Elise Tao

Adolescent Program: Policy Lab

Elise Tao is the founder of the Menstrual Equity Initiative (MĚI), a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing menstrual health through education, research, advocacy and access to essential products. She is also a Harvard student, entrepreneur and activist from New Jersey.

MĚI began as Elise’s 2025 United Nations Academic Impact Millennium Fellowship project, inspired by her experiences with menstrual health and her recognition that menstrual symptoms and concerns are often overlooked, misunderstood or stigmatized. She envisioned an organization that could bring together education, media, literature, research and advocacy to uplift people who menstruate worldwide.

Through educational resources, research and community advocacy, MĚI works to reduce barriers to menstrual health information and products while promoting greater awareness, confidence and bodily autonomy. Its advocacy has supported HCR 118, a resolution seeking to incorporate comprehensive menstrual health education into Hawaiʻi public schools, as well as the publication of legal briefs on menstrual access and medical research.