Hey Jane’s team consists of board-certified, US-licensed providers from top institutions—who also understand what you’re going through, because they’ve been through it themselves.
Jessica Vernon, MD, is Hey Jane’s Medical Director (and mom to Cahya and Lyla). For more than a decade she has been focusing on pregnancy and postpartum support, to help as many birthing parents as possible find their own paths to recovery—because she’s been there. She believes that taking care of your mental wellness means you’re helping your whole family thrive. Jessica also serves as the director of the Perinatal Mental Health Program at NYU Langone Obstetrics and Gynecology Associates, and is a physician advisor for the Black Mothers Matter Committee, where she received a grant to create an educational curriculum training OB/GYNs in caring for perinatal mood and anxiety disorders (PMADs). Jessica received her MD from the University of Texas and completed her residency at Sinai Hospital of Baltimore.
Karen Sheffield-Abdullah, PhD, RN, CNM, is a certified nurse-midwife, mindfulness teacher, and researcher (as well as mom to Eddie Jr., Brynn, Amaya, and Laila). Her research examines and explores stress and anxiety in Black birthing parents and the impact on their birth outcomes, quality of life, and wellbeing. She is dedicated to providing culturally humble, person-centered care that elevates the voices of marginalized communities so that they are seen, heard, and valued. Karen is a member of the APA Maternal Health Board and had been a nurse abstractor on the Maternal Mortality Review Committee. She received her MSN from Yale University, and her PhD in nursing from University of North Carolina Chapel Hill.
Vanessa Barisano, PMHNP-BC, is a perinatal psychiatric nurse practitioner, certified postnatal educator, PMAD survivor, and mom to Daniela and Anthony who has dedicated the past 30 years to supporting her patients through this journey called parenthood. Her focus is medication management in combination with supportive talk therapy tailored for her patients’ specific needs, and has vast experience treating a broad range of mental health conditions—integrating evidence-based research, clinical expertise, and patient priorities. Vanessa received her BSN from the College of Mount Saint Vincent, her MSN from Stony Brook University, and completed the Psychiatry Program at Massachusetts General Hospital. She is board certified by the American Nurses Credentialing Center, and received her perinatal mental health certificate from Postpartum Support International. Vanessa currently serves as an adjunct clinical professor with the accelerated baccalaureate nursing program at Stony Brook University.
