#DiversabilityAMA, Perspectives on Womanhood, Stigma, and Invisible Disability/Illness

Allie Cashel

Co-Founder of Suffering the Silence

Allie Cashel is the author of Suffering the Silence: Chronic Lyme disease in an Age of Denial and is co-founder of the original Suffering the Silence web community. Since starting work with STS, Allie has been invited to speak at events around the country ranging from private fundraisers to congressional forums, from medical schools to book stores and support groups. She hosted and organized the 2015 Suffering the Silence Symposium in London, is the Chair of the Global Lyme Alliance Jr. Board, and has worked as a founding member of the social action startup Postcard.com, PBC, a certified B Corporation, for the past two years.

Erica Lupinacci

Co-Founder of Suffering the Silence

Erica Lupinacci is an actor, producer, and the co-founder of Suffering the Silence, a community for people living with chronic illness and disability to share their stories and experiences. Erica was diagnosed with Lupus at 18 and is dedicated to raising awareness for people who have felt silenced or alone because of their differences.

Sarah Fader

Founder/CEO of Stigma Fighters

Sarah Fader is the CEO and Founder of Stigma Fighters, a non-profit organization that encourages individuals with mental illness to share their personal stories. She is an author and blogger, having been featured on The Washington Post, Psychology Today, The Huffington Post, HuffPost Live, and Good day New York. Sarah is a native New Yorker who enjoys naps, talking to strangers, and caring for her two small humans and two average-sized cats. Like six million other Americans, Sarah lives with panic disorder. Through Stigma Fighters, Sarah hopes to change the world, one mental health stigma at a time.

Dior Vargas

Latina Feminist Mental Health Activist

Dior Vargas is a Latina Feminist Mental Health Activist. She is the creator of the People of Color and Mental Illness Photo Project, a response to the invisibility of people of color in the media representation of mental illness. Dior is the recipient of numerous awards including The White House Champion of Change for Disability Advocacy Across Generations.

Gina Moffa, LCSW, MA

Gina Moffa has been in the field of mental health for over 15 years, working for several community-based mental health organizations, as well, as international not-for-profits, where Gina worked with survivors of genocide an violence in various countries within Africa. She is currently the Clinical Director of the highly acclaimed Addiction Institute of NY at Mt Sinai-St. Luke’s. Gina also maintains a private practice in Manhattan, where she attends to the needs of individuals, couples and families, providing therapy in the areas of grief (including complex grief and ambiguous loss), trauma, anxiety, depression, and substance use disorder. Gina is also an accomplished singer, creating one woman shows depicting emotional themes with various genres of music and has been featured in the New York Daily News.