Women’s History Month Celebration 2025

Dr. Yvette Cozier is an Associate Professor of Epidemiology, and the Associate Dean of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Justice (DEIJ) at Boston University School of Public Health.  She is also a Senior Epidemiologist at the Slone Epidemiology Center at Boston University School of Medicine where she co-leads (MPI) the Black Women’s Health Study (BWHS), a follow-up of over 59,000 African American women begun in 1995. Dr. Cozier is the current President of the Society for Epidemiologic Research (SER), the nation’s oldest and largest general epidemiology organization.   As social epidemiologist, Dr. Cozier’s overall research focus is on the influence of psychosocial and structural factors (e.g., interpersonal racism, neighborhood socioeconomic status) – on health, including cardiometabolic (obesity, type-2 diabetes), immune-mediated (lupus, sarcoidosis, inflammatory bowel disease), neurologic (Insomnia, Parkinson’s disease) and dental (periodontal disease, tooth loss) conditions.  Additional research interests include the role of attitudes about spirituality and religiosity on health.

Samantha Johnson is the founder and CEO of Tatum Robotics, a company dedicated to developing innovative assistive technology for the DeafBlind community. Her journey began at Northeastern University, where she pursued her degree in bioengineering and first encountered the challenges faced by DeafBlind individuals. This experience sparked her passion for accessibility and led to the development of Tatum Robotics’ flagship technology, the Tatum T1—a robotic hand designed to fingerspell tactile American Sign Language (ASL) for DeafBlind users. Under Samantha’s leadership, Tatum Robotics has grown into a dynamic team partnering with leading institutions such as the Helen Keller National Center, Perkins School for the Blind, and Gallaudet University. She has secured non-dilutive funding through programs like NSF SBIR and participated in incubators such as the MIT Solve and the MassRobotics Accelerator.

Laura Carfang is the co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of SurvivingBreastCancer.org, an online content & community driven platform that provides psychosocial support and educational resources to those diagnosed with breast cancer. Through weekly support groups, workshops, and webinars, Laura has created a space to support the emotional side of a breast cancer diagnosis through health, wellness, and access to reliable and understandable educational resources to improve health literacy.  Additionally, Laura hosts and produces the national podcast Breast Cancer Conversations, which offers weekly episodes capturing the voices of those diagnosed with breast cancer, as well as interviews with doctors, oncologists and medical professionals who are subject matter experts in the field. Laura is an accomplished academic having earned her Doctorate in Higher Education Administration and uses her educational background to innovate and empower her community.

Kathryn (Kate) Ackerman, MD, MPH, FACSM is the Founder/Director of the Female Athlete Program at Boston Children’s Hospital and the Biennial International Female Athlete Conference. An Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, she earned her BA from Cornell, MD from Johns Hopkins, and MPH from Harvard. She is triple boarded in Internal Medicine, Sports Medicine, and Endocrinology. A former National Team rower, Dr. Ackerman chairs the US Rowing Medical Committee, co-chairs the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee Women’s Health Task Force, is a member of the World Rowing Medical Commission and the Women’s Tennis Association Women’s Health Task Force. She has authored/co-authored over 150 articles and book chapters related to sports medicine, endocrinology, bone health, and female athletes, including position statements with the International Olympic Committee. She is a founding member of the leadership council for the Wu Tsai Human Performance Alliance, a $220 mill initiative to improve health and performance globally. Dr. Ackerman leads the Alliance’s focus on scientific advancements for women.

Shoumita Dasgupta, Ph.D., is a scientist educator whose significant scholarly contributions center around inclusive curriculum design, teaching, and service. She is a Professor of Medicine and an Assistant Dean of Diversity &Inclusion with a demonstrated history of working in a diverse and inclusive higher education environment. Dr. Dasgupta has leveraged her expertise in basic and medical genetics and genomics, graduate education, and medical education to transform and advance the clinical, scientific, and ethical training of MD and PhD students at Boston University, nationally, and internationally. Her passion for genetics, genomic medicine, diversity and inclusion, and mentoring serve as the foundation for her supportive and creative leadership in the field. Dr. Dasgupta is a US Department of State Fulbright Specialist, a member of the inaugural cohort of faculty affiliates at the Ibram X. Kendi Center for Antiracism Research, and Past President of the Association of Professors of Human and Medical Genetics. In addition, she works with the National Human Genome Research Institute, the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics, the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine, and others to promote initiatives in education, diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice. Dr. Dasgupta is the author of Where Biology Ends and Bias Begins: Lessons on Belonging from Our DNA, published by the University of California Press.

Kimaya Diggs is a musician & writer based in Western MA. She is passionate about creating spaces in which people can come together to feel emotions collectively.

The Mood Swings Orchestra is an all women/non-binary 20-piece big band, in the style of the traditional dance bands of the 1930s, 1940s and beyond. We started playing together in 2003.

Our members are accomplished musicians living our best lives playing music for the joy of it! By day we are students, consultants, moms, business executives, engineers, scientists, artists, educators and retired.

BalletRox empowers Boston youth through dance, providing a supportive community for life-long success. BalletRox gives more kids a chance to dance.

Boston Circus Guild's mission is to create career opportunities for circus performers, artists and musicians; to create a community of artists and foster the cross pollination of arts and ideas; to entertain, educate, and inspire our audiences; and to encourage people of all ages to engage with the circus arts.