Mental Health Monday Maternal Mental Health: Education and Advocacy Through Comedy

According to the National Institutes for Health (NIH), one in eight women experiences postpartum depression or anxiety. That number almost doubles for Black mothers.

Join us for a lively conversation with maternal mental health advocates Angelina Spicer, Los Angeles-based mother, comedian and documentarian, and Dr. Eynav E. Accortt, clinical psychologist specializing in perinatal mental health, researcher and director of the Reproductive Psychology Program at Cedars-Sinai. We will learn about the importance of maternal mental health and hear from Ms. Spicer about how she uses her creative talents to bring awareness to this topic.

About the Speakers // Eynav Accortt, Ph.D., is an assistant professor and clinical psychologist in the department of obstetrics and gynecology, as well as the director of the new Reproductive Psychology Program at Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles. Her research focuses on mood and anxiety disorders during the female reproductive life course and in response to chronic illness. She studies the physiological processes that are associated with higher risk for depression and anxiety in pregnancy, postpartum, perimenopause, and following diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer and heart disease. She is also interested in the association between maternal mental health and adverse pregnancy and birth outcomes.

Angelina Spicer is a comedian, social media influencer and “accidental activist.” A cum-laude graduate of Howard University, Spicer has smartly delved deep for comedy that is authentic. Her original content has garnered a staggering 80 million views in more than 45 countries. Her viral success catapulted her career from phone screens to the silver screen when she became a regular sketch performer on both “Jimmy Kimmel Live” and “Conan.” In 2017, Spicer became an outspoken advocate for maternal mental health after her diagnosis of and hospitalization for postpartum depression (PPD). Not only is Spicer using her voice in comedy clubs across the country, she is also working with lawmakers in California and on Capitol Hill to implement laws to support early motherhood. Spicer has worked with some of the world’s most trusted organizations like Cedars-Sinai Hospital, Postpartum Support International and the World Health Organization and has been featured in USA Today and NPR, and was named among Essence Magazine’s Woke 100. Spicer is currently in production on The Push For Permission, a feature-length documentary that uses comedy to empower women to advocate for themselves and to normalize PPD.

FREE // Must Virtually Register