Rachel Ginocchio
Rachel Ginocchio

About

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Rachel believes that the best way to tackle tough topics is to start with the science.

then layer on beliefs and values, and let the conversation roll.

Rachel loves to bring sometimes-hard-to-talk-about topics to the table. She ditches fear and shame, and strives to be scientifically accurate and age-appropriate. From human reproduction (life!), to when we depart this world (death!), and everything in between, Rachel invites learners to engage, ask questions and come to their own ever-evolving understanding. Throughout their journey, Rachel promotes confident communication, healthy decision making and keen problem solving.

Reach Out
Rachel Ginocchio, MPHHealth Educator, Speaker, Trainer, Workshop Facilitator

 

Rachel Ginocchio, MPH

Freelance writer, educator, and consultant.

Although I can’t ever go fast enough for my tastes, MPH does not stand for miles per hour.

Rachel holds a Master’s Degree in Public Health (MPH). She received her degree at the University of Washington as an MCHB Economics Fellow, and her master’s thesis is published in a peer-reviewed academic journal. Rachel has held numerous positions within public health, where she gained a firm understanding of evidence-based science and where she honed her written and verbal communication skills.

Recently she set out to accomplish two goals: to write a book about life (Roads to Family: All the Ways We Come to Be) and death. Despite the fact that every human experiences both of these events, they are not well understood and shrouded in taboo. Rachel is on a mission to change that.  Roads to Family launched Rachel into the world of national and local speaking engagements, teaching in public and private schools, recording podcasts, writing blogs, and serving on boards and advisory committees. Through these activities, Rachel has garnered years of experience and a natural ease in bringing uncomfortable topics into the open, breaking down complicated concepts into juicy bite-sized pieces, and writing/teacing/speaking in an approachable way that connects with youth. 

Rachel is now pivoting her skills and talents to spark a long overdue and needed conversation with youth about death and all that follows. 

Custom Designed Services

Writing

Speaking

Teaching

Consulting

 

 

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Selected Work

Podcasts

Publications

  • Roads to Family: All the Ways We Come to Be. Lerner Publishing, April 2023 (hardcover) and August 24 (paperback)

  • It’s time to talk about where babies come from — the modern way (Honest Mum Blog 06/26/24)

  • How well do you REALLY understand human reproduction? Sex=>Babies (Healthy Teen Network Blog 06/06/2024)

  • New York Times, Opinion Letter. In response to The Children of Pornhub by Nicholas Kristof (Rachel Ginochio, 12/04/20220)

  • All Roads Lead to Family, Rachel HS Ginocchio, Brain, Child, Fall 2013. An essay about Rachel's own journey through IVF and adoption
    Presentations

Presentations

  • Donors, Surrogates and Technology: Modern Human Reproduction (American School Health Annual Conference, 10/25)

  • Narrative Nonfiction: The art of explaining complex science through deeply personal narratives (Oregon Association of School Libraries, 10/24)

  • How Reproductive Tech Impacts Our Identity (Science on Tap, Vancouver, WA, 2/24)

  • Overhauling the Explanation of Human Reproduction (National Sex Ed Conference, 11/23)

  • What we gain when we expand the explanation of human reproduction (Oregon Youth Sexual Health partnership, 5/2022)

  • Donors, Surrogates and Technology: Overhauling How We Talk about Reproduction & Identity with Youth (Healthy Teen Network Conference, 11/2020)

  • Overhauling How We Talk about Reproduction (Basic Rights Oregon Conference, 10/2020)

Workshops

Dozens of:

  • Youth workshops around the social, emotional and physical changes of puberty, human reproduction, and family formation

  • Adult workshops (parents, teachers, setff) on how to talk confidently and joyfully with youth about puberty and reproduction

  • Teach the teacher workshops to empower educators to develop curriculum and address student questions

  • Plus … Smutty Jeopardy! where contestants show off their knowledge about human anatomy & the science of reproduction

Consultations

  • Participated on Advisory Panel for Oregon’s 2023 K-12 Health Education Standards.

  • Served on an expert panel for Power to Decide and helped draft a place-based framework called The Reproductive Well-Being Toolkit.

  • Provide written feedback and recommendations on how to include assisted reproduction in sexual health curriculums, including: Advocates for Youth, Get Real, and My Future My Choice.