In June this year, the United States Supreme Court released its decision Dobbs vs Jackson Women's Health Organization, overturning the constitutional right to abortion. The President's Advisory Council on Women + (PACW+) has invited expert guests in the medical and legal fields to participate in a panel discussion regarding the practical implications of the ruling for North Dakota state employees. The panel will be informational only and panelists will not be advocating for any action or position.

The panel will be held virtually on November 15 at 12pm. Dr. Yvette Koepke-Nelson, Associate Dean for Academic Success, College of Arts & Sciences, will be the panel moderator.

The panelists include:

Melissa Hauer, JD
Melissa Hauer is General Counsel/Vice President at the North Dakota Hospital Association, a not-for-profit trade association that represents North Dakota’s hospitals. Prior to joining NDHA, Melissa served in both the private and public sectors. Her legal career began with private practice in Washington and continued upon her return to her home state of North Dakota.  She previously served as the General Counsel for the North Dakota Department of Human Services, the North Dakota Insurance Department, and Sanford West. She is the author of a number of published articles pertaining to healthcare law including Legal Issues in Genetic Testing and Counsel Corner, a recurring electronic column focused on health care law.

Courtney Koebele, JD
Courtney Koebele has been Executive Director for the North Dakota Medical Association since 2011.  Koebele attended the University of North Dakota and received her Juris Doctorate from UND. Koebele was a law clerk to United States District Judge Pat Conmy, United States Magistrate Dwight Kautzmann and also served as a civil litigation attorney for the Office of the ND Attorney General. She was in private practice in New Ulm, MN and Bismarck, ND for several years.  Prior to serving at the North Dakota Medical Association, Koebele was the assistant bar admissions administrator for the North Dakota Board of Law Examiners.

Rhonda Schafer-McLean, MD
Dr. Schafer-McLean is a Wilton, ND native and has been practicing in Bismarck since 2009. Dr. Schafer-McLean specializes in women’s healthcare including obstetrics, gynecology, surgery, and in-office procedures. Dr. Schafer-McLean attended undergraduate education at Brandeis University in Boston, MA. She received her MD and PhD in Anatomy and Cell Biology at the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks, ND. Her dissertation is titled Molecular Mechanisms of Cervical Dilation. Dr. Rhonda completed her OB/GYN residency at the University of Colorado in Denver, CO. Dr. Schafer returned to Bismarck in 2009 and worked in private practice. She joined the faculty at the UND Center for Family Medicine in Bismarck in 2017. Dr. Schafer-McLean also provides OB/GYN specialty care in several satellite locations including Beulah, Hazen, Linton, Wishek and Balance Medical in Bismarck, ND. Dr. Schafer-McLean has received the Golden Apple Award as medical student, the Frank Low Student Research Award as a PhD student, the OB/GYN Outstanding Resident Teacher Award from the University of Colorado School of Medicine, the AOA Teaching Excellence Award from the University of North Dakota and the Friends of Family Medicine Award from the ND Academy of Family Physicians.

NDPERS representatives are not available to participate in the panel discussion but will provide answers to submitted questions.