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Dr. Aza Nedhari, DHS, CPM, LPC

@dr_nedhari

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President and CEO @mamatotovillage, Midwife, Family Therapist, 2026 Ashoka Fellow and OD Practitioner

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“Our dream space has been stolen. We want it back.” 🖤

That’s a line from Tricia Hersey’s work on rest and grind culture. It’s also exactly what happens when Black-led organizations are funded to survive and never funded to dream.

Last year, I earned my doctorate. Today I’m putting that work into the world. I’m releasing “The Freedom to Dream” a piece pulled from my doctoral research on how we fund Black l-led organizations, built on interviews with eight leaders of Black-led social change organizations. It’s about the data behind that gap, the real cost leaders carry to close it themselves, and what funders and institutions could do differently starting now.

This is an invitation.

Link in bio. 💫 by @dr_nedhari

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2 months ago

Let’s Talk Maternal Mental Health — How you really doing? 👀

That’s the question that needs to be asked. Because sometimes supporting a mom starts with simply seeing her, hearing her, and knowing when something isn’t right.

Maternal mental health is more than providing a service. It’s about showing up with care, compassion, and community-rooted support, especially during some of the most vulnerable moments of the perinatal period.

At Mamatoto, we believe investing in the people and communities we serve is essential to building healthier outcomes. That’s why our Perinatal Community Health Workers are rooted in the communities they serve and trained to recognize signs, provide support, and connect families to the care they need.

During the 55th Annual Legislative Conference, our President & CEO, Dr. Aza Nedhari, joined Representative Lauren Underwood’s panel, “Facing the Maternal Mental Health Crisis: How Black Communities Are Meeting the Need.”

When asked about perinatal mood and anxiety disorders, recognizing signs of distress, and how providers can intervene, Dr. Nedhari spoke to the importance of knowing the signs and using screening tools like the EPDS to help identify when someone may need additional support.

Because mental health is wealth in our communities.🤎

🎥 Watch the full conversation and tell us what resonates with you in the comments.

#MaternalMentalHealth #PerinatalMentalHealth #BlackMaternalHealth #CBCALC2026 #ALC55 by @dr_nedhari

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24 days ago

“Over 80% of maternal deaths in the US are preventable. This is a solvable problem. But it requires everyone to make maternal health their business.”

Today our President and CEO, Dr. Aza Nedhari was featured in @forbes shining a light on what we’ve always known: community-centered, relationship-based care saves lives. For years, Mamatoto Village has ensured Black families have access to trusted Community Birth Workers, culturally congruent care, and support that extends far beyond birth.

This work isn’t just impactful, it’s essential. But to reach more families, we need partners who are ready to invest in lasting change. Whether you’re a philanthropist, corporate partner, foundation, or community advocate, your investment helps expand access to lifesaving care, strengthen our workforce, and build healthier futures for families across our community.

The solutions exist. Now it’s time to invest in them.

Click the link in our bio or read the full article here: bit.ly/MVinForbes

#MaternalHealth #BlackMaternalHealth by @dr_nedhari

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3 months ago

“Safe babies and safe mamas where? How do you put your name on that promise and in the same season close the very beds where it was supposed to be kept.”

Today, our President and CEO, Dr. Aza Nedhari stood in solidarity with nurses, advocates, and community leaders during a press conference to oppose planned cuts to postpartum services at DC’s MedStar Washington Hospital Center.

The proposed closure of postpartum unit 5F would eliminate 11 maternal health beds in a city where access to maternity care is already limited. As healthcare providers and birth justice advocates raise concerns about the impact on families across the District, we remain committed to protecting access to safe, equitable, and quality maternal healthcare for all.

When maternal health services are reduced, families pay the price. We urge MedStar Washington Hospital Hospital Center to keep what they already have before you build anything new, before the next iniative, before the next research study, keep the beds already serving mothers open. We stand with those demanding that maternal health remains a priority, not an afterthought. taken in MedStar Washington Hospital Center by @dr_nedhari

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4 months ago

Girl, how you doin’?

Someone asked me that during my Ashoka Fellowship panel interview and I cried.

Not because I wasn’t ready. Because I was exhausted. And a Black man, a panel reviewer who didn't know me from a can of paint, finally asked about me. Not the org. Not the work. Not these kids. ME!

My doctoral research on Black-led social change organizations confirmed what so many of us already live: the leaders holding these organizations together are often running on proximity to mission. We are on the front lines of issues that also live in our bodies, our families, and our communities. The pressure of navigating retracted funding while trying to sustain mission-critical work and holding care roles at home, while holding entire organizations together at work.

The Washington Area Women’s Foundation found that 90% of Black women nonprofit leaders say their roles have had detrimental effects on their health. Chronic stress. Fatigue. Elevated blood pressure. Mental health impacts.

We are doing all of this. Underfunded. Undersupported. Unprotected. And still showing up.

I told the full story with my brother Lionel Foster on Camber Creek’s Catalyst Podcast. Link in bio. Go listen.

And save this for the days you forget to ask yourself, Girl, how YOU doin’? 💜

#GirlHowYouDoin #BlackWomenLead #SocialChangeLeadership #AshokaFellows #BlackMaternalHealth by @dr_nedhari

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4 months ago

Honored to share that I’ve been named a 2026 Ashoka Fellow.

Ashoka is the world’s largest network of social entrepreneurs, nearly 4,000 Fellows worldwide and over 300 in the U.S., working to transform the systems behind society’s most pressing challenges.

This recognition affirms what we’ve always known at @mamatotovillage — that community-rooted solutions aren’t a supplement to systems change, they are the mechanism for it.

For over a decade, we’ve been building a more just and equitable maternal health system right here in DC, one mother, one family, and one perinatal health worker at a time.

Maternal Health is Everyone’s Business.

#AshokaFellow #MaternalHealth by @dr_nedhari

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4 months ago

Honored to join leaders, advocates, healthcare innovators, and policymakers at the Maternal Health Innovation Convening hosted by the Clinton Policy Institute and MedStar Health.

Yesterday's conversations reinforced an urgent truth: improving maternal health outcomes requires intentional collaboration across healthcare, policy, research, tech, and community leadership. I’m grateful to contribute to discussions focused on advancing equitable care, reducing disparities, and building sustainable solutions that support mothers, birthing people, and families nationwide.

Maternal Health Is Everyone’s Business! by @dr_nedhari

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5 months ago

During Black Maternal Health Week, I had the honor of attending the @theblackmomsfair and moderating a powerful conversation on advocacy, birth work, and maternal wellness. I shared the stage with the incredible @_themasonjar_, @gowitherica, and @clarityquestcoach as we explored topics including postpartum mental health, community care, and the realities Black mothers continue to navigate.

One thing I shared during our discussion still sits with me deeply: “Maternal health is not a medical issue, it is a community issue.”

Improving outcomes for Black mothers and families requires more than clinical care—it requires investment in community, advocacy, culturally rooted support systems, and spaces where Black women feel seen, heard, and protected.

I left this conversation feeling inspired, energized, and reminded of the importance of continuing this work together. 💜✨ by @dr_nedhari

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5 months ago

It was so wonderful to finally meet and connect with the Mamatoto Village team in person at the Black Maternal Health Summit in the DMV.

I learned about @mamatotovillage years ago and have always loved how they show up and serve Black moms with such intention and care. @mariahebarnette and I had the chance to connect several months ago about partnering for @theblackmomsfair, and seeing that vision come to life was such a full circle moment.

I was so honored to welcome @msnedhari as a moderator at the fair. The work Mamatoto Village does in the DMV community is profound and they’ve helped to save hundreds of lives. Swipe to hear a bit for Dr. Aza at the summit.

So grateful for this purpose filled connection!

#mamatotovillage #blackmaternalhealth #dmv #blackmom #theblackmomsfair by @dr_nedhari

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6 months ago

Today, our President and CEO @msnedhari sat down with Dr. Bryan Buckley and Maureen Umeh at @fox5dc to discuss Mamatoto Village being a Developing Families Maternal Health Fund grantee!

Full video coming soon. 💜

#blackmaternalhealthweek #mamatotovillage by @dr_nedhari

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6 months ago

We are beyond excited to welcome Dr. Aza Nedhari to the Black Moms Fair DMV stage!

@msnedhari is a Certified Professional Midwife, Licensed Professional Counselor, and Co founding Executive Director of Mamatoto Village. With two decades of experience in grassroots advocacy, reproductive justice, and maternal health, she has dedicated her career to dismantling systemic barriers and building community driven solutions that strengthen families from the ground up.

She is a visionary, a mother, and exactly the voice this community needs in the room. Join us April 18th at Bowie State University. You do not want to miss this. Register today at www.blackmomsfair.com/register

#blackmomsfair #blackmoms #dmvevents #maternalhealth #dmv by @dr_nedhari

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7 months ago

I am honored to be named a 2025 Washingtonian of the Year by the @washingtonianmag. 13 years leading an amazing organization @mamatotovillage along side dedicated, brilliant, and fierce Black folks has truly been a dream. taken in Washington D. C. by @dr_nedhari

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9 months ago