meet the 2020-2021 pbp team

Brianna Giese

They/them, BOARD PRESIDENT

Bri is a senior double majoring in Women’s and Gender Studies and Biology. After becoming a birth doula as well as taking a class alongside currently incarcerated folks at the Macomb County Correctional Facility, they found the Prison Birth Project to be the perfect space to combine their passions. With aims to normalize reproductive health conversations and support, Bri founded the first reproductive loss doula nonprofit in Michigan called the Lunar Doula Collective. As an avid criminal justice and reproductive justice advocate, Bri will continue to center the needs of pregnant people in and outside of prisons as they pursue a career in nonprofit organizing. 

Shimonti Sengupta

she/her/hers, Vice president

Shimonti is a senior majoring in Environmental Engineering and minoring in Gender and Health Studies. She wants to work at the interface of public health and environmental engineering, and is interested in how environmental policy affects long-term health. Since joining PBP her freshman year, Shimonti has learned about the criminal legal system and gained interest in advocating for the rights of incarcerated women. Outside of PBP, she participates in an engineering project team focused on bringing social engagement and awareness to their design process, and does research in the OBGYN research department at Michigan Medicine. Shimonti believes all women should have the opportunity and tools to make well-informed health decisions, and is committed to bringing a social justice mindset to all of her future projects.

Neha Gogineni

she/her/hers, Director of internal communications

Neha is a pre-medical junior majoring in Public Health Sciences through the School of Public Health with a minor in Business through the Ross School of Business. She has always been interested in criminal justice reform and has also been passionate about reproductive healthcare, making Prison Birth Project the perfect way for her to combine her interests in the form of reproductive justice advocacy. Through her involvement in Prison Birth Project, she found a passion for widening access to high-quality healthcare, which is where she found her interest in public health. Outside of Prison Birth Project, Neha works in interdisciplinary project teams to provide healthcare solutions to under-resourced areas in the form of education and medical device solutions. She also researches with the Michigan Medicine Department of Urology and volunteers in the Eating Disorders Unit at C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital. Through this work, Neha hopes to spread awareness of the disparities faced by incarcerated people and hopes to incorporate more public health awareness in other fields of study. 

Lauren Walton

she/her/hers, Director of Development & Finance

Lauren is a junior majoring in Information with a focus on Information Analysis. In the future, she plans to pursue a career in consulting. She is passionate about women’s health and reproductive justice, but also enjoys finance and grant-writing. Over her past year in Prison Birth Project, she has loved combining all of these interests. Outside of Prison Birth Project, Lauren was previously involved in cancer immunology research through the University of Michigan Cancer Center. She also is a campus ambassador for a professional services firm and has experience with several coding languages and data analysis platforms. She is excited to carry on Prison Birth Project’s mission by funding events on campus and raising money for the club’s initiatives. Lauren is enthusiastic about raising awareness about access to high-quality healthcare, especially for those incarcerated.

Taylor Burman

she/her/hers, Director of research

Taylor is a junior majoring in Biospychology, Cognition, and Neuroscience, with a minor in Science, Technology and Society. She is very passionate about women’s health, reproductive justice, and pursuing research. She has loved the opportunity to combine these interests through her work for Prison Birth Project these past years. Outside of Prison Birth Project, Taylor works as a research assistant for the Adolescent Health Risk Behavior Lab. She also has experience as a doula and is a certified Emergency Medical Technician, both of which have further fueled her passion for women's healthcare. Building on her experiences, Taylor is excited to act as an advocate for equal access to quality, patient-centered, and informed healthcare for all, especially those who are incarcerated.

Noelle Gorka

she/her/hers, Director of Community Outreach and Activism

Noelle is a junior majoring in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, with a minor through the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy. She plans to become a physician, intending to spend her career as clinician, researcher, and advocate for human rights in healthcare policy. Her interest in Prison Birth Project stems from a passion for rooting out inequity in all its forms, particularly in institutions with a history of systemic injustice. Outside of PBP, Noelle does research through Michigan Institute of Clinical and Health Research, where she works with community leaders in Flint, MI, to apply lessons from the Water Crisis to the prevention of future disasters of its kind. Her focus with the workgroup includes broader initiatives relevant to COVID-19 and racism as a public health crisis. She holds a second research position with the UM Department of Human Genetics, investigating the genetic origins of fibromuscular dysplasia. Beyond research, she enjoys facilitating SLC study groups, working on political campaigns, and coaching speakers for TEDxUofM.

Emma Donnelly- Sironen

she/her/hers, Director of Community Outreach and Activism

Emma is a junior majoring in Psychology with an interest in criminal justice. Outside of Prison Birth Project, Emma is a research assistant for the Methods, Sex Differences, and Development lab in the university’s psychology department. Through Prison Birth Project, which she joined her Sophomore year, Emma hopes to positively contribute to the fight for improved reproductive care, as well as other types of care, within the Carceral System. She is passionate about using her place of privilege to educate and advocate for those who may not be able to do so themselves.

Avani Samandur

she/her/hers, co-Director of PR and Marketing

Avani is a junior majoring in Public Health Sciences. She is very interested in reproductive justice, restorative justice, and how they intersect in the healthcare of incarcerated people. After joining Prison Birth Project her freshman year, she recognized that there is a drastic need for better systems of justice, advocacy and care in the United States. Outside of Prison Birth Project, she does research at the Department of General Pediatrics and volunteers with the Art Cart at Michigan Medicine. She is excited to uplift Prison Birth Project’s mission through social media advocacy and community based solutions to incarceration.

Becca Surman

she/her/hers, director of project mediation and internal cohesion

Becca is a senior majoring in Women and Gender Studies with a minor in Crime and Justice. Since joining Prison Birth Project, she has developed a particular interest in systems of surveillance and imprisonment. Outside of Prison Birth Project, Becca volunteers with American Friends Service Committee and is a co-mentor in the Good Neighbor Project. Becca is also a member of the Swing Left College Fellowship looking to engage students at the University of Michigan in local, state, and national elections. The Criminal Justice Advocacy committee is centered around creating long term engagement with community organizations in Washtenaw and Wayne county.