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New Hadassah government-relations head to focus on maternal issues

“Both sides of my family have a long legacy with Hadassah,” Elizabeth Cullen told JNS.

Elizabeth Cullen. Credit: Courtesy.
Elizabeth Cullen. Credit: Courtesy.

In her new role as director of government relations at Hadassah, The Women’s Zionist Organization of America, Elizabeth Cullen told JNS that she will focus on infertility and what she referred to as high U.S. maternal mortality rates.

“I am proud that Hadassah is advocating for legislation to address our nation’s maternal mortality crisis and reduce barriers to care,” said Cullen, who begins the position on June 1.

She told JNS that Hadassah led 20 Jewish organizations that penned a letter to Congress last year calling for it to address the issue of infertility. “We continue to support legislation to reduce the stigma surrounding infertility and raise awareness about its impacts on families,” she said.

Cullen has decades of both federal and state-level advocacy work, including serving as associate director of health policy at the Jewish Federations of North America.

Both sides of Cullen’s family have “a long legacy with Hadassah,” she told JNS.

“My great-aunt on my father’s side—the matriarch of our large extended family—was a longtime Hadassah member and activist,” she said, noting that after she got married, her mother-in-law gave her a life membership to Hadassah.

“I’ve followed Hadassah’s important work closely for years, and am excited to join Hadassah and support its mission,” she added.

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