As AAPLOG grows, so does our staff! We are happy to introduce our new Chief of Staff, an expert in business and media relations: Kate Connolly. She is well known to our team and to many of our members as she has been our press director and media trainer since 2021. We are so excited to welcome her in this new role! Learn more about our newest team member in this interview:
How did your background lead you to this role with AAPLOG?
Most of my career has been in strategic communications. That includes media relations, public relations, internal communications, and crisis communications. Obviously, a theme of communications, which I think is pretty much at the heart of what it means to be human. It’s not just about your words; it’s about aligning who you are and your actions with your words. That said, when it comes to the fundamental right to life, it’s actually fairly personal. I have always supported moms and babies and the right to life since before I can remember. I’ve done some volunteering at different pregnancy care centers and have given to different causes so I wouldn’t say like a casual supporter – but back in 2020, it all became very real.
I was pregnant for the first time, and it was COVID-19 in New York. At my 12-week anatomy scan, I was by myself (because the rules were so strict) when the doctor said, “I don’t have very good news for you. He has cystic hygroma.” I had never even heard of that. He told me it’s really extensive, it looks really bad, he doesn’t think that the baby will survive. When I asked what you do for children in this circumstance, he just looked at me pretty blankly and was like, “Most parents in this case decide to terminate.” That was all he said. No comfort. No resources. I told him that my husband and I would never do that. When I walked out, obviously devastated, I had this crystal-clear moment. These poor women! The medical establishment gives them nothing.
In contrast, when I delivered my son at 23 weeks, the nursing staff couldn’t have been kinder. They went out of their way. They told me we never see this. And they weren’t pro-life in any way, but they were so loving to me as they witnessed my love for my child. I thought, “Man, you’ve deprived people of all of these beautiful gifts,” even though it was really difficult.
What do you think makes AAPLOG unique among other medical organizations?
I think it has such a clear voice for the medical profession relating to this topic; that’s what makes it very unique. It also speaks to both doctors and their maternal patients. And I think that the balance there is really, strong since the relationship between an OBGYN and her patient is very unique, too.
Why do you think it is important for physicians to have a strong voice in today’s healthcare landscape?
I think that they really direct a lot of the discourse (sometimes knowingly), perhaps by being a member of an organization like ACOG or just what they directly say to their patients. None of us are independent entities. The doctor has this really sacred responsibility. They’re experts with knowledge, and they have to translate that to somebody who doesn’t work in that world to make an ethical decision.
Outside of work, what are some of your favorite hobbies and interests?
My three-year-old daughter and I love to do crafts together. That really waxes and wanes from coloring to gathering leaves and sticks and putting them on something, gluing them together. We’ve been doing water coloring together. It’s always a lot of fun. I have been getting back into playing the piano again, which is sort of a cyclical thing. I also love history. In 2026, I want to finally finish this eight-hundred-page memoir by Ulysses Grant. It’s really good but very long.
