MEET OUR FOUNDERS
We are the ones we've been waiting for
A culturally affirming, community-rooted, interdisciplinary care team — bringing deep knowledge, empathy, and commitment to Black maternal health.
Melinda Fowler
CNM
Clinical Director for EMBRACE, and a Certified Nurse-Midwife for over 25 years. She is an advocate for women and their families during pregnancy, birth, and postpartum, supports physiologic birth, and loves giving families the tools they need to have a safe birth.
Markita Barideaux
LCSW
Director of Behavioral Health for EMBRACE in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at UCSF, where she leads a culturally responsive, interdisciplinary model of care addressing persistent inequities in maternal health outcomes. She is a national Trainer in Child-Parent Psychotherapy with more than fifteen years of clinical and systems leadership.
Glamarys Acevedo
LCSW | IBCLC | MPH
Associate Director of Clinical Services for EMBRACE. A licensed clinical social worker, board-certified lactation consultant, and public-health specialist, she brings assessment, psychotherapy, client-centered advocacy, and consultation together in one practice — care grounded in a bio-psychosocial view of the whole family. She is a co-author of “EMBRACE Perinatal Care for Black Families: Reclaiming Health, Wellness, and Self-Determination for Black Birthing” in the ZERO TO THREE Journal.
Andrea Jackson
MD, MAS · Chair, UCSF Ob/Gyn
Obstetrician and gynecologist specializing in reproductive health care for Black-identifying patients that meets the needs of the whole person, and chair of the UCSF Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences. She co-directs the UCSF Black Women’s Health and Livelihood Initiative and EMBRACE.