Improving Equitable Access to Mandated Fertility Preservation Coverage in California: A Symposium
Our symposium aimed to share evidence relevant to oncofertility care in California, summarize care gaps, and synthesize and disseminate policy recommendations to develop equitable care. The symposium features three sessions, each focusing on different constituencies: patients, clinics and health plans, and policymakers.
View recordings of the sessions from the 2025 Improving Equitable Access to Mandated Fertility Preservation Coverage in California symposium!
Speakers
Learn more about the speakers from the CBCRP Symposium 2025!
H. Irene Su, MD, MSCE
Dr. Su is a Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences and a Director of Oncofertility Care at UC San Diego. She is a physician scientist who conducts research on improving the reproductive health of young cancer survivors.
Erika Crable PhD, MPH
Dr. Crable is an Assistant Professor at UC Los Angeles. She is an implementation scientist who tests strategies to enhance public policymakers’ and payers’ use of scientific evidence in decision-making processes that impact access to health services.
Rhonda Bulwer
Rhonda is a breast cancer survivor. She loves to do landscape design. She is an avid plant lover and loves being out in nature.
Catherine Benedict, PhD
Dr. Benedict is an Associate Professor of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences and member of the Stanford Cancer Institute. As a clinical psychologist and researcher, her work aims to improve the experiences of young adult cancer survivors and provide support around oncofertility issues and family building after cancer.
Hazel Nichols, PhD
Dr. Nichols is a Professor of Epidemiology at the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health.
Rachel Waranowicz
Beth Zhou, MD
Dr. Zhou is a Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility Specialist at CCRM Fertility.
May-Tal Sauerbrun-Cutler, MD
Dr. Sauerbrun-Cutler is an Assistant Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and Director of Fertility Preservation within the Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility at Women and Infants Hospital of Rhode Island, Alpert Medical School of Brown University. She is a physician scientist who conducts clinical and translational oncofertility research with a focus on insurance mandates and patients with breast cancer.
Joyce Reinecke, JD
Joyce is the Executive Director of the Alliance for Fertility Preservation—a charitable organization that aims to increase information, resources and access to fertility preservation for cancer patients and the healthcare professionals who treat them. Joyce is also a long-term survivor of leiomyosarcoma, and utilized FP services.
Pamela Simon, BSN, MSN, CPNP, CPON
Pam is a Nurse Practitioner and Program Director for the Stanford Adolescent and Young Adult Cancer Program. She works to improve the care for adolescent and young adults with cancer @psimon.
Paula Brady, MD
Dr. Brady is a reproductive endocrinologist at the Columbia University Fertility Center in New York City, where she is Director of the Oncofertility Program and Fellowship Director for Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility. She completed her OB/GYN residency and fellowship in reproductive endocrinology at the Brigham & Women’s Hospital/Harvard Medical School.
Shannon Taylor
Shannon is the insurance administrator for Reproductive Partners Fertility Center – San Diego who specializes in benefit verification and authorizations. In her 13 years of working directly with insurance, she was the first to pioneer gender-neutral IVF billing and advocate for patients to be able to maximize coverage and lower their out-of-pocket costs.
Helen Palomino, LCSW
Helen is the CEO of the Cancer Resource Center of the Desert. She leads a comprehensive Cancer Patient Navigation service in Imperial County California. She has conducted research on the reproductive health of young cancer survivors.
Kara Marlowe
Kara is a Commercial Plan Product Manager specializing in benefit requirements and guidelines within the state of Hawaii. Triple Negative Breast Cancer survivor and onco-fertility utilizer.
Sara McMenamin, PhD, MPH
Dr. McMenamin is an Associate Professor of Health Policy and a Vice Chair for the California Health Benefits Review Program. She is a health policy researcher who investigates the development, implementation, and impact of health insurance benefit mandates.
Katie McKnight
Katie is a Senior Design Manager and Environmental Scientist at the San Francisco Estuary Institute and Secretary of Bay Area Young Survivors (@bayareayoungsurvivors), a survivor-led nonprofit that supports breast cancer patients diagnosed under age 45. Drawing on her lived experience as a breast cancer survivor, Katie advocates to expand and improve fertility preservation and infertility services for young cancer patients.
Kayte Fisher, JD
Darcie Green
Kelly M. Chacón, MD
Dr. Chacón is a Clinical Fellow in Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences at UC San Diego. She conducts patient-oriented research on health policy to improve access to fertility preservation among adolescents and young adults with cancer.
Joy Lewin
Joy is a highly accomplished Pharmaceutical Professional with innovative marketing talent spanning a 35 plus year career of proven results. Her work has primarily focused on Reproductive Health for the last 27 years. She developed the HeartBeat Program in 2013, which is designed for newly diagnosed cancer patients the ability to access gonadotropins at no cost.
Sally Romero, PhD, MPH
Dr. Romero is an Associate Project Scientist at UC San Diego. She is a health behavior scientist with research interests in reproductive health, cancer survivorship care, and integrative oncology. She conducts patient-oriented reproductive health research focused on the implementation and delivery of evidence-based practices and reproductive healthcare policy.
Bonnie Kaiser, PhD, MPH
Dr. Kaiser is a Professor in UC San Diego’s Department of Anthropology and Global Health Program. She has training as an anthropologist, epidemiologist, and global health implementation scientist. Her research focuses on increasing healthcare access in the areas of mental health and oncofertility.