October 18, 2023 – Whatever the day, Gabriela RosaThe to-do list might include diving into the latest fertility research, a watercolor class, an executive coaching session, or an hour of weightlifting at the gym.
Rosa is a student at the Harvard Chan School. Doctor of Public Health (DrPH) Program and the new president of Harvard Chan Student Association (HCSA). She is also a fertility expert with over 20 years of experience. Lifting weights and painting watercolors help her stay healthy and grounded, she says.
Her two decades as head of the Australia-based Rosa Institute, an organization focused on improving clinical outcomes in reproductive medicine to help couples around the world conceive healthy babies – have provided her with leadership skills that will serve her well in helping HCSA thrive, she says. Rosa is excited about the interest shown by students so far. “We started really well. We had more people wanting to be a part of AHHC than we had spots available.
Rosa has big ideas for the group. She institutes monthly general student forums and intends to improve communication between students, faculty and administrators.
“HCSA is able to elevate student voices in a much greater way than any individual student can do on their own,” Rosa said. “And we’re also able to help students understand how to best communicate to meet their needs.” One of my top priorities is to streamline this communication so that all parties can work well together.
“Gabriela is focused on her goals and is not afraid to challenge the status quo,” said Rick Siegristeducational director of the DrPH program.
“Fertility is a team sport”
Rosa also advocates collaboration in her work on fertility. “We don’t just treat one person in my program,” she explained. “We treat the couple because, as I always say, fertility is a team sport. To have a healthy baby, you need to have healthy parents-to-be.
Part of Rosa’s interest in fertility treatment is personal: At age 18, she was diagnosed with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) and told she would never conceive. At that point, she decided that if she couldn’t have children, she would focus on her career.
After earning a Bachelor of Health Science in Naturopathy and a Masters in Reproductive Health and Human Genetics from Australian universities, she decided to use her skills to prepare people for “the healthiest possible pregnancies and babies.” as healthy as possible. She created “The Fertility Breakthrough Program”, which integrates effective medical diagnosis and naturopathic treatment and teaches people what to eat, how to sleep better, how to avoid chemicals in the environment and other things that can impact on fertility.
“One of the main reasons people have fertility issues is because they don’t know what they don’t know,” Rosa said. “Usually no one has told them that things like what they eat or whether they drink out of plastic bottles or manicure their nails actually make a huge difference in your ability to conceive.” Rosa’s team, now made up of 42 people, combines empirical knowledge and evidence-based science in a holistic, supportive, education-driven approach to fertility treatment. Rosa has also written five books on the topic of infertility. She recently published “Joyful Surrender: How to Get Pregnant by Letting Go,” which inspires readers to positively reframe their fertility journey and journal about the process.
Along the way, Rosa wondered if she would ever be able to have children of her own. Finally, at age 33, even though she had lived eight years without a menstrual cycle, she decided to apply to herself everything she had learned from her patients. She managed to regain regular cycles and fell pregnant on her first attempt. She now has two children aged 11 and 8.
Heading to Harvard
Rosa began her studies at Harvard Chan School in 2018, after deciding she needed to bolster her efforts in the field of fertility with further training in clinical research. She was interested in the DrPH program, but was advised to pursue more in-depth research training first. So she started with an online professional course offered by Harvard Chan’s Executive training and continuing professional development program called Principles and practice of clinical research. Then she came to Boston for the Summer Program in Clinical Effectiveness in 2019. From 2020 to 2022, during the pandemic, remotely, she earned a Master of Public Health in Clinical Effectiveness.
Rosa’s goals in applying to the DrPH program were to learn how to communicate more widely and effectively about alternative infertility treatments, as well as influence policy and support innovation in the field of fertility. “I was so determined to get this out to more people,” she said.
She was very worried about not being accepted into the program. “Waiting to find out whether or not I would be accepted, I was literally thinking about it 24/7,” she said. “I said to myself, ‘I have to do something else.’ I had a flash of insight: I said to myself: “Painting, color, beautiful things.” » Even though she had never painted in her life (“Drawing a stick figure was an accomplishment for me,” she says), she signed up. for a three-hour watercolor class with her mother.
Rosa found herself fascinated by colors, fascinated by the act of painting. “Three hours passed like it was two seconds,” she recalls. She and her mother then took a second course, this one lasting 10 weeks. By week five, Rosa was relieved to receive her acceptance letter from the DrPH program.
Still, she struggled to understand what it would mean: moving to Boston and being away from her family and young children in Australia. But her parents told her that getting the DrPH degree was “now or never, and that’s what you’ve worked so hard for” — and offered to help take care of the kids. Rosa said: “Without their support in this way, I would not have done the program. »
Rosa has been able to juggle her many roles – student, HCSA president, fertility guru – while parenting remotely. She plans visits with her kids during the summer and on vacation and checks in via FaceTime every day “to get the latest news and make sure they’re being nice to each other and doing everything their duties “. And she continues to paint her watercolors, take classes at the nearby Museum of Fine Arts, and offer watercolor classes to all students through events coordinated and sponsored by the HCSA.
Become stronger
Weightlifting has been – literally – another source of strength and pride for Rosa. She started it at age 38, after having her second child, when she was unhappy with her state of health. “PCOS puts people at higher risk of metabolic diseases like diabetes, as well as cardiovascular disease,” she said. “My grandmothers both died from diabetes: stroke and cardiovascular disease. I knew I didn’t want this to happen in my life. I told myself, “The gym is going to be a part of my life for as long as it lasts.” »
Now, she says, she “can literally talk about weightlifting until the cows come home.” It touts its ability to improve metabolic health by increasing muscle mass. “For me, it’s been such a life-changing activity and has given me a renewed sense of what’s possible for my health and for my life as I get older,” she said. “I’ve gotten strong enough that for most of my lifts I’m easily lifting more than my body weight. Much like meditation, being consistent in my physical practice has kept me physically and mentally strong and reminds me daily of what else I am capable of in my life. I am so grateful for my body and my continued focus on health and all that it helps me create and achieve in the world.
She added: “Many people think that as they get older, they automatically lose their strength and abilities. But not only do we not necessarily lose these elements, we can actually improve them significantly over time. This is part of the next big conversation I want to have in the world. I want to show men and women that aging does not necessarily mean decline. The passage of time offers the opportunity to refine and improve ourselves, our health and our abilities in many ways.
Photo: Kent Dayton
