Hela Experts

All of the Hela Health offerings are powered by leading health and wellness providers to connect women with the highest quality information and resources available today.

Hope Ricciotti, MD

Dr. Hope Ricciotti is an obstetrics and gynecology physician at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and an Associate Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Biology at Harvard Medical School in Boston, MA. She is interested in the role of women as leaders in health care, and in reproductive health and wellness.

Dr. Ricciotti’s interests include leadership development and training, culture change in academic medicine, and in reducing health care disparities. She has published on culture change in medicine, innovative use of open space for enhancing the culture of academic medicine, and the disparity in representation of women in leadership roles in medicine. She has authored textbook chapters and edited books in OBGYN and women’s health. She has given presentations throughout the United States and China on leadership, culture, and education in academic medicine. She also educates the public and is the Editor-in-Chief for Harvard Women’s Health Watch, Harvard Health Publications and is a writer for the Harvard Health Blog. In addition to educating the medical community, Dr. Ricciotti is committed to educating the public. She is a contributor to magazines and is co-author of several cookbooks and women’s health textbooks. She is the co-author, along with her chef-husband, of five health-related cookbooks, and was a member of Oprah’s women’s health tour.

Dr. Ricciotti held prior leadership positions as the Chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, MA, a major Harvard Medical School teaching hospital. At Harvard Medical School, Dr. Ricciotti led the Resident as Teacher Interest Group, served as the OBGYN Clerkship Committee Chair, and was a member of the Harvard Medical School Curriculum Committee. She was also the Residency Program Director and Harvard Medical School clerkship director in Obstetrics and Gynecology at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.

David Kulak, MD, FACOG

Dr. David Kulak, M.D. is Director of the Gamete Donation Program and the Reproductive Technology program at GENESIS. He is a board-certified sub-specialist in Reproductive Endocrinology.

Dr. Kulak received his medical degree and completed his residency in Obstetrics & Gynecology at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. He then completed his fellowship training in Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility at Rutgers University Hospital. Dr. Kulak is passionate about treating all patients, couples and families with personalized and compassionate care aimed towards their specific goals.

Dr. Kulak believes in using all possible treatment options for fertility care including lifestyle and diet modification, oral medication, surgical treatments and IVF. He is committed to bringing patients the highest level of care with cutting edge techniques and treatments. Dr. Kulak has developed and led research studies aimed at optimizing IVF success rates and he has developed new medical regimens for treating abnormal uterine bleeding.

Dr. Kulak is actively involved in research to advance the care of his patients. He has received multiple awards for his research on IVF outcomes, hormone levels in IVF and in-vitro studies on advanced imaging techniques. He has presented his research both nationally and internationally and has moderated national research sessions on menopause. He has written multiple book chapters on topics such as infections in pregnancy, ectopic pregnancies and fibroids. He has published research on topics such as fertility diets and optimizing IVF success rates in IVF cycles in premier US journals.

Randi Braun

Specializing with women leaders, Randi Braun is an executive coach, consultant, speaker, and the Founder of Something Major. She has coached leaders across the Fortune 500, media, medicine, financial services and real estate investment firms, law firms, start-ups, non-profits, and trade associations.

A thought leader who has been featured by Forbes, The Washington Post, and Parents Magazine, Randi speaks frequently on the topics of women's professional development and leadership, business development, thriving in working parenthood, and building meaningful professional relationships. She has spoken at organizations including Uber, The Embassy of Canada, UCLA's Anderson School of Management, and the National Association of Manufacturers.

Prior to founding Something Major, Randi was a fundraiser-turned-business-development executive. As a sales leader, Randi generated tens of millions of dollars for a diverse portfolio of organizations including non-profits, publicly traded and privately held companies, and tech start-ups.

Corey Hazama, PT, DPT, OCS, CFMT, PRPC, WCS

Corey graduated Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science in 2004 and a Doctorate in Physical Therapy with distinction in 2006 from Simmons College in Boston. Corey is one of the five percent of physical therapists nationwide to become a board certified orthopedic specialist (OCS) in 2010 with the American Physical Therapy Association. In 2013, she joined the elite group of Certified Functional Manual Therapists (CFMT), of which there are less than 300 in the world, through the Institute of Physical Art. The certification consists of a demanding seven exams, both practical and written, to demonstrate proficiency and effectiveness with evaluation and treatment utilizing the techniques taught by the Institute of Physical Art. She received Distinction on the exam, with the second highest score in her class. She is currently pursuing her certification in Pelvic Rehabilitation (PRPC) through the Herman and Wallace Pelvic Floor Rehabilitation Institute and hopes to complete the Women’s Health Clinical Specialist certification through the APTA as well and reccently became board certified through the American physical therapy association as a women’s health specialist.

Prior to joining Beyond Basics, Corey worked in inpatient rehabilitation at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, and then transitioned into outpatient orthopedics in New York City where she served as Clinical Director for Recovery Physical Therapy and Premiere Physical Therapy. A lifelong learner, Corey began training in visceral mobilization with the Barral Institute in 2013 and made the transition to pelvic health in 2015. Corey has completed the four visceral mobilization core courses with the Barral Institute, as well as Cranial Sacral I training with the Upledger Institute. She has also completed and is certified in the Schroth Method through the Barcelona Institute for treating adolescents and non-complex adults with scoliosis.
Corey believes strongly in ongoing learning and has logged more than a 1000 hours of continuing education coursework over her professional career. Corey began training in visceral and neural mobilization with the Barral Institute in 2013, and made the transition to pelvic health in 2015, primarily studying through the Herman and Wallace Institute. She completed the first of two certifications for 3-D treatment of scoliosis through the Schroth Barcelona Institute in November 2016, and has also started the training process in cranial sacral therapy through the Upledger Institute in 2017. She is an active participant in mentoring and teaching in the clinic and has assisted in teaching for the Institute of Physical Art in the Functional Visceral Mobilization course. She had the honor of having the opportunity to travel to Japan on two occasions to assist her husband in teaching a total of three Institute of Physical Art courses to Japanese physical therapists.
Corey is a member of the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) and Women’s Health Section, Interstitial Cystitis Association, and International Pelvic Pain Society (IPPS), serving as co-chair for the medical research committee.

Jill Krapf, MD MEd FACOG , MD, MEd, FACOG

Dr. Jill Krapf is an Obstetrician Gynecologist who specializes in vulvovaginal disorders and vulvar pain in Washington, DC.

Dr. Krapf is originally from the Philadelphia area. She graduated from Lafayette College and then earned an M.D. from Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She completed a residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at The George Washington University, serving as Chief Administrative Resident in her final year. After residency, Dr. Krapf completed a Medical Education fellowship and subsequently earned a Masters in Education. Dr. Krapf is board certified by the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology and has been active in leadership roles and committees in the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) and the Association of Professors of Gynecology and Obstetrics (APGO).

Dr. Krapf practiced at The George Washington University from 2011-2015, starting a clinic specializing in female sexual health and serving as the Assistant Clerkship Director for Obstetrics and Gynecology. She then relocated to Texas with her military husband, working as an OB/GYN hospitalist before joining the faculty at University of Texas Health San Antonio. Dr. Krapf recently moved back to the Washington D.C. area to devote her practice to the diagnosis and treatment of vulvar pain.

Dr. Krapf is active in research and has published chapters and peer-reviewed articles on vulvodynia, vulvar dermatoses, and hypoactive sexual desire disorder. She is Associate Editor for the Journal of Sexual Medicine Online Access, as well as for the textbook Female Sexual Pain Disorders, 2nd Edition. She is active in the International Society for the Study of Women’s Sexual Health (ISSWSH), serving on the Education Committee and the Social Media Committee.

Joshua Gonzalez, MD, Urologist

Joshua Gonzalez, MD, is fellowship-trained in Sexual Medicine and specializes in the management of male and female sexual dysfunctions.

These include issues surrounding hormone deficiency, menopause, sexual arousal, orgasm, ejaculation, libido/desire, sexual pain, penile curvature, and erectile function. Dr. Gonzalez also treats a variety of common urological conditions including benign prostatic disease, voiding dysfunction, and male infertility.

Throughout his career, Dr. Gonzalez has focused on advocating for sexual health and providing improved healthcare to the LGBTQ community.

LaShanda Dandrich, IBCLC Certified

Lashanda is a board certified lactation consultant currently providing support to mothers and babies in the Harlem and UWS of Manhattan.

Lashanda offers the following community classes:
Weekly Breastfeeding support groups at
www.sohapediatrics.com on Wednesdays 9:30-11am
3 IBCLCs in rotation

Weekly Breastfeeding support at For Your Birth/City Birth location 306 W. 106th Street
Mondays 11:30am - 1pm

Chocolate Milk Cafe Breastfeeding Support for Women of Color Monthly Support Group.
Last Monday of the Month @ Sugar Hill Creamery 184 Lenox Ave Harlem

Lactation Learning Collective Monthly Support Group
Last Thursday of the Month
For Your Birth/ City Births location
306 W. 106th Street Manhattan

Lauren Weber, DO

Dr. Weber is a women’s health specialist with a passion for leading a healthy lifestyle with the goal of utilizing prevention for herself and for her patients. Her clinical specialties and interests include contraceptive counseling; perimenopause, menopause and FDA approved hormone therapy; prevention and treatment of osteopenia and osteoporosis; female sexual dysfunction, pelvic pain, and nutrition. Dr. Weber is board-certified in family medicine and is a certified menopause practitioner. Dr. Weber earned her medical degree at Edward Via Virginia College of Osteopathic Medicine, Blacksburg, Virginia. She began her career in emergency medicine in the South Bronx, New York and decided to take a different route to form long-lasting relationships with her patients. She did her family medicine residency at Broward General Medicine Center in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and completed her Women’s Health Fellowship at the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio. Dr. Weber delivers care to her patients with compassion, humanity, and kindness. Some of her hobbies include cooking, exercising, traveling, and making homemade beauty products.

Leah Whitley, IBCLC Certified

Leah became captivated with breastfeeding after the birth of her oldest daughter. With nearly a decade of experience Leah has taught classes and facilitated consultations with thousands of Houston parents. As an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant Leah has acted in many capacities including writing breastfeeding curriculum, facilitating support groups, working in a milk bank, and teaching private and group classes.

Leah's experience is enhanced from having worked in a variety of different settings including clinics, hospitals, office, and private residence. Knowing the challenges that parents face, Leah founded SOS Lactation to provide immediate quality breastfeeding support.

Breastfeeding is natural, but it is also a learned behavior. Many mothers need hands on help to see their breastfeeding goals come to fruition. Leah offers one on one consultations in the privacy of your own home. A report of the consultation is sent to the baby's pediatrician and information can also be sent to the mothers healthcare provider as needed. Doctors appreciate this information and it helps keep the entire team better able to support the mother and baby with breastfeeding.

Alexandra Sowa, MD

Dr. Alexandra Sowa is a board-certified physician of internal medicine and obesity medicine specialist. She is the founder and CEO of SoWell Health, a membership weight-loss and metabolic wellness practice in NYC. She is also a clinical professor of medicine at NYU Langone Health.

After years of helping patients manage complex diseases like diabetes and coronary artery disease, Dr. Sowa started to envision a practice that provided a proactive, holistic, and multi-disciplinary approach to weight-loss and health.
SoWell Health uniquely combines medicine, nutrition, lifestyle and accountability to help patients achieve their health goals safely and sustainably.

Outside of her practice, Dr. Sowa is a frequent contributor to national media outlets, ranging from CBS News and The Doctors to the New York Times and Redbook. She is a regular weight-loss expert
on SiriusXM radio.

She is passionate about optimizing health through food. You can often find her making healthy meals (and a mess!) for her husband and two young sons in the kitchen.

Kristin McNealus

Kristin received her Masters in Physical Therapy from Boston University and went on to earn her Doctorate in Physical Therapy from MGH Institute of Health Professions. She received her MBA from Pepperdine University in 2016, and she is a member of Beta Gamma Sigma. Kristin is the owner and founder of Every Body Fitness, an online exercise program for people with any physical limitation to get quality, adaptable workouts from home.

Her work experience includes being a staff physical therapist on inpatient rehabilitation for people with neurological diagnoses at a number of hospitals in Southern California, as well as Director of a community adaptive gym for people with neurological injuries. She has worked on research studies for people post-stroke, and in acute care hospitals. She has a ATP certification, and perform frequent seating evaluations for people with various diagnoses.

Frustrated by the decrease in coverage for physical therapy over the years, Kristin wanted to give people access to quality treatment with the barriers of insurance, transportation or scheduling conflicts. She started a concierge physical therapy service for Southern California.

She has presented at conferences about spinal cord injury evaluation and treatment to other health care professionals, and she is an adjunct faculty for students at a local physical therapy program about spinal cord injury evaluation and treatment, and wheelchair seating. She is a member of the International Network Spinal Cord Injury Physiotherapists, and have contributed to the APTA Guidelines for Exercising with a SCI.