Committee Members

Laura Davis-Keppen MD is a Professor at the University of South Dakota Sanford School of Medicine. She is board certified in clinical genetics, pediatric endocrinology, and pediatrics. She has published over 70 papers in reputed journals and has been a newborn screening consultant for the South Dakota Department of Health for 34 years.

Norermi is currently in her second year of pursuing her PhD from the University of Yamanashi, Japan. She is originally from Malaysia where she completed her bachelor’s degree at the International Islamic University of Malaysia. She has experienced working as a research assistant at the National University of Malaysia before continuing her master’s degree in Japan. She has participated in multiple reputed conferences as well as publishing her research in an established journal. Her research interest focuses on investigating embryo responses from nutritional exposures resulting in adulthood diseases.

Dr Janine Hicks is a Senior Lecturer at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, School of Law, where she serves as Academic Leader: Community Engagement, and as convenor for the Navi Pillay Research Group, a collective of academics from the School of Law seeking to address critical emergent issues of race, class, gender and disability in post-Apartheid South Africa through research, law and policy reform. Janine holds a Ph D (UKZN), an MA (Sussex), a post-graduate LL B (Natal) and a BA (UCT). She has published extensively on democracy, public participation, gender equality and access to socio-economic rights

Dr. Bashayer A. A. Saeed, M.D., is a Maternal-Fetal Medicine Specialist and Consultant in Obstetrics and Gynecology at Maternity Hospital, Kuwait. She holds a Saudi Fellowship in Maternal-Fetal Medicine and serves as Assistant Program Director for the Kuwait Board Obstetrics and Gynecology Residency Training Program. Passionate about academic teaching, she is a Clinical Tutor at Kuwait University and a Harvard Medical School alumna in Training to Teach in Medicine. Dr. Saeed has contributed to multiple research studies in high-risk pregnancies and has presented at international conferences. Her expertise includes maternal-fetal health, prenatal diagnosis, and high-risk obstetrics.

Experienced Mental Health Professional, Researcher, and Academician with expertise in women’s reproductive health, particularly in the global south. My Ph.D. from Griffith University, Australia, explored the well-being of marginalized surrogate mothers post-relinquishment. Passionate about social justice, equity, and human rights, I strive to amplify the voices of underserved women through research, advocacy, and policy influence. With experience in field research, academia, corporate consulting, and private practice, I excel in collaborative and independent work. Dedicated to impactful change, I welcome opportunities in research, education, development, and humanitarian work. Let’s connect to explore meaningful collaborations.

Karen S. Rotabi-Casares completed her PhD at the University of North Carolina. She has practiced as a social worker in the child protection sector, with an expertise in child adoption. Her research has focused on child rights issues, particularly focused on intercountry adoption and other global issues. She has published over 60 papers in academic journals and three books with Routledge. Her book entitled From Intercountry Adoption to Global Surrogacy: A Human Rights History and New Fertility Frontiers is particularly relevant to this conference.

She is a physician at Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein, specializing in pediatric oncology. A graduate in pediatrics from the Faculty of Medical Sciences of Santa Casa de São Paulo, she completed a specialization in Pediatric Oncology at UNIFESP/GRAACC. She holds postgraduate degrees in Integrative Medicine (Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein), Psycho-Oncology (Hospital Pérola Byington), and Palliative Medicine (Instituto Paliar/Centro Universitário São Camilo). Additionally, she has training in ontological coaching from Instituto Appana.