MY BIRTH MATTERS - Key Persons


Aaron Caughey

Job Titles:
  • Member of Committee

Abha Khandelwal

Job Titles:
  • Medical Director OB, Medical Director Quality and Safety
  • Member of Committee

Afshan Hameed

Job Titles:
  • Medical Director OB, Medical Director Quality and Safety
  • Medical Director OB, Medical Director Quality and Safety, UC Irvine School of Medicine
  • Member of Committee

Alexander Friedman

Job Titles:
  • Member of Committee
  • Vice Chair, Dept of OB / GYN

Alexander James Butwick

Job Titles:
  • Associate Professor, Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative, and Pain Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine
  • Clinical Associate Professor, Obstetrics & Gynecology - Maternal Fetal Medicine
  • Member of Committee

Alicia Munoz

Job Titles:
  • Member of Committee

Alisa Becket

Job Titles:
  • Member of Committee
  • Obstetric Simulation Specialist

Amanda P. Williams

Job Titles:
  • Program Assistant
  • Clinical Innovation Advisor
  • Director of Maternity Services, Department of OB - GYN, Kaiser Permanente, Oakland Medical Center
  • Member of Committee
Amanda Williams, MD, joined CMQCC as the Clinical Innovation Advisor in summer of 2022 and will also be an adjunct faculty in the School of Medicine at Stanford University. Her primary area of clinical interest is collaborative obstetrics and her organizational leadership work focuses on maternity care performance improvement and pregnancy care delivery, with a focus on elimination of health disparities and integration of virtual prenatal care. Prior to joining CMQCC, Dr. Williams worked at Kaiser Permanente Oakland Medical Center where she served as Director of Maternity Services. She oversaw the maternity continuum for the Chiefs of OBGYN across 15 medical centers in northern California. She has served on state and national committees, such as the California Pregnancy-Associated Mortality Review committee and the National Quality Forum Maternal Morbidity and Mortality work group. Dr. Williams received her MA from Harvard University, her MD and master's in public health from Emory University School of Medicine, focusing on health policy and management. She completed her graduate medical training in Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of California San Francisco.

Ami Hanna

Job Titles:
  • Member of Committee
  • Patient Safety Leader

Amina Foda

Job Titles:
  • Director
  • Member of Committee

Amy Judy

Job Titles:
  • Member of Committee

Amy M. Johnson

Job Titles:
  • Member of Committee

Amy Meier Foundos

Job Titles:
  • Quality Improvement Consultant
  • Member of Committee

Ana Paula Markel

Job Titles:
  • Member of Committee

Angelique I. Silva

Job Titles:
  • Member of Committee

Angelyn Thomas

Job Titles:
  • Member of Committee

Anita McClintick

Job Titles:
  • Program Assistant
Anita McClintick, joined the CMQCC team as the Perinatal Program Assistant in August of 2021. Anita holds a B.A. in Biological Sciences with a minor in Chemistry from San Jose State University. Her duties include, processing and monitoring financial transactions, consultant contracts, honorariums, researching and resolving discrepancies and responding to CMQCC general phone and email inquiries. In addition, she onboards new staff, orders and maintains equipment, and troubleshoots computer issues when they arise. In addition, Ms. McClintick plans and schedules meetings and arranges travel. She not only provide administrative support to the CMQCC team, but also supports the CMQCC Executive Committee and the Neonatology Administrative team. Anita has always had an interest in maternal and infant health, and is excited to support new mothers and their newborns at the very beginning of life!

Anna Spielvogel

Job Titles:
  • Member of Committee

Anna Sutton

Job Titles:
  • Member of Committee

Annette Fineberg

Job Titles:
  • Member of Committee

Arturo E. Mendoza

Job Titles:
  • Member of Committee
  • Pathology

Barbara Murphy

Job Titles:
  • Member of Committee

Beth Stephens-Hennessy

Job Titles:
  • Member of Committee

Betsy Pesek

Job Titles:
  • Member of Committee

Bev VanderWal

Job Titles:
  • Member of Committee

BJ Snell

Job Titles:
  • Member of Committee

Brandi Sims Desjolais

Job Titles:
  • Co - Founder and Director of the Black Maternal Health Center of Excellence at Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science
  • Member of Committee

Brenda Chagolla

Job Titles:
  • Member of Committee

Brenda Ross-Shelton

Job Titles:
  • Member of Committee
  • MFM ) University of Callifornia Riverside

Brett Laurence

Job Titles:
  • Member of Committee

Brian Gilpin

Job Titles:
  • Member of Committee

Britney Pheng

Job Titles:
  • Associate Director, Programs
  • CMQCC As a Data Specialist
  • Data Specialist, Maternal Data Center
Britney Pheng joined CMQCC as a Data Specialist in March 2023. In her role, she supports the CMQCC Maternal Data Center team with any data and hospital related processes. Before joining the team, Britney worked as an HIV communicable disease investigator at her local public health department. Currently, she attends CUNY Graduate School of Public Health to obtain an MPH in Epidemiology and Biostatistics. Britney has a BS in Molecular Biology with a minor in Asian American Studies from UCLA. She is invigorated by work and engagement that result in more equitable, compassionate communities.

Bryan Oshiro

Job Titles:
  • Director of Perinatal Programs
  • Member of Committee

Calvin Johnson

Job Titles:
  • Anesthesia )
  • Member of Committee

Candy Timoney

Job Titles:
  • Member of Committee

Carey Moreno-Hunt

Job Titles:
  • Member of Committee

Carolina Reyes

Job Titles:
  • Member of Committee

Carolyn Maher Overman

Job Titles:
  • Member of Committee

Cesar Padilla

Job Titles:
  • Member of Committee
  • OB Anesthesia / Critical Care )

Cheri Lowre

Job Titles:
  • Member of Committee

Cheryl Hunter-Marston

Job Titles:
  • Member of Committee

Chinyere Oparah

Job Titles:
  • Member of Committee
  • Vice President, Quality and Patient Safety

Chris Krawczyk

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Executive Committee

Christa Sakowski

Job Titles:
  • Clinical Lead
  • Member of Committee
Christa Sakowski MSN, RN, C-ONQS, C-EFM, CLE joined the CMQCC team in 2017. She brings with her experience as a perinatal nurse, nursing faculty, certified nurse-midwife, and nurse education specialist. In her role as Clinical Lead, she works directly with hospital teams, mentor nurses, mentor physicians, research partners, and the entire CMQCC staff to assess and improve care delivery in the state of California. She has served as a task force co-lead and co-author of CMQCC Toolkits. Christa also engages with the rest of the country by working with state Perinatal Quality Collaboratives nationally and as the California nurse representative for the Alliance for Innovation on Maternal Health (AIM). She completed her BSN at The College of New Jersey in Ewing and her MSN at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.

Christina (Christi) Stone

Job Titles:
  • Member of Committee
  • Nurse Midwifery )

Christina Han

Job Titles:
  • Chris ) ( MFM )
  • Member of Committee

Christine H. Morton - CEO

Job Titles:
  • Chief Executive Officer
  • Program Assistant
  • Research Associate
  • Medical Director and Executive Committee Chair
  • Member of Committee
  • Research Sociologist / Program Manager, CMQCC
  • Research Sociologist Program Manager
Christine H. Morton PhD, joined the California Maternal Quality Care Collaborative (CMQCC) at Stanford University in 2008 where she conducts research on maternal mortality and morbidity and has co-led expert task forces on translating the findings into California's maternal quality toolkits. She manages the California Pregnancy Associated Mortality Review(link is external) (CA-PAMR) with colleagues from California Department of Public Health and Public Health International. She is co-investigator with PI Dr. Jochen Profit on NIH-funded research projects focused on measuring and identifying drivers for racial/ethnic disparities among very low birth weight babies cared for in California neonatal intensive care units. Dr. Morton was co-chair of the National Partnership Maternal Safety workgroup on Patient, Family and Staff Support after a Severe Maternal Event (link is external)(link is external). She is a member of the Editorial Advisory Board of the Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic and Neonatal Nursing. Dr. Morton received her Ph.D. in Sociology from University of California, Los Angeles.

Christy McCain

Job Titles:
  • Member of Committee

Courtney Martin

Job Titles:
  • Member of Committee

Cristina Gamboa

Job Titles:
  • Member of Committee
  • OB - Gyn ) Director, Ambulatory Women 's Health Salud Para La Genta Community Health Center, Watsonville

Dale Reisner

Job Titles:
  • Member of Committee

David Lagrew

Job Titles:
  • Executive Director Women 's Services, St. Joseph HOAG Health
  • Member of Committee
  • Providence St. Joseph Health

David Speiser

Job Titles:
  • Member of Committee

Deirdre Anglin

Job Titles:
  • Member of Committee

Deirdre J. Lyell

Job Titles:
  • Co - Director and Co - Principal Investigator ( CMQCC, CPQCC )
  • Co - Director and Co - Principal Investigator of the California Maternal ( CMQCC ) and Perinatal ( CPQCC ) Quality Care Collaboratives
Dr. Deirdre Lyell is the Co-Director and Co-Principal Investigator of the California Maternal (CMQCC) and Perinatal (CPQCC) Quality Care Collaboratives and the Dunlevie Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Stanford and brings more than 25 years of clinical experience in maternal-fetal medicine and obstetrics and gynecology. She has conducted impactful, practice changing research in clinical obstetrics, racial and ethnic disparities in obstetrics, anemia, severe maternal morbidity, placenta accreta spectrum and prematurity prevention. She has led QI initiatives locally and at scale, working with community members, people with lived experience and providers to ensure that everyone receives the same care. At Stanford, she serves as Director of the Perinatal Epidemiology and Population Health in the Dunlevie Maternal-Fetal Medicine Center; Medical Director of Labor and Delivery; Associate Division Director of Maternal-Fetal Medicine; Medical Director or the Program in Placental Disorders; and project lead for the NIH-funded Center of Excellence award, Preventing Inequities in Hemorrhage-related Severe Maternal Morbidity. Nationally, Dr. Lyell is a founding board member of the Pan American Society for Placenta Accreta Spectrum, a board member of the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine Foundation, an examiner for the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology MFM specialty boards, and has a grant reviewer for the National Institutes of Health.

Diana Lynn Barnes

Job Titles:
  • Member of Committee

Diana Ramos

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Executive Committee
  • California Surgeon General
  • Member of Committee

Diane Ashton

Job Titles:
  • Member of Committee

Dianne Redell

Job Titles:
  • Member of Committee

Dodi Gauthier

Job Titles:
  • Project Director
  • Member of Committee

Douglas Montgomery

Job Titles:
  • Chief Quality Officer
  • Member of Committee

Douglas Woelkers

Job Titles:
  • Member of Committee

Elizabeth Lawton

Job Titles:
  • Member of Committee

Elliott K. Main

Job Titles:
  • Chairman of Committee
  • Medical Director and Executive Committee Chair, CMQCC
  • Task Force Co - Chair, Medical Director, CMQCC, Clinical Professor Obstetrics and Gynecology, Maternal Fetal Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine

Elyse Foster

Job Titles:
  • Member of Committee

Emily M. Cramer

Job Titles:
  • Member of Committee

Emily McCormick

Job Titles:
  • Member of Committee

Erin Saleeby

Job Titles:
  • Director, Women 's Health Programs and Innovation
  • Member of Committee

Gail Newel

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Executive Committee

Gillian Abir

Job Titles:
  • Clinical Associate Professor, Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine, Stanford University
  • Member of Committee

Greg Maynard

Job Titles:
  • Medical Director and Executive Committee / Chair
  • Member of Committee

Gretchen Page

Job Titles:
  • Member of Committee

Heather Gocke

Job Titles:
  • Member of Committee

Herman Hedriana

Job Titles:
  • Member of Committee
  • Professor and Chief, Division of Maternal Fetal Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of California Davis Health

Holly Champagne

Job Titles:
  • Member of Committee

Holly Smith

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Executive Committee
  • Co - Lead for Toolkit to Support Vaginal Birth
  • Member of Committee

Ifeyinwa Asiodu

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Executive Committee

James Byrne

Job Titles:
  • Member of Committee
  • VP Chapter Program Support

Janelle Palacios

Job Titles:
  • Member of Committee
  • Nurse - Midwifery )

Janet Trial

Job Titles:
  • Program Director
  • Member of Committee

Jason Greenberg

Job Titles:
  • Member of Committee
  • National Clinical Director of OB Hospitalists

Jeffrey B. Gould

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Executive Committee
  • Senior Advisor
  • Member of Committee
Dr. Jeffrey Gould holds leadership roles for both CMQCC and the California Perinatal Quality Care Collaborative (CPQCC). He serves as Senior Advisor of CPQCC and CMQCC. He is also the Robert L. Hess Professor of Pediatrics at Stanford University. Dr. Gould provides strategic direction and ensures that both CMQCC and CPQCC activities remain consistent with their missions, values, and commitments to improving care for California's most vulnerable birthing people and infants. Dr Gould is a Neonatologist and Perinatal Epidemiologist whose research addresses both the identification of factors that put an individual or sub-population at risk for poor perinatal outcome, and the identification of the extent to which health practice and health system factors are effective in reducing risk, improving the quality of care, and optimizing outcome. Throughout Dr Gould's career, he has been concerned with disparities in health and inequality in health care delivery. In 1997 under a joint appointment in the Department of Pediatrics at Stanford he co-founded the California Perinatal Quality Care Collaborative (CPQCC) the nation's first state wide quality improvement consortium that also serves as a platform for faculty, trainee and inter-university collaborative translational research in perinatal epidemiology, quality of care analysis, and risk reduction/quality improvement program development. CPQCC includes 134 California NICUs and under Dr Gould's leadership has developed quality improvement toolkits, conducted successful multi-institutional quality Improvement initiatives and has been nationally and internationally recognized as a model for regionalized perinatal quality improvement. To address the broader needs of all pregnant women, he co-founded CMQCC in 2006 as a sister organization to assess and improve the quality, outcomes and disparities in the Obstetric care of all women in California. In addition to his innovative accomplishments in the area of state wide collaboration to improve the quality of perinatal care and health outcomes Dr Gould has a strong commitment to research that has resulted in over 160 peer reviewed publications in the areas of perinatal epidemiology and quality improvement. He has received the National Maternal and Child Health Epidemiology Award for Outstanding Leadership, The AAP Neonatal Education Award, and the SPR's Douglas K Richardson Award for Perinatal and Pediatric Health Care Research, and in 2022 the Legend in Neonatology Award.

Jenica Sandall

Job Titles:
  • Member of Committee

Jennifer Baptiste-Smith

Job Titles:
  • Member of Committee

Jennifer Lucero

Job Titles:
  • Member of Committee

Jennifer McNulty

Job Titles:
  • MemorialCareâ„¢ Miller Children's and Women 's Hospital Long Beach

Jessica Washington

Job Titles:
  • Program Assistant
Jessica Washington Jessica joined the CMQCC and CPQCC in 2023 as a Program Assistant. In her role she supports both organizations with processing and monitoring financial transactions, consultant contracts, honorariums, researching and resolving discrepancies, coordinating meetings, events, and travel. Prior to joining CMQCC and CPQCC, Jessica worked in the Department of Neurology at Stanford University, administratively supporting a research lab focusing on muscle stem cell biology and aging, tissue engineering, muscle dystrophies, and regenerative rehabilitation, since 2016. As a mother herself, Jessica is excited to help improve the quality of care of new mothers and newborns.

Joanne C. Tillman

Job Titles:
  • Program Manager
  • Family Engagement Coordinator
Joanne C. Tillman, MPH, MCHES joined CMQCC and CPQCC as the Family Engagement Coordinator in December 2023. In this role, Joanne supports the missions of both programs by working with families, communities, and healthcare stakeholders to improve the quality and equity of healthcare delivery for California's infants and mothers. This role combines Joanne's passion for improving maternal and infant outcomes and decreasing racial disparities in health care. Joanne received her master's in public health, emphasizing Health Education, from California State University, Northridge in 2012. She also obtained her Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES) certificate in 2013, and then earned the master's level certification, MCHES, in 2022. She has had a very robust career in health education which consists of applying her public health training to support hospitals, non-profits, communities, faith-based organizations, health centers, schools, and aged-varied populations. Joanne has dedicated many years of her experience and research in reproductive health, women's health, and maternal mortality prevention. She has a passion for empowering the underserved, tackling the social determinants of health, and contributing to the improvements of their overall health. Mrs. Tillman also loves to travel for personal pleasure and purpose, including mission trips to various places such as her hometown in Nigeria. She plans to continue her purpose in this field and eventually start her non-profit organization to help families in low-income communities thrive. Joanne Tillman lives in Los Angeles, CA with her loving husband and 2 children, to whom she dedicates lots of her time and attention. She also dedicates her service in this work to her angel baby, hoping that with improvements made, fewer babies will be lost.

John Wachtel

Job Titles:
  • Director, Evaluation and Impact
  • Member of Committee
  • OB Clinical Nurse Specialist

Joy Burkhard

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Executive Committee

Julianne Morath

Job Titles:
  • Assistant Professor, School of Nursing
  • Member of Committee

Julie Arafeh

Job Titles:
  • Member of Committee

Julie Vasher

Job Titles:
  • Member of Committee

Kaiser Permanente

Job Titles:
  • Assistant Area Medical Director for Women's & Children 's Health
  • Member of Committee

Kaiser Permanente (TPMG) San Francisco

Job Titles:
  • Member of Committee
Kaiser Permanente (TPMG) San Francisco, CA; Department OB/GYN Hospitalists, Assistant Director for Maternity Services, Lead for Perinatal Patient Safety - San Francisco; NCAL Regional Medical Director Perinatal Patient Safety Program

Kaiser Permanente Roseville

Job Titles:
  • Member of Committee

Kaiser San Diego

Job Titles:
  • Member of Committee

Karen Archabald

Job Titles:
  • Member of Committee

Karen Ramstrom

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Executive Committee
  • Chief, Maternal & Infant Health Branch, California Department of Public Health

Katarina Lannér-Cusin

Job Titles:
  • Administrative Medical Director Women 's Services, Co - Chair Sutter OB / GYN Quality Committee, Alta Bates Summit Medical Center
  • Member of Committee

Kelley Brennan Lee

Job Titles:
  • Member of Committee

Kelly Brandon

Job Titles:
  • Member of Committee

Keya Stallings-Saint

Job Titles:
  • Member of Committee

Kim Werkmeister

Job Titles:
  • Member of Committee

Kimberly D. Gregory - Chairman

Job Titles:
  • Chairman
  • Chairman, Cedars - Sinai Medical Center
  • Member of Committee

Kimberly Durdin

Job Titles:
  • Owner
  • Member of Committee

Kimberly McCombs

Job Titles:
  • Member of Committee

Kristen Terlizzi

Job Titles:
  • Member of Committee

Laura Eichhorn

Job Titles:
  • Member of Committee

Laurel Durham

Job Titles:
  • Program Manager
  • Member of Committee

Laurence E. Shields

Job Titles:
  • Member of Committee

Laurie Gregg

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Executive Committee

Lawrence Lurvey

Job Titles:
  • Member of Committee

Leah Romine

Job Titles:
  • Member of Committee

Leona Dang-Kilduff

Job Titles:
  • Member of Committee

Leona Shields

Job Titles:
  • Member of Committee

Leslie Cragin

Job Titles:
  • Member of Committee

Leslie Kowalewski

Job Titles:
  • Executive Director
  • Member of the Executive Committee
  • Executive Director of CMQCC
  • Executive Director, CMQCC, CPQCC, PRC
  • Member of Committee
Leslie Kowalewski, serves as the Executive Director of CMQCC, CPQCC, and the Prematurity Research Center - all housed at the Stanford University School of Medicine. In this role, Leslie will be responsible for strengthening collaboration across three organizations and working with both Stanford Neonatology and Obstetrics faculty and other experts to ensure a multidisciplinary approach to advancing research in epidemiology, health disparities, and quality improvement across the mother-baby care continuum. Prior to her promotion, Leslie served as the CMQCC Administrative Director from 2020 - December 2022, leading the development and implementation of strategic and tactical plans for growth in quality improvement, educational and research activities. In addition, she led and developed staff leaders who oversee and implement initiatives and priorities to end preventable morbidity, mortality and racial disparities in maternity care. Ms. Kowalewski's commitment to improving maternal and infant health spans two decades. Prior to joining CMQCC, Leslie led the buildout of statewide programs and coordinated state and local partnerships in her role as Chief of the Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health Division for the California Department of Public Health (CDPH). Prior to joining CDPH, Leslie spent 20 years at the March of Dimes Foundation where she established the March of Dimes Big 5 Perinatal Collaborative and co-led the development of the Elimination of Non-medically indicated (Elective) Deliveries Before 39 Weeks Gestational Age toolkit in partnership with CMQCC. Leslie holds a B.S. in Health Promotion and Education from Oregon State University.

Linda V. Walsh

Job Titles:
  • Member of Committee

Lisa Gartin

Job Titles:
  • Member of Committee

Lisa Korst

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Executive Committee

Lisa Marie Dryan

Job Titles:
  • Member of Committee

Lisa Townsend

Job Titles:
  • Member of Committee

Lori Olvera

Job Titles:
  • Chairman of Committee
  • Task Force Co - Chair, Clinical Nurse Educator High Risk Maternity and Labor and Delivery, Sutter Health

Lucy Van Otterloo

Job Titles:
  • Member of Committee
  • Senior VP Risk Management Services

Lydia Savelli

Job Titles:
  • Program Manager
  • Program Manager for the Maternal Data Center
Lydia Savelli joined the CMQCC team as a Program Manager for the Maternal Data Center in July 2022. As a Program Manager, she works directly with member hospitals to support their use of the Maternal Data Center, a rapid-cycle data collection tool used to inform quality improvement. Prior to working at the CMQCC, Lydia worked in medical billing for an independent oncology and hematology clinic in Santa Cruz, CA. With varied experiences studying the midwifery model of care and doula work, Lydia is motivated by a passion for women's health, human anatomy and physiology, and positive birth outcomes. Lydia has a BA in Mathematics from Willamette University.

Malini Anand

Job Titles:
  • Member of Committee

Marci Treadwell

Job Titles:
  • Program Assistant, MCCPOP
Marci Treadwell joined the team in 2016. She became a part of CMQCC in 2020 when the Mid-Coastal California Perinatal Outreach Program (MCCPOP) merged with CMQCC. Marci works as the MCCPOP Program Assistant, where she works closely with physicians and nurses to offer a clinical service line of OB and neonatal services. She hosts classes that educate medical providers on how to manage the care of complex patients including regional courses, in hospital educational courses, data reviews, electric fetal monitoring strip reviews and Perinatal Morbidity and Mortality reviews. Marci also provides facility invoicing, consultant contracts, contact hour certification as well as travel reimbursement and purchasing orders. Marci attended the University of San Francisco and received her B.A. in Environmental Studies with an emphasis on sustainability.

Mari-Paule Thiet

Job Titles:
  • Member of Committee
  • Professor & Director, MFM Division

Maria Alcazar

Job Titles:
  • Member of Committee

Maria Cristina Gutierrez

Job Titles:
  • Member of Committee

Marianne Gausche-Hill

Job Titles:
  • Member of Committee

Mark Boddy

Job Titles:
  • Member of Committee
  • Stanford

Mark Meyer

Job Titles:
  • Member of Committee

Mark Schemmel

Job Titles:
  • Member of Committee

Mark Tomlinson

Job Titles:
  • Member of Committee

Mark Zakowski

Job Titles:
  • Member of Committee

Marla J. Seacrist

Job Titles:
  • Full Time Faculty Professor, California State University, Stanislaus, Turlock, CA
  • Member of Committee
  • Professor, California State University Stanislaus

Martha (Marci) Rode

Job Titles:
  • Member of Committee

Mary Campbell Bliss

Job Titles:
  • Member of Committee

Mary D'Alton

Job Titles:
  • Member of Committee

Maryam Tarsa

Job Titles:
  • MAS
  • Member of Committee

Matthew Garabedian

Job Titles:
  • Member of Committee

Maureen Corry

Job Titles:
  • Member of Committee

Maurice L. Druzin

Job Titles:
  • Member of Committee

Melinda Hing

Job Titles:
  • Program Manager
  • Research Coordinator
Melinda Hing joined CMQCC and CPQCC as Research Coordinator in September 2023. In her role she manages research collaboration and data requests for CMQCC and CPQCC. She reviews requests from inside and outside Stanford, documents issues and questions, and routes for approval to leadership groups. Prior to joining CMQCC and CPQCC, Melinda worked in the Department of Pediatrics at Stanford University School of Medicine as a Research Administrator, supporting faculty, postdocs, and research labs. Melinda began her career at Stanford in 1986 and has worked at Stanford School of Medicine and LPFCH as an administrator and executive assistant. Outside of work, Melinda enjoys boxing, running, hiking, and reading.

Melinda Kent

Job Titles:
  • Research Coordinator
  • Associate Director of CMQCC 's Maternal Data Center
  • Associate Director, Maternal Data Center
Melinda Kent is the Associate Director of CMQCC's Maternal Data Center. She joined the team in May 2023 as a CMQCC Clinical Lead and the Clinical Lead for the Low-Dose Aspirin (LDA) to Prevent Preeclampsia Campaign. She was promoted to the MDC role in November 2023. A passionate perinatal leader, her interest in health promotion, advocacy, program planning, and implementation, began early in her career. She earned her BS Health Education degree in 1995. After working several years as a labor doula, she became a Labor and Delivery Registered Nurse, where her love for perinatal quality and process improvement was discovered. Being a lifelong learner, she earned her BSN and MSN with an emphasis on Nursing Education years later. Prior to joining CMQCC, Melinda was involved in numerous CMQCC QI Academies and has presented as guest faculty on ‘Sustaining Quality Improvement.' She brings a unique skill set and over two decades of healthcare experience to the organization, from bedside nursing to leadership roles. She has held positions in Clinical IT for a large non-profit hospital supporting Perinatal Units across five states and as the Nursing Outcomes Coordinator for a hospital just miles from Skid Row. Melinda holds NCC certifications in Electronic Fetal Monitoring, In-Patient Obstetrics, and Obstetric and Neonatal Quality and Safety.

Melissa Bauer

Job Titles:
  • Assistant Professor Anesthesiology / Obstetric Anesthesiology, University of Michigan
  • Member of Committee

Melissa G. Rosenstein

Job Titles:
  • Member of Committee

Melissa Han

Job Titles:
  • Member of Committee

Michele Nizza

Job Titles:
  • Member of Committee

Michelle J. Khan

Job Titles:
  • Member of Committee

Michelle Jorden

Job Titles:
  • Member of Committee

Mike Curtis

Job Titles:
  • Member of Committee

Miranda Klassen

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Executive Committee
  • Founder / Executive Director, AFE Foundation Investigator, Amniotic Fluid Embolism Patient Registry TM, Baylor College of Medicine
  • Member of Committee

Molly Killion

Job Titles:
  • Member of Committee
  • Nurse Consultant III Specialist

Monica McLemore

Job Titles:
  • International Director
  • Member of Committee

Monica Sood

Job Titles:
  • Member of Committee

Muhammad Afzal

Job Titles:
  • Medical Director Pulmonary and Critical Care, Sutter Medical Center
  • Member of Committee

Nadia Carrasco

Job Titles:
  • Member of Committee

Nancy Peterson

Job Titles:
  • Owner
  • Member of Committee

Nancy Rouse

Job Titles:
  • Member of Committee

Natali Aziz

Job Titles:
  • Clinical Associate Professor Obstetrics and Gynecology, Maternal Fetal Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine
  • Member of Committee

Natalie Ann Bello

Job Titles:
  • Member of Committee

Natalie Martina

Job Titles:
  • Member of Committee

Neelam Noorani

Job Titles:
  • Member of Committee

Neeru Gupta

Job Titles:
  • Member of Committee

Nirmaljit Kaur Dhami

Job Titles:
  • Member of Committee

Parie Lambert

Job Titles:
  • Member of Committee

Paris Maloof-Bury

Job Titles:
  • Medical Director and Executive Committee Chair
  • Member of Committee

Peyton Mason-Marti

Job Titles:
  • Medical Director and Executive Committee Chair
  • Member of Committee

Priya Batra

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Executive Committee
  • Member of Committee
  • OB - Gyn ) Chief Physician for the Health Promotion Bureau, LA County Health Department

Randy Winter

Job Titles:
  • Associate Professor
  • Member of Committee

Rebecca Trotzky-Sirr

Job Titles:
  • Director of Addiction and Community Medicine at LA General Medical Center. Regional Coordinator and Founding Member of the California Bridge Program
  • Member of Committee

Robert Imhoff

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Executive Committee

Robert L. Hess

Job Titles:
  • Member of Committee
  • Professor in Pediatrics

Robert Oldham

Job Titles:
  • Member of Committee

Roberta Doucet

Job Titles:
  • Member of Committee

Roberta Gold

Job Titles:
  • Member of Committee

Ronald Gibbs

Job Titles:
  • Member of Committee

Rory Jaffe

Job Titles:
  • Member of Committee

Roseanne Gephart

Job Titles:
  • Member of Committee

Ruth Mielke

Job Titles:
  • Member of Committee

Sabreen White

Job Titles:
  • Member of Committee

Santa Clara Valley

Job Titles:
  • Chairman of Committee

Sara Ghandehari

Job Titles:
  • Member of Committee

Sarah Mandel

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Executive Committee

Sarah Shealy

Job Titles:
  • Member of Committee

Savannah Gray

Job Titles:
  • Program Manager
  • Senior Advisor
  • CMQCC As a Program Manager
Savannah Gray joined CMQCC as a Program Manager in January 2024. In this role, she supports various quality improvement projects and uses to data to improve day-to-day activities and achieve program goals. Before joining CMQCC, she worked as a Global Health Division Fellow at Chemonics International where she helped inform the clinical implementation of human resources for health optimization tools for family planning in low-resource settings. She has experience in maternal health nursing, gender-based violence qualitative research, community action planning, and health communications. She is passionate about providing equitable and quality maternal health care for all and using evidence to support innovative and impactful solutions. Savannah was born in Atlanta, GA and earned her BSN from Emory University and MPH from George Washington University. She started her career as a high-risk labor and delivery nurse in Washington, D.C., serving high-risk patient populations and implementing quality improvement projects. Outside of work, Savannah enjoys hiking along the ocean with her husband, Walter, rock climbing, and exploring the west coast's best foodie spots.

Sayida Peprah-Wilson

Job Titles:
  • Licensed Clinical Psychologist & Maternal Mental Health / Consultant
  • Member of Committee

Scott Berns

Job Titles:
  • Member of Committee

Shantay R. Davies-Balch

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Executive Committee

Shanthi Kappagoda

Job Titles:
  • Clinical Assistant Professor, Medicine - Infectious Diseases, Stanford University School of Medicine
  • Member of Committee

Sharmaine Collier

Job Titles:
  • Member of Committee
  • Professor and Chair, Dept of OB / GYN, Associate Dean of Women 's Health Research & Policy

Sharon Dey-Layne

Job Titles:
  • Senior Advisor
  • Member of Committee

Shen-Chih Chang

Job Titles:
  • Biostatistician
Shen-Chih Chang joined CMQCC in 2016. As a biostatistician, she provides statistical support to CMQCC's collaboratives and research projects. She currently works on the development of the Unexpected Newborn Complications metrics and provides statistical input to the analysis and reporting of the Collaborative to Support Vaginal Birth and Reduce Primary Cesareans. She received her MS in Epidemiology from Umea University in Sweden and her PhD in Epidemiology from the University of California in Los Angeles (UCLA).

Stephanie Bryant

Job Titles:
  • Member of Committee

Stephanie Teleki

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Executive Committee
  • Chief Nurse - Midwife
  • Member of Committee

Stephanie Turner

Job Titles:
  • Member of Committee

Stephen Girolami

Job Titles:
  • Member of Committee

Steven Parry

Job Titles:
  • Department of Health Care Services
  • Member of Committee

Subhashini Ladella

Job Titles:
  • Clinical Nurse Specialist
  • Member of Committee

Sue Holtby

Job Titles:
  • Member of Committee

Susan Stone

Job Titles:
  • Member of Committee

Sutter David

Job Titles:
  • Health Care
  • Member of Committee

Sutter Health Sacramento

Job Titles:
  • Medical Director
  • Member of Committee

Tamar Boyadjian

Job Titles:
  • Communications Specialist
  • Program Manager for the Maternal Data Center
  • Program Manager, Maternal Data Center
Tamar joined the CMQCC team as a Program Manager for the Maternal Data Center in October of 2021. Prior to CMQCC, she worked as a graduate research assistant with the Tufts School of Medicine, focusing primarily on qualitative research on substance use. Before pursuing a career in public health, Tamar worked in charitable gift planning for over four years. She is passionate about driving positive change at the community level and supporting marginalized groups through healthcare-focused quality improvement. Tamar holds a BA in Integrative Biology from UC Berkeley and an MPH in Community Health and Maternal and Child Health from Boston University.

Tammy Turner

Job Titles:
  • Member of Committee

Terri Deeds

Job Titles:
  • Biostatistician
  • Clinical Lead
Terri Deeds RN, MSN, NE-BC, C-ONQS is a registered nurse with over 40 years of clinical experience. She joined CMQCC as a Clinical Lead in 2018. Her responsibilities include facilitating the Quality Improvement Academy, pilot Birth Equity Collaborative and serving as mentor for all California hospitals. Prior to her time at CMQCC, Terri served as the Director of Women's and Children's Services in Laguna Hills, CA for more than 27 years. Her tenure included active participation in the CMQCC collaboratives on maternal hemorrhage and preeclampsia and served as a mentor for the first round of the NTSV collaborative. Terri was an inaugural member of the Maternal Data Center. Terri was an original diploma nurse from St. Luke's Methodist Hospital School of Nursing in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. She received her BSN and MSN with an emphasis on Nursing Leadership from the University of Texas at Arlington. Terri has board certifications as a Nurse Executive and Obstetric and Neonatal Quality and Safety.

Thomas (Tom) Kelly

Job Titles:
  • Member of Committee
  • MFM )

Timothy Lowe

Job Titles:
  • Director, Maternal Fetal Medicine
  • Member of Committee

Tory Robinson

Job Titles:
  • Member of Committee

UC Davis

Job Titles:
  • Member of Committee

UC San Diego

Job Titles:
  • Associate Clinical Professor
  • Member of Committee

Umme-Aiman Halai

Job Titles:
  • Aiman ) ( Infectious Disease / Internal Medicine, Public Health )
  • Member of Committee

Usha Ranji

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Executive Committee

Valerie Cape

Job Titles:
  • Member of Committee
  • Project Manager, CMQCC, Stanford University School of Medicine

Vibha Mahendra

Job Titles:
  • Clinical Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology, University of Southern California
  • Member of Committee

William (Bill) Gilbert

Job Titles:
  • Member of Committee