Teresa K. Woodruff, Ph.D. is a leader in higher education and an internationally recognized biologist specializing in reproductive science. Woodruff is president emerita of Michigan State University (MSU) and MSU Research Foundation Distinguished Professor in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Biology as well as in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at MSU.

In 2006, she coined the term “oncofertility” to describe the merging of two fields: oncology and fertility preservation. Working at the national level, Woodruff championed a new National Institutes of Health policy mandating the inclusion of both male and female biological variables in fundamental research.

As a leading research scientist, teacher and mentor, Woodruff was awarded the National Medal of Science by President Joe Biden in 2025 and the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Mentoring by President Barack Obama in 2011.

Elizabeth Dias is the national religion correspondent for The New York Times and has reported on religion and politics for 15 years. She covers the shifting expressions of belief and power in American society, and the values, emotions and people that shape public life.

She has reported from more than 30 states and written about religion in four presidential elections. She joined The Times in 2018 and reported as part of the national and political reporting teams. Previously she covered religion, politics and national news at Time magazine, where she traveled with Pope Francis, interviewed the Dalai Lama and explored conservative Christianity’s rise to power with the Trump movement.

She is the co-author of the national bestselling book The Fall of Roe: The Rise of a New America, with her New York Times colleague Lisa Lerer — a work that chronicles the legal, political and personal forces that dismantled federal abortion rights and reshaped American society. Dias is a graduate of Wheaton College and holds a master of divinity degree from Princeton Theological Seminary.

The UCLA Center for Reproductive Science, Health and Education was delighted to host LA County Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell as the inaugural Distinguished Speaker to discuss her work to supporting healthy families and communities.

As a County Supervisor for the 2^nd District of Los Angeles, Supervisor Mitchell champions care and support for women, girls and expecting mothers, working to ensure that their reproductive health needs are met through expanding doula care, protecting Black lives during childbirth, supporting measures for paid family leave, and expanding access to abortion rights and reproductive care.

Supervisor Mitchell’s work is centered in reproductive equity and justice, key topics that the Center is keen to highlight given our vision for a future in which reproductive policies are based on rigorous science, and access to this care is more equitable.