What is Gender Based Violence? What does it have to do with Doula?

Includes a Live Web Event on 10/26/2026 at 11:30 AM (EDT)

Only available as part of a package

Despite advances in obstetric care, pregnancy and postpartum remain some of the most vulnerable seasons in a womans life. While medicine excels at managing pregnancy and delivery, it often overlooks the realities of recovery after birth. The true gap is not a lack of medical knowledge, but a lack of continuity, education, and support once a mother leaves the delivery room. Gaps between visits, dismissed concerns, fragmented follow-up, and minimal preparation for the fourth trimester leave many families navigating recovery alone. This session examines how postpartum is structurally under-designed not because of individual providers, but because systems were never built with the fourth trimester in mind.

Val Addams

MPH, CHES, CD(C)

Val Addams (she/her) is a Health Educator, Public Health Researcher, Washingtonian, leader, survivor, daughter, and global citizen working to foster intersectionality across multi-sector stakeholders, whether pushing collaborations with patients & various providers at Primary Care Clinics/Community Health Centers or partnering with community leaders, she welcomes all. She is a Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES) licensed by the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing (NCHEC, Inc.) and is currently pursuing a certification to be a Birth Doula with DONA International. Her passions are improving reproductive and sexual health outcomes for womxn, girls, and boys through research and initiatives, leading advocacy activities for Women’s Issues, and innovating collaborations and synergy to improve Washingtonians’ quality of life.

She is a current Peer Organizer with API/DVRP. Before, she was a Research Trainee at the Children’s National Health System, an Executive Committee Member of DC Chapter of Women in Global Health, Advisory Board Member of DC Coalition Against Domestic Violence, and a former Vice President of DC Public Health Association.

She obtained her AA in Business Administration and Management from Montgomery College in Rockville, Maryland; graduated from The Milken Institute School of Public Health at The George Washington University with an MPH degree concentrating in Maternal & Child Health; and has a Bachelor of Medical Science from overseas. She realized the connection between Gender Equity and Maternal Health, as well as the importance of minorities like her to bring her expertise to various tables and open opportunities for others.

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