic, respectively. 

​

These years solidified her passion for advancing women’s health through destigmatizing the female body, strengthening the right to choose, and making equal, quality care accessible to people from all backgrounds. During her free time, Patrice serves on the executive board for Rush Students for Choice, is the steer for Reproductive Health Advocates for Adolescents, and is a certified yoga instructor working to empower people through mindful movement on their mats.