Ria Rodney, MSSW, BSN-RN

Ms. Rodney, is a public health advocate and currently serves as the Director of Nurture NJ in the Office of First Lady of the State of New Jersey. With degrees in Social Work and Nursing, she focuses on addressing health disparities through macro-level systemic change and public policy. Ms. Rodney helps coordinate the statewide universal home visiting program in NJ, as well as supporting diversity and inclusion training for hospital staff, perinatal workforce education, maternal mental health initiatives, rural health care access, and expansion of the maternal health workforce to include midwives and doulas. Ms. Rodney is on the teaching faculty of Columbia University and the College of New Jersey, where she teaches Global Reproductive Justice, Human Behavior and the Social Environment, and the US Healthcare System. Her areas of research include women’s health, reproductive justice, addressing health disparities in underserved communities, patient education, quality improvement, and patient safety in the hospital setting.