Summit Speakers
Emily Adhikari, MD
Assistant Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, UT Southwestern; Medical Director of Perinatal Infectious Diseases, Parkland Hospital
Currently an assistant professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dr. Adhikari completed her fellowship training in Maternal-Fetal Medicine with a focus on infectious diseases affecting pregnant women. She is currently Medical Director of Perinatal Infectious Diseases at Parkland Hospital. In this role, she supervises pregnancy care for Dallas County women living with HIV, syphilis, and other major infectious diseases. She works closely with hospital leadership and the Dallas County Health Department to coordinate infectious disease surveillance efforts in pregnant women for sexually transmitted infections as well as for emerging pathogens such as zika, measles, and ebola viruses. Her research efforts focus on optimizing maternal health outcomes in disadvantaged populations. She studies infectious diseases that disproportionately affect disadvantaged populations, conducts research aimed at lowering the rate of primary cesarean deliveries, and investigates the maternal and neonatal effects of opioid addiction in pregnancy.
Leah and Vlad Bahrencu
Vlad & Leah Bahrencu have been married for a little over 5 years and are proud parents to 3- year-old twins Lukas & Sorana. While pregnant, Leah was diagnosed in the most severe stage of HELLP syndrome, a complication of pre-eclampsia, and delivered the twins prematurely. Since then she and Vlad have been advocates for women and families struggling with difficult and life-threatening complications from pregnancy and delivery. Leah was born and raised in Texas and loves being active. She is a wellness professional who teaches bootcamps around the Austin area and consults clients about nutrition. Vlad was born and raised in Romania and moved to the US to attend college. He received his MBA from St. Edwards and is now a Financier/Investor.
Marty Barnes
Founder, Casey’s Circle
Marty Barnes is a native Texan and best known as Casey’s mom. Marty and her husband, Tim, created the nonprofit Casey’s Circle after Casey’s passing in 2016. This organization offers many tools, resources, and social opportunities for children who are medically complex and their families. Casey’s Circle also includes educational resources specifically designed for caregivers of children who are medically complex. In addition to her own organization, Marty is very active in the special needs community and works closely with her community’s local children’s hospital and the palliative care team to help improve family centered care and best practices for children with complex medical needs. Currently Marty is in her last semester of nursing school. After graduation in May she plans to specialize in care for medically complex children. While working she plans to continue toward her goal of becoming a nurse practitioner for pediatric palliative care.
Ann Blake, MD, MPH, FAAP
Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine Fellowship Class of 2021, Baylor College of Medicine
Dr. Ann Blake is a neonatology fellow at Baylor College of Medicine/Texas Children’s Hospital. Dr. Blake’s primary academic interests are maternal-infant bonding in the NICU, mental health of NICU family members, and neonatal advocacy. Dr. Blake is the AAP District VII SOPT Advocacy Chair. Additionally, she maintains certification in Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) and Neonatal Resuscitation Program (NRP) and is passionate about teaching colleagues how to prepare for emergencies and just-in-time teaching when in the unit.
Kelly Boyd, PsyD
Founder, The Center for Counseling and Reproductive Psychology
Dr. Kelly Boyd is a licensed clinical psychologist, specializing in the area of women’s reproductive psychology. Dr. Boyd‘s private practice is in Round Rock, Texas. She works with couples, individuals and groups experiencing various types of reproductive trauma including fertility, high risk pregnancy, pregnancy and postpartum mood and adjustment disorders, as well as perinatal grief and loss, and menopause. Dr. Boyd also conducts Telemental health. Dr. Boyd is the founder, and cofounder of Pregnancy and Postpartum Health Alliance of Texas and California. Dr. Boyd sits on the advisory board for many reproductive related nonprofit organizations and the ethics Board for St. David’s. She regularly participates in increasing awareness and outreach for professionals, as well as the community on the topic of women’s reproductive health. Dr. Boyd also has experience working within a collaborative, integrated care model with various medical groups and women’s hospitals in Texas. She is an avid speaker on women’s reproductive health and wellness.
Emily Briggs, MD, MPH, FAAFP
TCHMB TMA Representative; Family Medicine Physician, Briggs Family Medicine
Emily Briggs, MD, MPH, FAAFP is a Board Certified Family Medicine physician in New Braunfels, TX. She provides her patients full scope family medicine services, including operative obstetrics. Dr. Briggs received her medical degree in Family Medicine as well as a Masters in Public Health from University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston. Dr. Briggs has a long-standing history of actively serving with the AAFP, TAFP, and TMA. Over the years she has served as New Physician Board Member to the AAFP, President for the Alamo Chapter of TAFP, and President of the TMA Comal County Medical Society. She just completed serving 2 years as Chief of Staff at Christus Santa Rosa Hospital in New Braunfels. Currently she serves as a board member of the TAFP, the Chair of the TMA’s Reproductive Women's and Perinatal Health Committee, the Chair of the Perinatal Advisory Council for DSHS under HB 15, and remains active her in local community serving as Medical Director for both Comal ISD and New Braunfels ISD.
Jennifer Bump, MD, MBA
Assistant Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Baylor College of Medicine
Dr. Bump received her bachelor's degree from the University of Texas at Austin. She went on to complete her medical training at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center in Lubbock, TX while concurrently studying health organizational management at the Texas Tech University Rawls College of Business. She completed her residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas. Her interests as a provider and researcher include pregnancy care, sexual dysfunction, pelvic organ prolapse, contraception, health quality management, and health policy. Dr. Bump is also passionate about teaching medical students and residents. She believes that this is the best way to ensure continued excellent care for her patients and their children into the future.
Sharrel Carlton, MD
Perinatal Medical Director, Peterson Regional Medical Center
Sharrel Carlton, MD is a Board Certified OB/Gyn who has been in practice for the past 27 years. She is a graduate of the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California and a proud veteran of the United States Air Force. Dr. Carlton has had the privilege of practicing in military, hospital and private practice settings. She has held numerous leadership positions in her career to include Chairperson of Obstetrics and Gynecology at two Oregon hospitals and Managing Partner of a large women’s healthcare practice in Portland, OR. She currently works in a group practice with 5 nurse midwives and 2 OB/Gyns and serves as the Perinatal Medical Director at Peterson Regional Medical Center in Kerrville, TX.
Elaine Cavazos, LCSW
Board President, The Pregnancy and Postpartum Health Alliance of Texas
Elaine Cavazos owns a private practice where she focuses on providing psychotherapeutic services to clients looking for help with pregnancy and postpartum mental health issues and/or perinatal loss. She has extensive experience training mental health professionals about perinatal mood and anxiety disorders and she has been certified by Postpartum Support International as a “Perinatal Mental Health” clinician. Elaine serves as the board president for The Pregnancy and Postpartum Health Alliance of Texas and is a board member for the Austin Center for Grief and Loss. Elaine is the chairperson for the UT Perinatal Mental Health and Wellness Conference biennial conference and is an adjunct professor at the UT Steve Hicks School of Social Work.
Lisa Cleveland, PhD, RN, CPNP, IBCLC, FAAN
Associate Professor, School of Nursing (UT Health San Antonio)
Dr. Lisa Cleveland is a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner and a tenured Associate Professor at the UT Health San Antonio School of Nursing. Her innovative research with mother-infant dyads impacted by opioid use has contributed to changes in clinical practice and improved outcomes. The findings of Dr. Cleveland’s Maternal Opioid Morbidity Study (MOMS) provide insight into the contextual factors surrounding maternal opioid use relapse and overdose, the leading causes of maternal mortality in TX. These findings are being used to develop and psychometrically analyze a brief screening instrument to help identify women at-risk for overdose death. Further, Dr. Cleveland is leading the Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) funded First Responders-Comprehensive Addiction Recovery Act (FR-CARA) grant for the state of Texas. Through this work, her team provides and evaluates opioid overdose identification and reversal education and training for traditional and non-traditional first responders. Cleveland also leads the SAMHSA-funded Texas Targeted Opioid Response (TTOR) project to create, pilot, and evaluate a system to bridge the gap between Emergency Medical Services response to overdose, access to peer recovery services, and entry into treatment.
Briseida Courtois, MSSW, LCDC
Director of Substance Abuse Treatment Services, The Center for Health Care Services
Briseida (Bee) Courtois is a Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor with a Master of Science in Social Work who has over 23 years of experience working in various arenas including substance abuse, domestic violence, women treatment services, child abuse, co-morbidity and HIV/AIDS. She currently serves as Director of Substance Abuse Treatment Services with The Center for Health Care Services. In that role she oversees adult inpatient and outpatient treatment services, supportive employment services for people with an opioid substance use disorder (OSUD) diagnosis, recovery support services, a MAT clinic, and a pilot- specialized residential program for women with the OSUD diagnosis. She has worked extensively with women services and started up a specialized female outpatient treatment program that became a model Mommies Program in Texas.
Christina Davidson, MD
TCHMB Obstetrics Committee Co-Chair; Assistant Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Baylor College of Medicine
Christina Davidson, MD, is a board-certified physician in both Obstetrics and Gynecology and Maternal Fetal Medicine in the division of Maternal Fetal Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine. Davidson served as the Chief of the Obstetrics and Gynecology Service at Ben Taub Hospital from 2011-2016 and is currently the Associate Division Director of Maternal Fetal Medicine. She is the Chair of the Ben Taub Hospital Perinatal Guidelines Committee, the Associate Director of the Texas Children's Hospital Evidence Based Outcomes Center, and Co-Chair of the Texas Collaborative for Healthy Mothers and Babies Obstetrics subcommittee. During her time as Chief of Service, Dr. Davidson assisted with the development of an Obstetric Infectious Disease Clinic at Ben Taub Hospital, which has become a recognized referral center for women with possible Zika exposure.
Elaine Duryea, MD
Assistant Professor, UT Southwestern; Medical Director of the Maternal-Fetal Medicine Clinic, Parkland Health and Hospital System
Elaine Duryea, MD, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at UT Southwestern Medical Center. She is Medical Director of the Maternal-Fetal Medicine Clinic at Parkland Health and Hospital System. Dr. Duryea earned her medical degree at UT Southwestern Medical School. She completed a residency in obstetrics and gynecology at UT Southwestern Medical Center and Parkland Health and Hospital System and received advanced training through a maternal-fetal medicine fellowship at UT Southwestern. Dr. Duryea is a Fellow of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and a member of the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine. She has contributed to multiple text books including Williams Obstetrics, and published numerous academic articles. In 2017, she earned the Outstanding Faculty Teaching Award for resident education.
Stacie Elizondo, MSN
Administrative Director of Women’s & Children’s Services, Shannon Medical Center
Stacie Elizondo is the Administrative Director of Women’s & Children’s Services at Shannon Medical Center in San Angelo, Texas. She received her undergraduate degrees from Angelo State University, and her graduate degree from the University of Texas at Arlington, pursuing her MSN. Stacie began her nursing career in 1993 as a staff nurse caring for medical-surgical patients. She has been a nurse for 27 years and working in perinatal leadership roles for 16 years. Currently, she oversees the operations of the perinatal and pediatric service lines at her organization, including level II maternal and neonatal programs. Stacie also serves as the co-chair for the Perinatal Care Region Committee in her district. She is an active member of many professional organizations including the Texas Perinatal Association. Stacie resides in San Angelo, Texas with her husband Santos, and their daughter Sophia.
Catherine Eppes, MD, MPH
TCHMB Obstetrics Committee Co-Chair; Maternal Fetal Medicine Physician, Baylor College of Medicine; Chief of Obstetrics, Ben Taub Hospital
Dr. Catherine Eppes is a maternal fetal medicine physician at Baylor College of Medicine, and the Chief of Obstetrics for Ben Taub Hospital. She received dual degrees in molecular biology and psychology from The University of Texas at Austin. She received her MD from UT Health San Antonio and completed residency at Johns Hopkins. Her fellowship and master of public health degree were received from Northwestern University. Her primary areas of focus are quality and safety and infectious diseases in pregnancy. Recently, she has been focused on Zika virus during pregnancy, including numerous collaborations with the CDC, ACOG, and the Texas Medical Association. She is currently the ACOG District XI (Texas) patient quality and safety chair, serves on the Texas Collaborative for Healthy Mothers and Babies executive committee, and the Texas Fetal and Infant Morbidity Review of Syphilis and HIV (FIMRSH). She holds several grants with the CDC for influenza and HIV in pregnancy.
Jennifer Gallegos, MSN
Clinical Lead II, Neonatal Nurse Practitioner Service (Texas Children’s Hospital)
Jennifer Gallegos is a Clinical Lead II for the Neonatal Nurse Practitioner Service at Texas Children’s Hospital, where she has been practicing for the past 10 years. She started her nursing career in 2001 at Florida Hospital for Children in their level 2 NICU. She transferred to Level 3 within a year and held a variety of roles including preceptor, charge nurse, PICC team member and transport nurse. She received her Master’s in Nursing from the University of Florida in 2008 and moved to Houston in 2010. Her passions include family centered care, QI and care of the VLBW infant.
Sanjie Garza-Cox, MD
Founder and President, Baby Education for South Texas
Dr. Sanjie Garza-Cox is a graduate of the University of Texas at San Antonio. She obtained her medical degree at the University of Health Science Center at San Antonio. She completed her residency and Neonatal-Perinatal Fellowship at The University of Texas Medical Branch. Dr. Garza-Cox has over fifteen years of experience in neonatology, with a special interest in simulation, child death review and prevention, breastfeeding, women’s health and physician/clinician burnout prevention. She works for Pediatrix Medical Group and is an active Neonatologist at Methodist Children’s Hospital. She serves on multiple boards, including the Bexar County and State of Texas Fatality Review Board and the Fetal Infant Mortality Review Board. She is also the founder and president of Baby Education for South Texas (BEST), a nonprofit organization focused on family education and accidental death prevention.
Erica Giwa, MD
Medical Director of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Baylor College of Medicine Center for Children and Women
Dr. Erica Giwa is an assistant professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Baylor College of Medicine. She currently serves as Medical Director of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Center for Children and Women. She is a Houston native who decided early in life to pursue a career in medicine. After attending the Michael E. DeBakey High School for Health Professions, she graduated from the University of Houston with a Bachelor of Science in Biology. Her training then led her to Dallas where she received her medical degree from UT Southwestern Medical Center. Subsequently, she returned to her hometown to complete an internship and residency in obstetrics and gynecology at UT Houston Lyndon B. Johnson Hospital. For the past two years Dr. Giwa has had the awesome privilege of working with several partners in Harris County to tackle the issue of maternal mortality. She currently serves on Houston Endowment’s Improving Maternal Health Steering Committee as well as the March of Dimes Birth Equity Steering Committee.
Alice Gong, MD
Director of the PREMIEre Program andProfessor of Pediatrics, UT Health San Antonio; Medical Director of Newborn Nursery, University Health System
Dr. Gong came to UTHSCA, where she is now a tenured professor, in 1985 as an assistant instructor of pediatrics. Since 2014 she has served as director of the PREMIEre Program, a follow-up program for NICU survivors. She has been a faculty mentor for the Department of Pediatrics since 2012 and is the current chair of the March of Dimes State Advocacy and Government Affairs Board. From 1992 to 2019, Dr. Gong was the Medical Director of NNP Clinical Education for the University Health System in San Antonio, where she developed the curriculum for neonatal nurse practitioners rotating through the University Hospital NICU. Dr. Gong also worked as Medical Director of Nurseries and Director of Neonatal Nurse Practitioners for Baptist Health Systems in San Antonio. In 2014 she was honored with an American Academy of Pediatrics Special Achievement Award for her work in the development of the TXPOP Toolkit to help with the implementation and statewide screening for CCHD. Dr. Gong received her MD at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson, MS, before completing pediatrics residencies at UTMB and the State University of New York.
Alejandro Gonzalez, MD
Simulation Consultant for the UTHealth Neonatology Fellows Simulation Program and the University Hospital Perinatal-Neonatal Outreach Program
Dr. Alejandro Gonzalez, MD is a Simulation Consultant for the UTHealth Neonatology Fellows Simulation Program and the University Hospital Perinatal-Neonatal Outreach Program. A native of San Antonio, he has served as a pediatrician and neonatologist in the city for more than 40 years. For the decade prior to his retirement in 2016, Dr. Gonzalez served in a variety of roles with Baptist Health System, including Medical Director of Newborn Transport Services, Medical Director of Outreach and Simulation Education, and Neonatal Resuscitation Program Medical Director. He received his MD from UT Health San Antonio and did his residency in pediatrics and a neonatalogy fellowship there as well. In 2015 he was recognized with the North Central Baptist Hospital True North Award, given in recognition and appreciation for outstanding service.
Nicholas Guevara
Manager of Operations for the Perinatal-Neonatal Program, University Health System
Nicholas Guevara has been with the Perinatal-Neonatal Program at University Health System as an Operations Manager for the past three years. He attended the University of Texas at San Antonio and graduated with a BA in Sociology and a minor in Statistics. He currently works in the simulation outreach team as a data analyst, equipment setup crew, and actor to assist in providing education to the surrounding rural areas in Texas. He is expected to graduate with a Master’s in Data Analytics in May 2020.
Charleta Guillory, MD, MPH
TCHMB Neonatal Committee Co-Chair; Associate Professor of Pediatrics-Newborn, Baylor College of Medicine; Director of the Neonatal-Perinatal Public Health Program, Texas Children’s Hospital
Charleta Guillory, MD, MPH, FAAP, is an Associate Professor of Pediatrics in the Section of Neonatology at Baylor College of Medicine and Director of the Texas Children's Hospital Neonatal-Perinatal Public Health Program. Her primary research focus addresses the issue of decreasing infant mortality and morbidity. Guillory presently serves as Chair of the Texas Department of State Health Services Newborn Screening Advisory Committee and as Co-Chair of the Texas Collaborative for Healthy Mother and Babies (TCHMB) Neonatology Subcommittee. In addition, she serves on the Texas Health and Human Services Perinatal Advisory Council designating levels of neonatal and maternal care; as Chair of the March of Dimes State Prematurity Campaign; and Chair of the March of Dimes State Advocacy and Government Affairs Committee. She was recently appointed to the American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Federal Government Affairs – Access to Care and the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) Neonatal Advisory Committee.
Manda Hall, MD
TCHMB DSHS Representative; Associate Commissioner for Community Health Improvement, Texas Department of State Health Services
Manda Hall, M.D. was named the Associate Commissioner for Community Health Improvement (CHI) effective October 1, and also serves as the Title V Maternal and Child Health Medical Director at the Texas Department of State Health Services. Prior to these positions, Dr. Hall served as the Interim Associate Commissioner for Family and Community Health Services and as the Title V Children with Special Health Care Needs Director. She has also had experience in private practice and worked as a State Agency Medical Consultant at Disability Determination Services in Texas. Dr. Hall graduated with her Bachelor of Science Degree in Biology from Lamar University and her Medical Degree from Texas A&M University Health Science Center College of Medicine. She completed her residency and fellowship at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Dr. Hall is board certified in Internal Medicine, Pediatrics and Allergy and Immunology. She is a faculty member of the DSHS Preventative Medicine and Public Health Residency Program and serves as a mentor in the University of Texas Health Careers and Mentorship Program.
June Hanke, RN, MSN, MPH
TCHMB Community Committee Co-Chair; Strategic Analyst/Planner/GIS Analyst, Harris County Hospital District
June Hanke is Strategic Analyst and Planner and provides GIS analysis and mapping for the Harris Health System. Ms. Hanke researches and gathers data to analyze the various health indicators for Harris County. Her clinical nursing experience has been in women’s and infant’s health. Ms Hanke has participated in numerous community committees addressing issues related to maternal and infant health, including: Co-Chair of the March of Dimes’ Houston Healthy Babies are Worth the Wait project, SUNNY FUTURES Healthy Start Executive Committee, the Nurse Family Partnership Community Board and the Prenatal/Obstetrical Service Task Force, of the Greater Houston Partnerships Public Health Taskforce. Ms. Hanke is a member of IMPACT (Impacting Maternal and Prenatal Care Together) a collaboration of individuals and organizations working to address women’s and infant health in Harris County. She is a member of the Texas Maternal Mortality Morbidity Review Taskforce.
Rachel R. Hardeman PhD, MPH
Assistant Professor of Health Policy & Management, University of Minnesota School of Public Health
Dr. Rachel R. Hardeman is an Assistant Professor in the Division of Health Policy & Management, University of Minnesota, School of Public Health. She is a reproductive health equity researcher whose program of research applies the tools of population health science and health services research to elucidate a critical and complex determinant of health inequity—racism. Her overarching goal is to contribute to a body of knowledge that links structural racism to health in a tangible way, identifies opportunities for intervention, and dismantles the systems, structures, and institutions that allow inequities to persist. Dr. Hardeman is active locally and nationally with organizations that seek to achieve health equity. She was recently appointed to the Minnesota Maternal Mortality Review Committee and the CDC Maternal Mortality Review Information Application (MMRIA) Bias work group where she is working to develop a measure of structural racism to be included when reviewing maternal deaths. Dr. Hardeman also serves on the Board of Directors for Planned Parenthood of the North Central States.
Marina Hoffman, MSN, RNC-OB
Director of Women's Services, Peterson Regional Medical Center
Marina Hoffman, MSN, RNC-OB has been practicing primarily in the obstetrics field for over 33 years. She is a graduate of Baylor University's Louise Herrington School of Nursing, and received her MSN in Leadership & Management from Western Governor's University. Most of her experience is in acute labor and delivery care but she has also served as perinatal educator and team leader for the Maternal Transport Team at Methodist Children's Hospital in San Antonio. Currently, she enjoys serving the Texas Hill Country community as Director of Women's Services at Peterson Regional Medical Center in Kerrville, Texas.
Yvette R. Johnson, MD, MPH
Medical Director of the NEST developmental follow-up clinic, Cook Children’s Hospital
Dr. Johnson is currently the Medical Director of the Neonatal Early Support and care Transition (NEST) developmental follow-up clinic at Cook Children’s Hospital. Dr. Johnson’s clinical interests include quality improvement and the long-term neurodevelopmental outcomes of high-risk infants who graduate from the NICU. Dr. Johnson received her Medical Degree from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Missouri, and remained at Washington University/St. Louis Children’s Hospital for her residency training in Pediatrics and fellowship in Neonatology. She received her Master’s in Public Health Degree from Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, MD. Prior to her arrival at Texas Children’s Hospital, Baylor College of Medicine as an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics and Neonatology. Dr. Johnson has also participated in numerous clinical research projects as a follow-up principal investigator with the NICHD Neonatal Research Network.
Kellie Kainer, MSN, RNC, NE-BC, CNML
House Supervisor, Texas Children’s Hospital PFW NICU
Kellie started her nursing career at Texas Children’s Hospital in 2002 in the level 3 NICU. She has served in many roles including neo response nurse, charge nurse, simulation instructor, and program director. Kellie was a NICU Patient Care Manager for 5 years before becoming the Assistant Clinical Director in the PFW NICU in February 2016. She is now house supervisor. Kellie received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston and her Master of Science in Nursing, Leadership, and Management from Walden University in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She is an exceptional clinician and is passionate about empowering parents of high risk infants, helping others learn through simulation, and caring for the ELBW population.
Mona Khattab, MD
Program Director of Neonatal Simulation, Assistant Professor
Bio Pending
Adriana Kohler, JD
Policy Director, Texans Care for Children
Adriana Kohler, Policy Director for Texans Care for Children, leads the organization’s work to improve infant and maternal health and coordinates the organization's work across multiple policy areas. Texans Care for Children is a statewide, non-partisan, multi-issue children's policy nonprofit that develops policy solutions, produces research, and engages Texas community leaders in order to drive policy changes that improve the lives of Texas children. Prior to Texans Care for Children, Adriana worked at a national nonprofit in Washington D.C. where she developed and advanced policy solutions at the state and federal level to address a variety of health finance, public health, and health insurance issues and improve access to preventive care. She also spent several years at a law firm counseling a range of clients on legislative and regulatory issues involving Medicare, Medicaid, and CHIP, and Affordable Care Act implementation. Adriana received her B.A. in History and Political Science from the University of Pennsylvania and her J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania School of Law.
Carrie Kroll
TCHMB THA Representative; Vice President for Advocacy, Quality and Public Health, Texas Hospital Association
Carrie Kroll joined the Texas Hospital Association in February 2013 as the Vice President for Advocacy, Quality and Public Health. In this capacity she works to educate lawmakers on numerous issues including quality and patient safety, trauma and end of life care. Prior to joining THA she served for 10 years as the Director of Advocacy and Health Policy for the Texas Pediatric Society, the Texas Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics. Carrie’s interest in health care advocacy was born when she worked as a legislative associate under former Texas State Representative and House Public Health Committee Chairman, Hugo Berlanga. Prior to that Carrie spent time working both inside the Capitol as a legislative aide and outside the Capitol as a campaign manager for two members of the Texas House of Representatives. Carrie serves as president, and is in her 7th year of service, on the board of trustees for the Dripping Springs Independent School District (DSISD), the same school district where she received her primary education.
David Lakey, MD
TCHMB UT System Representative; Vice Chancellor for Health Affairs and Chief Medical Officer, The University of Texas System
David Lakey, MD, is Vice Chancellor for Health Affairs and Chief Medical Officer for The University of Texas System. He previously served on federal public health advisory committees for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Defense Health Board. He currently serves on the March of Dimes Board of Trustees and the Trust for America's Health Board of Directors. Lakey served as Commissioner of the Texas Department of State Health Services from January 2007 to February 2015. As Commissioner, Dr. Lakey led one of the state’s largest agencies with a staff of 12,000 and an annual budget of $3.3 billion and oversaw programs such as disease prevention and disaster preparedness, family and community health services, environmental and consumer safety, regulatory programs and mental health and substance abuse prevention and treatment programs. Lakey served as president of the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) in 2011‐2012. In 2015, he was elected by the March of Dimes to a five‐year term on its board of trustees.
Curtis Lowery, MD
Director of the Institute for Digital Health & Innovation, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
Curtis Lowery, MD, has dedicated his career to bringing care to hard-to-reach, rural populations, especially through use of healthcare technology. Dr. Lowery is the Director of the UAMS Institute for Digital Health & Innovation. For the past 20 years, Dr. Lowery has pioneered the establishment of telehealth in Arkansas and also successfully advocated the reimbursement of telehealth services through collaborating with health insurance providers and Medicaid. Dr. Lowery’s leadership and statewide partnerships help deliver specialty clinical expertise through interactive video to address Arkansans’ health disparities. His programs consist of myriad medical consultation programs with population health emphasis that leverage real-time technologies to connect UAMS specialists to patients, hospitals, and clinics in rural locations throughout Arkansas where no such expertise exists.
John Loyd, MD, MPH
TCHMB PCR Representative; Division Chief Neonatology, Dell Children’s Hospital/Ascension Austin; Assistant Professor, Pediatrics, Dell Medical School
John Loyd, MD, MPH is the Division Chief of Neonatology at Dell Children’s Hospital/Ascension in Austin, Texas. He attended medical school at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio. Dr. Loyd completed his residency in pediatrics at Wake Forest University Hospital and his fellowship in neonatology at Northwestern University. He received his MPH in epidemiology from the University of Illinois at Chicago.
Michael Lu, MD, MS, MPH
Dean, UC Berkeley School of Public Health
Dr. Lu possesses decades of expertise in maternal and child health policy. He is currently dean of the school of public health at the University of California, Berkeley, and previously a senior associate dean at the Milken Institute School of Public Health at George Washington University. Lu served as director of the federal Maternal and Child Health Bureau under the Obama Administration. During his tenure, he transformed key federal programs in maternal and child health, and launched major initiatives to reduce maternal, infant, and child mortality across the nation. He oversaw the launch and expansion of the federal Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) Program. Prior to his public service, Lu was a professor of obstetrics-gynecology and public health at UCLA, where his research focused on racial-ethnic disparities in birth outcomes from a life-course perspective. Lu received his bachelor’s degrees in political science and human biology from Stanford University, master’s degrees in health and medical sciences and public health from UC Berkeley, medical degree from UC San Francisco, and residency training in obstetrics and gynecology from UC Irvine.
Jaleel Mambarambath, MD
Associate Chief for Clinical Affairs for the Division of Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine, UT Southwestern
Dr. Mambarambath Jaleel is a neonatologist and an Associate Professor of Pediatrics at UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX. Dr. Jaleel did his medical school training and pediatric residency in India. After completing his fellowship in neonatology at The Canberra Hospital and University of Sydney in Australia and becoming a Member of the Royal College of Pediatrics and Child Health of the United Kingdom in London, Engalnd, he moved to the United States. He is currently the Associate Chief for Clinical Affairs for the Division of Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine at U.T. Southwestern, and oversees the clinical operations at the four NICUs attached to the Division. Dr. Jaleel has served as the Medical Director for Parkland Hospital’s NICU in Dallas for the last 10 years. As the Medical Director for this 96-bed teaching hospital NICU, he has created a unique neonatal quality program and a culture of quality improvement with 22-24 ongoing structured quality improvement projects using Statistical Process Control Methodology.
Kimberlee McKay, MD FACOG
Clinical Vice President, Avera Medical Group OB/GYN Service Line
Kimberlee McKay, MD FACOG is a graduate of Sanford Medical School at the University of South Dakota. She attended OB/GYN residency at the University of Kansas-Wichita and then returned to Sioux Falls, SD and began working as a general OB/GYN for Avera Medical Group/Avera Health. In 2015, she became the Clinical Vice President of the Avera OB/GYN Service Line which serves 14 hospitals over 72,000 square miles throughout eastern South Dakota, western Minnesota, Iowa, and Nebraska. While South Dakota has not yet mandated Maternal Levels of Care designation for maternity units, the Avera Health OB/GYN Service Line uses this as a framework to create MLoC specific bundles and care- pathways which work within the confines of local hospital resources. Her work to address the maternal mortality crisis has been published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Adrian McKinney, BSN
Founder, Nurse Family Partnership Program
Adrian McKinney graduated with her BSN in 1990 and has spent her entire career in the Texas Children’s Hospital system. She started working in the NICU at Texas Children’s three days after graduating from the University of Texas Nursing School, falling in love with TCH as well as with neonatal nursing and maternal/newborn nursing. Adrian has worked various roles at Texas Children’s including charge nurse, transport nurse, and certified nurse. She served as preceptor for new staff in the NICU, worked in the afterhours call center, and managed the Level II NICU before taking a leap of faith to start the Nurse Family Partnership Program in 2008. NFPP is a a grant-funded program at the Texas Children’s Health Plan. Adrian continues to work there today. She has been accepted to both the Texas Women’s MBA program and the University of Texas Masters in Nursing Leadership program but has chosen (at this time) to focus on the needs of the NFP program, expanding services by 50%.
Liz Moore, BSN, RN, RNC-NIC
Quality Improvement Coordinator, Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Parkland Hospital
Liz Moore, BSN, RN, RNC-NIC is the Quality Improvement Coordinator in the Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Parkland Hospital in Dallas, Texas. She has been a Registered Nurse in the Parkland NICU for eighteen years providing high-quality nursing care to patients and mentoring nursing staff. Liz managed the Nursery Policy and Procedure program for nearly ten years, integrating evidence-based practice throughout the hospital’s newborn services. In 2018 she began developing her current role as the Quality Improvement Coordinator, building a unit-based program to integrate local quality improvement activities with the hospital-wide structure. She obtained her Bachelor’s degree from Baylor University in 2002 and is currently working on her Master’s degree in Healthcare Quality and Safety through Johns Hopkins University, Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Allison Moreno, BSN, RNC-OB
Program Lead for the Stork One Maternal Transport Team, University Hospital
Allison is currently the lead for the Stork One Maternal Transport Team at University Hospital. She has been with University Hospital in Women’s Health Services since graduating from UT Health San Antonio in December 2010. She is a seasoned labor and delivery nurse with experience working with high risk obstetrical populations, serving on the perinatal outreach team, and assisting with simulation in situ with a focus on Rapid Cycle Deliberate Practice where she serves as a coach and standardized patient actor.
Barbara O’Brien, M.S., R.N.
Director of the Office of Perinatal Quality Improvement, OU Health Sciences Center College of Medicine
Barbara O’Brien began her career as an RN in Labor & Delivery 33 years ago and has 17 years of experience as the Director of the Office of Perinatal Quality Improvement within the OU Health Sciences Center College of Medicine. This office leads the work of the Oklahoma Perinatal Quality Improvement Collaborative, providing education to perinatal care clinicians and leading quality improvement activities within Oklahoma birthing hospitals advancing the vision of a culture of safety and excellence in perinatal care throughout Oklahoma. She is an active member of the Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses (AWHONN) and serves as the national AWHONN representative for the Council on Patient Safety in Women’s Health Care, the group that develops the maternal safety bundles. Barbara is a member of the Executive Committee of the National Network of Perinatal Quality Collaboratives. She also serves on the Oklahoma Maternal Mortality Review Committee and the Fetal-Infant Mortality Review of Central Oklahoma’s Case Review Team and FIMR Advisory Council. She received her BSN from the University of Texas at Houston School of Nursing and her MS from The University of Oklahoma College of Nursing.
Dolores Perry
Maternal Educator, University Health System
Dolores “Lolly” Perry joined University Health System’s (UHS) Perinatal-Neonatal Program in the Spring of 2017 to fulfill her passion for bringing maternal education to rural hospitals. Her labor and delivery experience of 25 years at a tertiary care facility provided insight for patient/nursing needs during simulation of obstetrical emergencies.
Terrie E. Price, DNP, RNC-OB
TCHMB AWHONN Representative; Director of Antepartum, Labor and Delivery, Obstetrical Emergency Department, and Gynecology, St. Luke’s Baptist Hospital (TENET)
Terrie E. Price, DNP, RNC-OB, is Texas Section Leader for the Association of Women's Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses (AWHONN) and Director of Antepartum, Labor and Delivery, Obstetrical Emergency Department, and Gynecology at St. Luke's Baptist Hospital (TENET). She has over 30 years of experience in women's health as a staff, charge nurse, educator, manager, and director. Dr. Price earned her Bachelor's of Science in Nursing from University Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio, a Master's of Science in Nursing, Leadership and Management from Western Governors University, and her Doctorate in Nursing Practice for Touro University Nevada. She is an ACOG Maternal Level of Care Surveyor and a member of SIGMA Delta Alpha at Large Chapter.
Jochen Profit, MD
Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Chief Quality Officer, California Perinatal Quality Care Collaborative
Dr. Profit graduated from the University of Freiburg Medical School in Germany and completed his Neonatology and Health Services Research training at Harvard. Since 2013, he has been on faculty at Stanford and is currently Associate Professor of Pediatrics there. He also serves as Chief Quality Officer of the California Perinatal Quality Care Collaborative. Dr. Profit’s research focuses on the optimization of quality of neonatal-perinatal health care delivery. For over a decade, his research has received continuous funding from the National Institutes of Health and other federal, foundation, and intramural sources. Dr. Profit has served on various national scientific and professional organizations, including the National Academy of Sciences and the National Institutes of Health.
Lisa Ramirez, MA
State Opioid Response Director, HHSC
Lisa Ramirez serves as director for the state’s response to the opioid crisis for the Texas Health and Human Services Commission. She identifies, plans, develops and implements strategies across the full continuum of care from primary prevention to long-term recovery to mitigate the impact of non-medical opioid use in Texas communities. Prior to her role as opioid response director, she led a team of subject matter experts committed to providing timely access to high-quality integrated substance use and co-occurring psychiatric disorders services for low-income Texas residents. She a graduate of the Women’s Addiction Services Leadership Institute as well as the Health and Human Services Leadership Academy. Ramirez also served on SAMHSA’s Center for Excellence Expert Panel on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders. She earned her master’s degree in Art Therapy from Southwestern College in Santa Fe, NM.
Patrick Ramsey, MD, MSPH
TCHMB Vice Chair/Chair Elect; Professor and Maternal-Fetal Medicine Specialist, UT Health San Antonio
Patrick S. Ramsey, MD, MSPH is Professor of Obstetrics & Gynecology at UT Health San Antonio where he serves as Director of the Maternal-Fetal Medicine Fellowship and Maternal Transport and Outreach Program. Dr. Ramsey received his Bachelor of Science degree in Zoology from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire in 1987 and his Doctorate of Medicine from the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine in 1994. He completed his residency training in Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Mayo Graduate School of Medicine in Rochester, MN in 1998 and subsequently completed sub-specialty fellowship training in Maternal-Fetal Medicine at the University of Alabama at Birmingham where he also received his Masters of Science in Public Health from the University of Alabama in 2003. Her serves on the Executive Committee of the Texas Collaborative for Healthy Mothers and Babies (TCHMB) and as co-Chair of the Data Subcommittee. He also serves as a member on the State of Texas Maternal Mortality Task Force. His research interests include preterm birth and prevention strategies and infectious diseases in pregnancy.
Rashmin C. Savani, MB, ChB
Professor and Division Chief of Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine, UT Southwestern; Chief of Pediatrics, Parkland Health and Hospital System; Director of Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine, Children's Medical Center of Dallas; Chief of Neonatology, Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas
Dr. Savani obtained his medical degree from the University of Sheffield, England in 1982 and undertook internships in Internal Medicine, General Surgery, and Obstetrics and Gynecology in the UK. After completing his residency in Pediatrics at Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, he went on to hold fellowships at Cincinnati Children’s Medical Center in both Neonatology and Pulmonary Biology. Since being appointed to UT Southwestern, Dr. Savani has overseen the creation of the Children's Medical Center’s neonatal intensive care unit in 2007 and led the teams that designed the NICUs at both the New Parkland Hospital and University Hospital.. In 2013, he launched a TeleNICU program, providing secure, high definition consultative capability with outside NICUs, including the ability to examine heart and breath sounds. Dr. Savani has an active laboratory investigating the basic mechanisms of lung development and injury in neonates and has published more than 75 peer reviewed papers, reviews and book chapters.
Laurence Shields, MD
Director of Perinatal Services, Marian Regional Medical Center
Dr. Shields is a Maternal-Fetal Medicine specialist and practices in the Central Coast division. After completing his fellowship in MFM he spent the first half of his career at the University of Washington in Seattle. Since returning to California in 2006, he has served as Director of Perinatal Services at Marian Regional Medical Center. He has been an active participant within the California Maternal Quality Care Collaborative (CMQCC), where he served as a member of the Pregnancy-Related and Pregnancy-Associated Mortality Review Committee (CA-PAMR) and was co-author of the CMQCC Maternal Hemorrhage toolkit. He served as co-chair and editor of the Preeclampsia Taskforce/toolkit, and most recently was a member of the sepsis toolkit team. Over the past 10 years he has focused his work on reducing maternal morbidity related to maternal hemorrhage, treatment of hypertension, and the response to abnormal maternal vital signs with the development of the Maternal Early Warning Trigger tool “MEWT.”
Michael Speer, MD
TCHMB Chair; Professor of Pediatrics and Neonatology, Baylor College of Medicine; Medical Director of the Neonatal Nurse Practitioner Program, Texas Children’s Hospital
Michael E. Speer, MD, of Houston, is a full-time neonatologist and medical director of the Neonatal Nurse Practitioner Program at Texas Children’s Hospital, and a professor of pediatrics and ethics at Baylor College of Medicine. Dr. Speer graduated from Baylor in 1968 and completed his residency in pediatrics and fellowship in neonatal-perinatal medicine at the same institution. He is board certified in pediatrics and neonatal-perinatal medicine and has been practicing medicine for 37 years. His academic interests include infectious diseases of the newborn and the measurement of quality of care. Dr. Speer has served as president of the Houston Academy of Medicine (1994), and as president of the Texas Medical Association (TMA).
Stephanie Stephens
TCHMB HHSC Representative; Deputy State Medicaid Director, Texas Health and Human Services Commission
Stephanie Stephens serves as the Deputy State Medicaid Director at the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC). She provides strategic direction and oversight of policy and quality for Texas Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). Stephanie has nearly 15 years of experience in Texas health and human services policy, finance, and operations. She first joined HHSC in 2008 as a Medicaid and CHIP policy analyst and advanced through the Medicaid CHIP organization and HHSC. Her prior leadership roles have included Senior Policy Advisor and Policy Director in HHSC’s Office of Social Services where she directed strategy, analysis, development, and implementation of eligibility policy for Texas social service programs. Before joining HHSC, she served as a health and human services budget analyst at the Texas Legislative Budget Board for over 4 years. Stephanie is committed to excellence and innovation in the administration of health care and social services to Texans.
Nathan Sundgren, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics-Newborn, Baylor College of Medicine
Nathan Sundgren, MD, PhD, is an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics-Newborn at Baylor College of Medicine and Co-Director of the In Situ Simulation Program and Program Director of Neonatal Resuscitation Program Education at Texas Children’s Hospital. His research uses methods of simulation to study better ways to improve NRP performance. He also leads a multidisciplinary team of nurses, doctors, respiratory therapists, and safety personnel made up from both neonatology and obstetrics departments called the Golden Hour Team. Their goals are to improve the quality of care in the delivery room in the first critical hour of life for babies. Dr. Sundgren received his MD and his PhD in Physiology & Pharmacology from Oregon Health and Science University. He did his medical residency at UT Southwestern Medical Center.
Kristin Thorp, BSN, RNC-OB
Assistant Clinical Director of Labor & Delivery, Texas Children’s Pavilion for Women
Kristin began her career as a bedside labor and delivery nurse at Houston Methodist Hospital in 2003. She has since served in many roles such as preceptor, charge nurse, shared governance chair and education coordinator. Kristin currently serves as the Assistant Clinical Director of Labor & Delivery at the Women’s Assessment Center at Texas Children’s Pavilion for Women in Houston, Texas. She is a member of the Texas Collaborative for Healthy Moms and Babies and serves on the MEWS advisory board. Kristin is the Team Lead on the TexasAIM initiative at The Pavilion for Women.
Mary Catherine Tolcher, MD
Postdoctoral Fellow, Baylor College of Medicine
Mary Catherine Tolcher is an Atlanta native with special ties now to both Minnesota and Texas. She completed her undergraduate and medical school studies in Georgia before moving to Rochester, Minnesota and the Mayo Clinic for her residency and Master's degree in clinical research. Before fellowship, she practiced for four years as a Hospitalist at Mayo, and her love for labor and delivery persists today. She is grateful to have had the opportunity to train in both Maternal-Fetal Medicine and Surgical Critical Care at Baylor College of Medicine. Recently, she completed fellowship and joined the esteemed faculty at Baylor with appointments in both MFM and Adult Critical Care.
Darline Turner, BS, MHS, PA-C, CD (DONA)
Founder, Mamas on Bedrest & Beyond; Founder, Healing Hands Community Doula Project
Darline Turner is the owner of Darline Turner Enterprises, Inc. Through this parent company, she founded Mamas on Bedrest & Beyond in 2009, a full spectrum doula support, education and resource service for high risk pregnant women. Turner developed the Mamas on Bedrest Antepartum Doula Training Program, a comprehensive training program that prepares participants to serve high risk pregnant women on bed rest or activity restriction, and she mentors them to create their own antepartum doula business. In 2017 Turner established Healing Hands Community Doula Project (HHCDP), a 501(c)3 organization designed specifically to raise awareness of and to address the disparity in maternal morbidity and mortality that exists between black women and women of other cultures in Central Texas. HHCDP is on track to become one of the first accredited community doula project in Texas in late 2020. Turner holds a BS in Biology from Tufts University and a Masters in Health Science from Duke University Medical Center.
Lynda Tyer-Viola, PhD, RNC, FAAN
TCHMB At Large Member; Director of Nursing, Texas Children’s Hospital Pavilion for Women
Dr. Tyer-Viola received her PhD from Boston College in Nursing Research and Statistics. She received an MSN in Nursing and Midwifery from the University of Miami, Florida and her BSN from Boston University. She served as a post-doctoral fellow at Massachusetts General Hospital studying HIV related fatigue in pregnancy. Her research has focused on high risk pregnancy and persons living with HIV/AIDS. Currently Dr. Tyer-Viola is the nursing executive for Women's Services at Texas Children's Hospital, Houston. She has extensive clinical experience with large urban obstetrical care delivery systems across the United States and in low resourced countries in Africa and Asia. She provides grant and research support as a board member of the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation and is a member of the greater Houston advisory board for the March of Dimes campaign for Healthy Babies are Worth the Wait. Dr. Tyer-Viola supports the Texas Collaborative for Healthy Mothers and Babies as the At-large Executive Board member and is a member of the Obstetrics Subcommittee.
Karl Wehner, MD
Neonatal Medical Director for level II neonatal services, Shannon Medical Center
Dr Wehner is a board-certified pediatrician who has served the San Angelo community for more than 30 years, providing both pediatric and neonatal care services. He attended medical school and completed his residency at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. Dr. Wehner has served in many leadership roles during his career and currently he is the Neonatal Medical Director for the level II neonatal services provided at Shannon Medical Center. He is an active member of many professional and community organizations, and was most recently honored by the Boys and Girls Club of San Angelo as one of the 2019 Pillars of Our Community.
Myra Wyckoff, MD
Professor of Pediatrics, UT Southwestern; Director of Newborn Resuscitation Services, Parkland Memorial Hospital
Dr. Wyckoff is Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and director of newborn resuscitation services at Parkland Memorial Hospital, a large, urban hospital with over 13,000 deliveries annually. She maintains and utilizes a comprehensive neonatal resuscitation database and runs a neonatal resuscitation simulation laboratory for research and training purposes. Dr. Wyckoff and her team have conducted multiple prospective resuscitation studies in the delivery room. She has served on the International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation, Neonatal Life Support Task Force since 2003 for which she currently serves as Chair. She has served on the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Neonatal Resuscitation Program Steering Committee since 2006, recently served a 4 year term as co-chair and is currently ILCOR Liaison to the committee. She is the AAP representative to the American Heart Association Emergency Cardiovascular Care Committee. Dr. Wyckoff also serves as UTSW principle investigator for the NICHD Neonatal Research Network which conducts multi-center clinical trials and observational studies.