Our Team
Founders
Sarah Cairns-Smith
Sarah Cairns-Smith is an expert in R&D with a focus on biomedical and digital innovation. She has worked with players across the public, private and philanthropic sectors – on projects across the globe. Sarah is a Senior Advisor at Boston Consulting Group (BCG) where she worked as a Senior Partner and Managing Director. She is the Board Chair of the Amyloidosis Research Consortium, a member of the Board of Directors of Engender Health, and was a 2019 Harvard ALI Fellow.
Helen Kahng Jaffe
Helen is a community advocate focused on healthcare and education. She has spent over two decades creating educational initiatives and leading advocacy efforts to improve food allergy safety. Helen serves as Board Director at Planned Parenthood of Southern New England Inc., Trustee at Teachers College at Columbia University, Co-Chair on the Advisory Board at the Jaffe Food Allergy Institute at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and Board Director on the national food allergy non-profit FARE, Food Allergy Research and Education Inc. Helen is a 2021 Harvard ALI Senior Fellow.
Advisors
Diana Contreras, MD, MPH
Dr. Contreras has an extensive academic career, having taught medical students, residents, and fellows in obstetrics, gynecology, and gynecologic oncology. She has authored peer-reviewed publications and has lectured and presented globally on women's health and women's cancer care, contributing to the advancement of research and best practices in the field.
She holds an MPH in Healthcare Administration and Policy from Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health, an MD from Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, and a bachelor’s degree in history, Latin American studies, and Women's studies from Princeton University.
J Joseph Speidel, MD, MPH
Joseph Speidel MD, MPH is a research physician and advocate in the field of public health and professor emeritus at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) School of Medicine. He is a graduate of Harvard College, Harvard Medical School, the Harvard School of Public Health, and is board certified in Preventive Medicine. Previous he served in the U.S. Army Medical Corps Office of the Surgeon General with the rank of Major, directed the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Office of Population, was president of Population Action International (PAI), directed the population program of the Hewlett Foundation, was Co-director of the UCSF Bixby Center for Global Reproductive Health, and served on the boards of more than 20 non-profit organizations. Currently he is a Senior Fellow of the Population Institute and on the advisory board of the NewGen Contraception Project.
Research Associates
Alumni
Morgan DeLuce
Morgan DeLuce is a Health and Social Behavior MPH Candidate at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, concentrating in Maternal and Child Health. Prior to joining the NewGen team, she worked for five years to advance family planning and girls’ education access in West Africa. She graduated from Boston College with a BA in Sociology. Her research interests are in improving maternal health outcomes for the most vulnerable populations. She is passionate about developing and evaluating programs that advance reproductive justice in the United States.
Chloe Diggs
Chloe Diggs is a passionate advocate for improving the overall well-being of women and their communities. She recently earned her master of education degree in Human Development and Psychology from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Her growing expertise includes research methods and implementation evaluation. In her spare time, she explores how massage therapy and other modalities within complementary and alternative medicines (CAM) influence mental and physical wellness. She graduated from Georgetown University with a BA in Justice and Peace Studies.
Alyssa Kumler
Alyssa is a Health and Social Behavior MPH Student at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. She graduated from the University of Cincinnati in 2019 with a BS in Psychology and BA in Sociology. After this, she obtained her MA in Sociology from the University of Massachusetts, Boston. Her research interests are in understanding contraceptive behaviors and their impact on reproductive health and well-being. She is interested in a career doing research and advocacy.
Amy Liu
Amy Liu is a Biostatistics MS Candidate at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Before coming to Chan and joining the NewGen team, Amy conducted policy research to support the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services in improving their hospital quality reporting programs. She graduated from Brown University with a BS in Statistics and Public Health, and completed her research thesis on social well-being and insurance enrollment patterns among the elderly population. Amy is passionate about the intersection of data and policy, including how to use data analytics to improve women’s health outcomes.
Zoe Matticks
Zoe Matticks is a medical student at UC San Diego School of Medicine with interests in advocacy for reproductive rights and access to high quality and trauma-informed care. She received her MPH in Health Policy from Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health and her BA in Neuroscience from Wellesley College. She has also worked in healthcare consulting and health system strategy in the Bay Area.
MJ Ulrich
MJ has over 5 years of experience in the field of community building and social advocacy. Currently, MJ works full time at Sabin Vaccine Institute applying principles of leadership development and community building to tackle vaccine hesitancy challenges and increase vaccine demand across diverse communities. As a retired D1 swimmer, she has also applied these concepts to improve the visibility of athletes of color and women's sports, as well as support Title IX policy and programs. At her core, she is a passionate advocate for health equity and reproductive justice and looks forward to continuing to be an active community builder to inspire change.
Stay Connected with Us!
Join our newsletter list to receive the latest updates on our project and goals