DEI Bans in Clinical Practice

This presenter's biography and headshot will be available soon.

Rashmi Kudesia, MD, MSc, FACOG, is board-certified in reproductive endocrinology and infertility, obstetrics and gynecology, and lifestyle medicine. She has been caring for patients at CCRM Fertility Houston, where she has received multiple annual clinical recognition awards and serves as director of patient education and Sugar Land site director, since 2018. She is also an assistant clinical professor at the Houston Methodist Hospital. After graduating magna cum laude from Brown University, she received her medical degree with honors from Duke University School of Medicine. Her ob-gyn residency at the New York Hospital-Weill Cornell Medical Center was followed by a reproductive endocrinology and infertility fellowship at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine-Montefiore Medical Center and a master’s of science degree in clinical research methods. She subsequently served as a clinical assistant professor at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and medical director of the Brooklyn office of the Reproductive Medicine Associates of New York.

Dr. Kudesia is an ACOG Fellow and District XI Section 4 chair. She has served in multiple local and national leadership roles in organized medicine and is a public advocate for reproductive health. Dr. Kudesia has presented scientific research at national and international conferences, published in leading peer-reviewed journals, and received multiple awards and grants for her work. She is also author of the book Understanding Fertility Awareness Methods: Gaining Control of Your Fertility. In addition to serving ACOG District XI as a DEIE Delegation member, she has chaired the CCRM Fertility DEI Committee and undergone and promoted DEI training in her role on the board of directors for Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast.

Kelli Krase, MD, FACOG, serves as the Region 4 representative for CREOG and is the obstetrics and gynecology residency program director at the University of Kansas Medical Center in Kansas City, Kansas. She additionally serves as the assistant dean of student affairs for the University of Kansas School of Medicine. She codeveloped the University of Kansas birth equity scholar track for senior residents to review health care disparities at the institution, navigate the legislation of heath equity policy, and connect with the community they serve. Her commitment to a diverse workforce has led to improving the ongoing recruitment of learners and faculty and navigating new legal restrictions in this space. She helped to create the ob-gyn department annual DEI retreat for all faculty, staff, and learners to foster awareness and transparency in health disparities at her institution. Dr. Krase sees herself a member of a big team seeking to lift diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging principles in a complicated world. Dr. Krase received her medical degree from the University of Kansas School of Medicine and completed residency training at the Ohio State University. 

Versha Pleasant, MD, MPH, FACOG, was born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Virginia, her master’s of public health at Yale University, and her medical degree at Georgetown University School of Medicine. Dr. Pleasant completed residency training in obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Michigan, and then completed a fellowship in cancer genetics and breast health at the University of Michigan. She currently serves as the director of the cancer genetics and breast health clinic at University of Michigan Hospital, providing medical and surgical care for thousands of patients at increased risk of breast and ovarian cancer due to gene mutations or family history. She is currently a Michigan K12 Scholar, spearheading research to increase access to breast cancer risk assessment and genetic counseling referrals among Black women. She is deeply interested in health disparities, particularly in breast cancer outcomes and genetic testing barriers facing Black women.