Jessica Roach is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of Restoring Our Own Through Transformation (ROOTT), a Black women-led reproductive justice nonprofit focused on maternal-child health and birthing justice in Columbus, Ohio.

ROOTT’s Perinatal Support (Doula) Model provides innovative interventions that target the improvement of birthing conditions and outcomes for Black families who have collectively been disproportionately impacted by maternal and infant mortality and morbidity. ROOTT’s philosophy of engagement is laser-focused on addressing Black maternal, infant, and family health through a health equity lens.

Since 2015, ROOTT has achieved and sustained a 0% Black infant and maternal mortality rate and currently serves as a subject matter expert for White House staff, Congressional leaders, state and local governments, central Ohio hospital systems, and various national and local community stakeholders. ROOTT is a founding member of the national Black Mamas Matter Alliance.

Roach’s career has spanned more than 20 years as a former clinical nurse, public health advocate, and independent scholar. Roach brings a deeply experiential personal and professional perspective to her work. Her research includes structural racism and social determinants of health as well as the impact of intergenerational and historical trauma on African-American health. She has served as a full-spectrum doula, homebirth midwife and assistant, and consultant to various organizations.

Roach is a registered licensed practical nurse who also received a Bachelor’s Degree in African-American/Black Studies from The Ohio State University and a Master’s Degree in Public Health from the University of Illinois Chicago.