Maternal Health:
Addressing Disparities, Advancing Solutions, and Elevating Maternal Health Equity
Let’s Talk Maternal Health at the Minneapolis Club—an intimate, curated event bringing together thought leaders, healthcare experts, and changemakers to address maternal health disparities, particularly for women of color.
The Panel Discussion
The Let's Talk Women panel will feature Dr. Rachel Hardeman of the University of Minnesota, Dr. Diana Ramos, Surgeon General of California, and Ann Holder, CEO of Marani.
Bringing together thought leaders with decades of experience in their respective fields, this conversation will equip you with insights and strategies to take back to your companies and communities--empowered and prepared to drive change.
Meet the Experts
Rachel Hardeman, PhD, MPH
Dr. Rachel R. Hardeman is a tenured Professor in the Division of Health Policy & Management at the University of Minnesota’s School of Public Health, the Blue Cross Endowed Professor in Health and Racial Equity, and the Founding Director of the Center for Antiracism Research for Health Equity (CARHE, pronounced "care"). She serves as a member of the Advisory Committee to the Director of the CDC, and she was named one of TIME's 2024 TIME100 most influential people in the world. A racial health equity researcher, she studies a critical and complex determinant of health inequity—racism. Her work contributes to a body of knowledge that links structural racism to health in tangible ways, identifies opportunities for intervention, and dismantles the systems, structures, and institutions that allow inequities to persist.
Dr. Hardeman leverages the frameworks of critical race theory and Reproductive Justice to inform her equity-centered work, which aims to build the empirical evidence of racism’s impact on health. Her published work has elicited important conversations on the topics of culturally-centered care, police brutality and structural racism as a fundamental cause of health inequities.
Since founding CARHE in 2021, Dr. Hardeman has built upon a foundation of authentic community and academic partnerships, deepening her work with Reproductive Justice and expanding into new areas. CARHE's research projects encompass maternal and infant health, adolescent and child health, older adult health, innovative measurements of structural racism, economy and labor, and criminal justice. Narrative change is also a core mission at CARHE, and the team.
Diana E. Ramos, MD, MPH, MBA
Dr. Diana E. Ramos is a renowned public health leader and California’s second Surgeon General and first Latina Surgeon General. As California’s Doctor, she is the leading spokesperson on the most pressing public health issues of the time within the State of California. Her mission is to advance the health and wellbeing of all Californians.
Raised in South Central Los Angeles, Dr. Ramos received her medical degree from the Keck University of Southern California School of Medicine and completed her residency training in obstetrics and gynecology at Los Angeles County-University of Southern California Medical Center. She also holds a Master of Public Health degree from UCLA and a Master of Business Administration degree from UC Irvine Paul Merage School of Business.
Over the past three decades, Dr. Ramos has provided reproductive care to thousands of Californians as an Obstetrician Gynecologist at Southern California Kaiser Permanente.
Dr. Ramos’ leadership spans from the local level in Los Angeles County where she previously served as the Director for Reproductive Health, State leadership as the prior chair for the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologist, California & Ecuador (IX) District, Nationally on the Women’s Preventive Service Initiative, American Medical Association Foundation board, as a prior executive board member for the National Hispanic Medical Association, and many others. Prior to her appointment as the California Surgeon General, she served as the Assistant Deputy Director of Chronic Disease Prevention for the California Department of Public Health. Within the academic sector, she serves as an adjunct Associate Professor at the Keck University of Southern California School of Medicine.
Dr. Ramos has written and contributed numerous articles to the obstetrics and gynecology and public health literature and has lectured in Spanish and English, locally, nationally and internationally.
In 2024, the California Latino Legislative Caucus awarded Dr. Ramos with the Latino Spirit.
Ann Holder, CEO, Marani
Ann Holder is a seasoned medical device executive with expertise in sales, marketing, finance, and operations. A West Point graduate and former U.S. Army officer, she transitioned into healthcare with Medtronic, where she held leadership roles in sales, finance, and business development before moving into executive positions in startups.
As CEO and co-founder of Marani, Ann leads all aspects of developing an end-to-end maternity platform designed to improve maternal and fetal health outcomes. This innovative platform integrates digital health solutions with a proprietary medical device co-developed with the Mayo Clinic, enabling advanced monitoring and enhanced patient care.
Before entering healthcare, Ann gained valuable experience in engineering, manufacturing operations, supply chain, and logistics while working with global brands such as General Mills, Mars Inc., Pepsi, and ADC Telecommunications. Her diverse background and strategic vision make her a sought-after thought leader in healthcare innovation, commercialization, and business development. Ann remains committed to transforming maternity care by leveraging technology, data, and patient-centered solutions to drive better outcomes and improve healthcare delivery.
Chanda Smith Baker, Moderator
Chanda Smith Baker has spent her 25-plus year career at the intersection of philanthropy, business, government and community. An experienced CEO nationally renowned for her power and poise in leadership, Chanda has proven success leading complex organizations, recognizing and nurturing talent, and engaging and activating audiences toward racial equity and a broadened social impact. Smith Baker brings both her executive leadership experience in philanthropy and the credibility of a life and career spent advancing equity to Conversations with Chanda. Her interview style, rooted in her natural curiosity, love of reading and a deep knowledge of community issues, has struck a chord both locally and nationally.
Chanda is the Founder and CEO of Smith Baker, LLC, Co-Founder in Residence with The Black Collective Foundation, serves on The Board of Directors of several high impact organizations and a Co-Curator of Portraits of Us: A Book of Essays Centering Black Women Leading Philanthropy.
Meet the Partners and Sponsors
Thank you to these organizations!
Get Your Ticket!
We invite you to join the conversation Let’s Talk Maternal Health. This intimate, curated gathering brings together thought leaders, healthcare experts, and changemakers to address the urgent maternal health crisis, particularly the disparities affecting women of color. Through a moderated panel discussion, we’ll explore the systemic gaps in care, the lack of research on maternal health, and the barriers to equitable healthcare. Together, we’ll discuss actionable solutions, innovative tools, and ways to drive meaningful change—both in our communities and in our own approaches to well-being.