WBASNY Virtual Convention 2021 Journal

Continuing Legal Education Presenters

Susan Baldomar

Susan Baldomar is the Founder of Chelsea Surrogacy Advisors a consultancy practice which provides independent and impartial advice for individuals using third party reproduction options to build their families. Ms. Badlomar launched CSA as a result of her own difficult journey to parenthood where the lack of regulations and impartial advice compromised the health of her unborn child. The overarching goal of CSA is to minimize the physical, emotional and financial exposure of intended parents and their carriers thereby providing the best possible outcomes.

Ms. Baldomar testified and lobbied in front of the New York State Legislature on behalf of the Child-Parent Security Act which became law as of February 15, 2021. The law provides the most stringent protections in the nation for parents-to-be and their carriers as well as easing legal pathways to parenthood for the LGBTQ community. Prior to founding CSA, Ms. Baldomar was an advertising executive in Boston and New York where she was charged with creating media strategies for Fortune 500 companies. Since the inception of her career, She has used her professional skills to give voice to issues and individuals who might not otherwise be heard. She is a former founding board member of the Worker’s Justice Project, an organization dedicated to improving opportunities and safety conditions for low-wage and immigrant workers. Susan is also a former board member of Urban Cat League and The Alliance for Animals.

Andrea Braverman

Andrea Braverman is a Clinical Professor with a joint appointment in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine at Thomas Jefferson University. Dr. Braverman is the Associate Director for the Educational Core for OB/Gyn and also serves as the Director of the College Learning Environment for the university. She is a health psychologist with a specialty in medical health management, infertility counseling, and third party reproduction issues. She received her M.A., M.S. and Ph.D. in psychology from the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Braverman has lectured internationally on treatment issues and reproductive medicine

before medical and patient audiences. Dr. Braverman has conducted research and published numerous articles in medical journals about the psychological aspects of infertility, attitudes of parents of children born with the use of ART, issues involved in the decision to end treatment, and psychological issues involved in using third-party donors. Dr. Braverman received the Timothy Jeffries Memorial award in 2011 for outstanding contributions as a health psychologist from the American Psychological Association and the Advocacy Award from the Family Equality Council and Path2Parenthood in 2018. She is the past president of the North American Society for Psychosocial Obstetrics and Gynecology and past chairperson of the Mental Health Professional Group of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM).