THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Shazia Siddiqi, MD, MPH
President
Dr. Siddiqi is a Deaf Staff Scientist at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Rochester Medical Center in Rochester, NY. Dr. Siddiqi earned a Bachelor’s in Molecular and Cell Biology from UC Berkeley, a Master’s in Public Health from Dartmouth College, and a Doctor of Medicine degree from St. George’s University School of Medicine.
She has done research in breast cancer at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, worked as a community health educator/outreach specialist in the Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program at Greater Los Angeles Agency of Deafness, and taught Medical Terminology at Gallaudet University. Before coming to Rochester, Dr. Siddiqi was the Executive Director of DAWN (formerly known as Deaf Abused Women's Network) which provided advocacy services for survivors of domestic violence, sexual violence, and stalking in the greater metropolitan area of Washington, DC.
Dr. Siddiqi has long worked closely with historically excluded populations, exploring how social determinants affect health outcomes aiming at Deaf health equity, disability justice, and reproductive justice. Her goals are to ensure that Deaf people who have historically been excluded from research data are now forefront and visible in research and apply these research findings to effect policy change at local, state, national, and international levels.
Her professional interests include global Deaf health, health disparities, preventive medicine, gender-based violence, trauma-informed care, and maternal and child health. Dr. Siddiqi enjoys working with historically excluded populations to gain opportunities and access to further their scientific and health career goals as well as learn more about their own intersectionalities that frame their lived experiences.
Sarah Hein, FNP-BC
Vice President
Ms. Hein graduated from the University of Michigan with her master’s in nursing and family nurse practitioner certification. While attending Loyola University of Chicago, she finished with a master’s degree in Neuroscience. Previously, she attended the University of Michigan where she was awarded a bachelor’s in Brain, Behavior and Cognitive Sciences.
She further rounded out her education by obtaining her bachelor’s in nursing at the University of Detroit Mercy. Her nursing career started at Beaumont Health in Metro Detroit, where she explored areas such as neurology/neurosurgery and orthopedics. She was previously a registered nurse at Henry Ford Health System in the Metro Detroit area, adept in areas such as acute care nursing, community health and employee health nursing.
Currently, she is working as a primary care nurse practitioner at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Saginaw. At the VA, she is spearheading a committee for awareness/accessibility of patients and employees with disabilities. Her ultimate career goals include setting up a fully accessible health clinic for those with disabilities, as well as participating in medical volunteer programs abroad to help other cultures understand how to provide fully accessible healthcare to Deaf, Deafblind, and hard of hearing individuals.
Sarah lost her hearing at a young age due to illness; learned American Sign Language in college and proudly immersed herself in the Deaf culture. She is a council member for the state of Michigan advisory board on Deaf, Deaf-Blind, and Hard of Hearing. She is a very avid volunteer in the community and all endeavors that she sets her mind to. She loves to travel, read, cook, spend time with her nephews, and her dog named Buddy.
Jessica Williams, MD
Secretary
Dr. Jessica Williams is a Psychiatry Resident at Barnes-Jewish Hospital affiliated with Washington University in St. Louis. She previously graduated from WashU BA '17 where she designed her Special Major in Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences. She then returned to her home state to attend the University of Florida College of Medicine (MD '21). She first discovered AMPHL in 2019, and in Baltimore, discovered her passion for addressing the Deaf mental health care gap. Thereafter, she took several Gallaudet ASL Online courses concurrently with her final year of medical school and residency application process.
Currently, in her residency, she was awarded a grant through the Resident and Fellows' Diversity Initiative with which she will design and implement education in Deaf/HoH mental health for medical students and residents. Additionally, she is pursuing the Leadership, Education, and Administration Pathway in which she will dedicate significant portions of her PGY 2-4 years to expanding the current Deaf/HoH mental health infrastructure in St. Louis and beyond. Her future practice goal is to establish telepsychiatry access in multiple states for people of all hearing loss identities.
Jaime Wilson, Ph.D., ABN, ABPP
Treasurer
Dr. Wilson is a prescribing medical psychologist and board-certified neuropsychologist in full-time private practice inside and outside Washington State. He holds privileges at several area hospitals and has worked extensively with physicians, other healthcare providers, and forensic experts, providing neuropsychological evaluations across the U.S. The field of neuropsychology is dedicated to learning about and diagnosing conditions related to the brain and nervous system.
As a Past President of the Association of Medical Professionals with Hearing Losses, Dr. Wilson also serves on the Diversity Council for the Society of Prescribing Psychology and as Chair of the Diversity Committee for the American Board of Professional Neuropsychology.
Born with a profound hearing loss, Dr. Wilson grew up wearing bilateral hearing aids and primarily communicated using spoken language, although he is also an American Sign Language user. Dr. Wilson resides in Olympia, WA, with his wife (a registered nurse who is also deaf), three kids, and a King Charles Spaniel named Pepper Jack. To learn more about Dr. Wilson, click here.