Empowering Reproductive Health: A Conversation with the Seleni Institute
On Thursday, September 26, the Association of Foreign Press Correspondents (AFPC-USA) met with staff members and collaborators from the Seleni Institute, an organization renowned for its efforts in the advancement of maternal mental health. The Seleni Institute provides therapy services for individuals, couples, and families and essential training to healthcare professionals, addressing the needs of individuals and families within the realm of reproductive health.
Foreign journalists had the opportunity to hear from three speakers on behalf of the organization.
Ashanda Saint-Jean, MD, is a board-certified OB/GYN Physician with over 20 years of experience working in New York City, focused on the delivery of quality care to underrepresented minority women. Her life’s work has been devoted to the excellence in health care delivery via patient centered comprehensive care, which is inclusive of mental health wellness and combating social determinants of health. Dr. Saint-Jean is committed to women’s health issues, most importantly focusing on racial disparities, health equity and inclusion, maternal health safety, policy, and access. She is a subject matter expert on maternal mortality, racial and cultural concordant care and health care disparities. She is the Chair of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Health Alliance Hospitals of the Hudson Valley, part of the Westchester Medical Center Health Network and an Associate Professor in the Department of OB/GYN at New York Medical College. She is a consultant for the New York City Department of Health, a member of the Ulster County Board of Health, the Diversity, the Hudson Valley section Chair for ACOG District II, the ACOG District II Diversity, Equity and Inclusion delegate for ACOG national delegation, an appointed member of both the New York State and New York City Maternal Mortality Review Boards and a physician consultant and member of the New York State Coalition for Doula Access.
Cori Galdo, MA, LMHC is an experienced licensed psychotherapist, with over 10 years working with individuals and groups from diverse backgrounds, helping those struggling with a multitude of mental health challenges including anxiety, depression, anger management, and overall life changes. She uses an individualized integrative approach utilizing scientifically supported techniques from cognitive behavioral therapy, exposure response prevention, acceptance commitment therapy, and mindfulness.After receiving her BS with magna cum laude honors from Santa Clara University, she later earned an MA in counseling for mental health and wellness from NYU's Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development. She is a member of the academic honors society Phi Beta Kappa. Galdo has received specialized training at the Beck Institute for Cognitive Behavior Therapy, the Albert Ellis Institute, and the Association for Contextual Behavioral Sciences. She also completed further education in PMADs, grief, loss, and fertility-related distress at Seleni to later train hundreds of therapists on behalf of the institute in perinatal mood and anxiety disorders in Colombia and Panama. Outside of her practice, Galdo has continued to be involved in philanthropic work by assisting the psychology department at CANIA, a center for malnourished kids and adolescent mothers in her hometown of Venezuela.
Lavinia Lumu, MD, is the elected President of the International Marcé Society for Perinatal Mental Health. Dr. Lumu completed her fellowship in psychiatry and obtained the prestigious FCPsych (SA) qualification from the Colleges of Medicine in South Africa and a Master of Medicine in Psychiatry from the University of the Witwatersrand. Currently in private practice with a special interest in perinatal psychiatry, she is an advocate for maternal mental health and supports the Grow Great – Flourish Foundation in maternal mental health training. She is an honorary lecturer at the University of the Witwatersrand, Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Health Sciences.
This program was moderated by journalist Patrícia Vasconcellos, the White House Correspondent for the Brazilian television network SBT. AFPC-USA is solely responsible for the content of this educational program.