donate now

evidence for equity

established in 2022, verge uses a multidisciplinary lens to address longstanding sexual and reproductive inequities by focusing on neglected and intersectional contributors such as climate change, race/ethnicity, economic disadvantage and place of residence. 

mission

verge aims to advance reproductive equity and address reproductive health disparities by generating evidence rooted in community-based partnerships and multidisciplinary, creative approaches and innovations.

priorities

creativity

bringing new questions and approaches to addressing inequities

under-researched

addressing overlooked or
under-recognized contributors to inequities

multidisciplinarity

collaborating with people who have different skills, training and perspectives

underserved

prioritizing individuals, communities and groups with the greatest needs

open-mindedness

open to new questions, approaches and ideas

collaboration

partnering with individuals and groups who work with those most affected by inequities

we believe that collaboration among people with wide-ranging backgrounds and perspectives will yield new ideas, approaches and strategies for addressing reproductive and intersectional inequities.

meet our board

about us

we are committed to building a multidisciplinary team that is diverse in the broadest sense, bringing together people with different life experiences, professional skills and perspectives to identify new ways to generate the evidence needed to address inequities.

the problem

access to reproductive options and successful reproductive outcomes remain highly constrained by numerous situational and systemic factors. greater focus on the role of factors such as race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, culture and geography is needed.

our approach

we believe that collaboration among people with wide-ranging backgrounds and perspectives will yield new ideas, approaches and strategies for addressing reproductive and intersectional inequities. verge will ask novel questions, seek new sources and types of information, and utilize creative approaches to analyze data.

team

elisa lee

elisa practiced law at brobeck, phleger and harrison llp and her own private practice for 16 years, focusing on intellectual property and technology-based transactions for both private and public companies.
see bio

rasha dabash

rasha is a multilingual egyptian-american researcher, technical advisor and advocate. she has over 25 years’ experience in effectively using evidence to drive global srhr and maternal health policy and practice change.
see bio

sandra garcia

sandy is an executive leader and public health researcher with experience in philanthropy and social impact work. most recently, sandy was vice president/director of research and evaluation for the susan thompson buffett foundation, where she served for over a decade.
see bio

wendy sheldon

wendy is a researcher and evaluator with expertise in demography, health and public policy. she is also principal of wrs consulting and an adjunct lecturer in international and public affairs at brown university.
see bio

daria james

daria is a lifelong resident of south florida and saint kitts. she has multiple years of experience in social media marketing and community engagement with a focus on maternal health and community health.
see bio

manuel bousiéguez

manuel is a senior consulting associate for verge and oversees research activities in mexico. manuel has spent more than 20 years working on sexual and reproductive health issues and has experience conducting clinical studies, evidence-dissemination and technical assistance for health
see bio

rasha dabash

rasha is a multilingual egyptian-american researcher, technical advisor and advocate. she has over 25 years’ experience in effectively using evidence to drive global srhr and maternal health policy and practice change.
see bio

wendy sheldon

wendy is a researcher and evaluator with expertise in demography, health and public policy. she is also principal of wrs consulting and an adjunct lecturer in international and public affairs at brown university.
see bio