Madelyn Adams (she/her) is SWHR’s Public Policy and Advocacy Manager. Adams’ passion for gender equity and health justice informs her work with SWHR, where she is responsible for tracking legislative bills and regulatory policies, developing policy communications, and educating policymakers about SWHR’s policy activities.

Before joining SWHR, Adams analyzed mental health policies and trends through an equity-based lens at Vibrant Emotional Health, a national mental health non-profit. She also contributed to the New York City Fire Department’s (FDNY) government affairs team, where she assessed legislation’s impact on fire and emergency response and managed relationships with elected officials. She has also worked with non-profits like Pregnancy Justice, the Center for Reproductive Rights, and Big Brothers Big Sisters of New York City.

Madelyn received her Master of Public Administration (MPA) with a concentration in Health Policy at American University and her BA in Political Science and minor in Human Rights from CUNY Hunter College.

Originally from a small town just outside of Ocean City, New Jersey, Adams now resides in Washington DC. In her free time, she enjoys working out at the gym, watching reality television at home, or taking long walks in the nation’s capital. Adams is driven by her passion for championing policies that best serve women, children, and families.

Claire D’Andrea, RN, CHTP, NC-BC has over 50 years of nursing experience encompassing Integrative and Holistic Medicine, Intensive Care, Research, Maternal Child Health and Home Health. She earned certifications as an Integrative Nurse Coach from The International Nurse Coach Association, Certified Healing Touch Practitioner from Healing Beyond Borders, and Clinical Research Coordinator from The Association of Clinical Research Professionals. She is HeartMath trained though the HeartMath Institute and is a member of The International Nurse Coach Association, The Holistic Nurses Association, Preventive Cardiovascular Nurses Association and Healing Beyond Borders

Claire’s educational background and years of diverse clinical nursing experience has led to a gratifying career in health care. Believing that health is more than the absence of disease, her passion is helping people explore the many facets of healing and the intricate connection of the mind, body and spirit in achieving a state of well-being and health.

Before joining the team at Guarneri Integrative Health, Inc. at Pacific Pearl La Jolla as an Integrative Nurse Coach and Healing Touch provider, Claire worked full-time at Scripps Center for Integrative Medicine in La Jolla, California for almost 15 years. She was the Supervisor/Manager of Patient Care at the center for 13 of those years, managing a diverse clinical staff of health care professionals including Registered Nurses, Medical Assistants, Dietitians, Exercise Physiologists, Biofeedback Therapists, Acupuncturists, Healing Touch Practitioners and a Research Nurse. She had oversight of the clinical operations of the department including healing modalities classes and workshops, cardiac stress imaging studies, the Lifestyle change program, cardiac rehab and Enhanced External Counter Pulsation.

Claire volunteers with two notable organizations. Currently she is a Board Member and secretary of the Board of Directors for The Miraglo Foundation, a non-profit with the mission of “Healing people and transforming lives through education, health and research.”.  She has served on this board since 2017.

She also volunteers her time to support women living with heart disease for WomenHeart, a nonprofit with the mission to improve the health and quality of life of women living with or at risk of heart disease and advocate for their benefit.  She has been a spokesperson for WomenHeart since 2004 and has presented at many community events and for the California Society for Cardiac Rehab. She was a member of the WomenHeart Board of Directors from 2012 – 2017 and served a term as Vice Chair of the Board. She trained at the WomenHeart Science and Leadership symposium in 2004 and has been a WomenHeart Champion since then holding monthly support groups and ongoing public speaking. Her own personal heart journey during the past 28 years fuels her passion to facilitate policy changes, provide education and support women living with and at risk for heart disease.

Dr. Graves is a graduate of Baylor University, where she received honors. Dr. Graves received her medical degree from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and was a recipient of the Purdue Fredrick Award for Excellence in Women’s Healthcare. She completed her internship and residency at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. She completed her maternal-fetal fellowship at Vanderbilt University. During her fellowship, Dr. Graves received special training in obstetrical critical care and became the director of one of the first critical care obstetrical units in the nation. She is currently the medical director of Maternal-Fetal Medicine Specialists of Tennessee and the medical director for perinatal services at St Thomas Health Systems. She is also a professor at the University of Tennessee and serves as a clinical professor for Vanderbilt University and adjunct professor Meharry Medical College.

Considered an international expert in the management of maternal disease, Dr. Graves is extensively published and has received numerous teaching, research, professional and community awards. She has been actively involved in research and has served as an investigator on studies involving asthma, HIV, diabetes and drug addiction during pregnancy. She is an immediate past member of the board of directors of the Society of Maternal-Fetal Medicine.

In 2016, Dr. Graves, along with Dr. Stacy Davis, a cardiologist, started the Collaborative Perinatal Cardiac Center, a joint venture between Tennessee Maternal Fetal Medicine and St. Thomas Health, which is one of the first in the nation to address maternal heart care from the preconception period through postpartum care with a focus of long-term prevention.
She has been instrumental in the formation of a Maternal Mortality Review Committee (MMRC) for the State of Tennessee and currently serves as a member of the review committee and a member of the CDC committee on bias in maternal mortality. She is currently the co-chair of the ACOG/CDC committee on racism and bias in MMRC, as well as a member of the SMFM committee on cardio-obstetrics. She also serves as the project leader and advisor for the maternal section of TIPQC. Dr. Graves was chosen as Nashville Business Journal’s Best Doctors of 2024.

In her spare time, Dr. Graves serves as a keyboardist and choir director for her church and works with the youth ministry.

Dr. Emily Lau is a women’s cardiovascular health specialist and investigator at Mass General Brigham. Dr. Lau is the Co-Director of the Mass General Brigham Women’s Heart Health Program. Dr. Lau’s laboratory focuses on understanding how biologic sex differences and female-specific cardiovascular risk factors contribute to the pathogenesis of cardiovascular disease uniquely in women. She leads a clinical-translational research program that applies multi-dimensional molecular profiling (multi-omics), imaging, exercise physiology, and data science to large scale cohorts, electronic health record data, and patient-oriented studies to advance mechanistic understanding of women’s cardiovascular health and disease. Dr. Lau’s research is supported by the NIH/NHLBI, American Heart Association, the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center, and the Tianqiao and Chrissy Chen Institute.