Where do you call home?
I was raised in Palo Alto, CA, but I’ve come to feel very at home in Philadelphia, where I am currently completing a fellowship.
What are your clinical or research interests?
Complex contraception and abortion care, care of gender diverse patients, care of adolescents, health equity.
What current policy issue motivates you to be an advocate?
The escalation in recent years on access to abortion, contraception, and gender-affirming care is a central driving force for me. However, I am also motivated by a lack of access to paid parental leave and policies that affect climate change, immigration, and housing access, to name a few. Once you begin to see things through a reproductive justice lens, you learn that few topics lack a tie-in to reproductive health advocacy.
What local justice-centered organization do you wish we knew about?
The Share Food Program in Philadelphia is a food justice and distribution organization that combats hunger.
What is bringing you joy these days?
My garden, the new season of The Great British Bake-Off, Ann Patchett’s Tom Lake, my family.
Our Meet Our Advocates series showcases the talents and passion of one of our doctors and finds out, in their own words, what inspires them to be physician advocates. Sameera Mokkarala (MD, MPH) is a Fellow in our Leadership Training Academy Class of 2024. Dr. Mokkarala practices obstetrics and gynecology in Pennsylvania.