Celebrating Dr. Sarah Traxler’s six years of board service
Advocates for Better Health wouldn’t be the organization it is today without the servant leaders on who make up our board of directors. In 2025, we bid a heartfelt farewell to Dr. Sarah Traxler, whose unwavering commitment and transformative leadership have been instrumental in shaping our organization.
Dr. Traxler has served on the ABH board of directors since 2018, including leading as board president during the challenging height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Under her guidance, ABH navigated a significant transformation, evolving from a membership-based association to a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. While Dr. Traxler led ABH through our organizational evolution, she also poured her passion and energy into advancing quality, safe healthcare for all patients—particularly those impacted by reproductive injustices.
Her work embodies the spirit of physician advocacy and selfless service. Minnesota’s status as a sanctuary for reproductive healthcare is, in no small part, a testament to her tireless efforts. Further, she does this humbly, only seeking the reward of knowing patients are able to exercise their right to exemplary reproductive healthcare.
Thank you, Dr. Traxler, for your visionary leadership and for sharing your time, energy, and passion with Advocates for Better Health. Your legacy of advocacy will continue to inspire us for years to come.
About Dr. Sarah Traxler, MD, MSHP:
Dr. Traxler serves as Chief Medical Officer of Planned Parenthood North Central States. She is a board-certified obstetrician gynecologist and a Fellow of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. She joined Planned Parenthood of Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota in 2015 as Associate Medical Director, Director of Family Planning Services and in 2017 became Medical Director. She came to Planned Parenthood after completing a two-year Fellowship in Contraceptive Research and Family Planning at the University of Pennsylvania where she also earned a Master of Science in Health Policy. Prior to her fellowship, she completed her residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Minnesota. She earned her medical degree from Oregon Health and Sciences University in Portland, OR where she became dedicated to reproductive rights through work with Medical Students for Choice.
Before attending medical school, Dr. Traxler spent several years working for non-profits dedicated to serving the homeless and was a strong advocate of women’s reproductive rights and health care access. After graduating cum laude with a B.A. in Spanish and Latin American Studies from Tulane University in 1997, she worked as an AmeriCorps VISTA with battered women and homeless youth in Texas. She then worked as an HIV Specialist where she assisted underserved populations while volunteering with groups dedicated to women’s reproductive rights and access to abortion, including the Rosie Jimenez Fund and Planned Parenthood. Dr. Traxler has special interests in reproductive health policy and healthcare for the underserved.