PNQIN Fall 2023 Summit

Robert Goldstein, MD, PhD was appointed Commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health by Gov. Maura Healey in April 2023. A physician specializing in infectious diseases, Dr. Goldstein oversees a workforce of more than 3,200 individuals committed to health equity and dedicated to promoting the health and well-being of people across the state, preventing illness and injury, and maintaining strong and vibrant communities. He previously served as Senior Policy Advisor at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, where he focused on public health emergency response, infectious diseases, and strategic policy initiatives. Prior to his work at CDC, he founded and was Medical Director of the Massachusetts General Hospital Transgender Health Program, a clinical resource offering a safe and affirming environment for the transgender and nonbinary community.

Tiffany Moore Simas MD, MPH, MEd is the Donna M. and Robert J. Manning Chair of the Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, and Professor of Ob/Gyn, Pediatrics, Psychiatry and Population & Quantitative Health Sciences at UMass Chan Medical School/UMassMemorial Health. She is the founding Obstetric Engagement Liaison of the Massachusetts Child Psychiatry Access Program (MCPAP) for Moms and the obstetric director of Lifeline for Moms. She partners with and advises professional, advocacy, and governmental organizations to advance the equitable care of all pregnant and postpartum individuals. She will be leading PNQIN’s implementation of the AIM Perinatal Mental Health Conditions bundle.

Cindy Liu, PhD is an Assistant Professor at Harvard Medical School, the Director of the Developmental Risk and Cultural Resilience Program within the Departments of Pediatrics and Psychiatry at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and a licensed clinical psychologist. She also directs the NICU Parent Mental Health Program at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Her research focuses on stress, mental health, and health disparities across the lifespan including the perinatal period and young adulthood.

Leena Mittal, MD, FACLP, is the Associate Vice Chair for Diversity Equity and Inclusion and the Chief of the Division of Women's Mental Health at in the Department of Psychiatry at Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) and an Instructor in Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Mittal also serves as the Medical Director for Equity, SUD and Community Partnerships for the Massachusetts Child Psychiatry Access Program for Moms (MCPAP for Moms), an innovative statewide consultation service for providers seeing pregnant and postpartum women with mental health and substance use conditions.

Abigail Takesian is a parent mental health therapist serving families in the NICU at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. She earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Simmons University and a master’s degree in social work from the University of Denver. Her professional background is psychiatric social work, having spent years providing therapy to children and families with diverse needs in Maine, prior to relocating back to Boston.

Thea James, MD, MPH, MBA is Vice President of Mission, Associate Chief Medical Officer and Co-Executive Director of the Health Equity Accelerator at Boston Medical Center. As vice president of mission, Dr. James partners with caregivers throughout BMC and coordinates BMC’s relationships and strategic alliances with a wide range of local, state, and national organizations and partners, to meet the full spectrum of essentials that enables patients and communities to thrive. The intentionality is to foster a strategic ecosystem of growth, transformation, and effective models of care that are rooted in equity, and economic inclusion and economic mobility. Dr. James’ passion is in Public Health both domestically and globally.

Audra R. Meadows, MD, MPH is a founding director of the state perinatal quality collaborative in MA, PNQIN, and currently leads the MA AIM Initiative and PNQIN Maternal Equity Bundle. She also currently is a Professor and Vice Chair for Culture and Justice in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine. Dr. Meadows is a birth optimizer – a practicing Obstetrician/Gynecologist, health disparities researcher, and health equity champion.

Jessica Paulino is passionate about helping others. She is a mother, doula, yoga teacher, facilitator, community organizer, and an advocate for Maternal Health and Migrant Rights. She is the daughter of Dominican immigrants, raised between Boston and the Dominican Republic. Jessica is a proud graduate of the John D. O’Bryant School of Mathematics and Science, Massachusetts Bay Community College and Boston University. She is active in many organizations, including as a board member for TAGa and Propa City Community Outreach, and is a member of the Mind the Gap Coalition for the Moms Matter Act. She finds solace and inspiration in activities that nurture her well-being, like cooking, dance, meditation, yoga, and travel. She cherishes the opportunity to connect with others and make a difference in the world.

Kate Murphy, MD is a neonatologist at Baystate Medical Center since 2020 and is director of the Baystate resident global health program. She was born and raised in Wellesley, MA. She attended McGill University for undergraduate education, Ben Gurion University for Medical School and the University of Miami for NICU fellowship. She spent two years working in the field with Doctors Without Borders with specialization in global child and neonatal health.

Barbara Fain, JD, MPP, is Executive Director of the Betsy Lehman Center for Patient Safety. Barbara’s career has been devoted to health policy development and analysis, public engagement, and strategic planning for government agencies, academic institutions, policy think tanks, and healthcare organizations. Her work for the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies focused on developing standards for allocating scarce medical resources in disasters.

Godwin K. Osei-Poku, MD, DrPH is Associate Director of Research and Analysis at the Betsy Lehman Center for Patient Safety, an independent Massachusetts State agency. He leads research for two statewide maternal health projects to reduce inequities in birth outcomes. Godwin previously worked with the Ministry of Health in Ghana, providing direct patient care to pregnant women and collaborating with policy leaders to design quality improvement initiatives for mothers and newborns. Godwin’s research interest is developing tools and systems to better track safety outcomes among pregnant women.

Kathaleen Barker, MD is an Assistant Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at UMass Chan Medical School-Baystate where she is the Associate Director of Obstetrics and runs the remote patient monitoring program for hypertensive diseases of pregnancy. She is passionate about utilizing patient care technologies to improve the care delivered to birthing people. As part of the Obstetrical leadership team, she has helped lead multiple quality improvement projects including those designed to improve induction of labor, postpartum hemorrhage, hypertensive disorders of pregnancy and efficiency in the OR. She is excited to be working alongside Dr. Saba from BWH as part of the HRSA Grant funded Remote Patient Monitoring Program team.

Saba Berhie, MD, is currently a Clinical Instructor in the Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, MA. She grew up in West Virginia, completed residency at the Brigham and Women's and Massachusetts General Hospital Integrated Ob-Gyn Program and then completed fellowship training in Maternal-Fetal Medicine at Northwestern University in Chicago, IL. She is interested in infectious diseases in pregnancy, improving postpartum hypertension outcomes, and resolving healthcare disparities via research and clinical innovation.

Megan O’Brien, RN, BSN is the clinical nurse program manager for Boston Medical Center’s Remote Monitoring Blood Pressure Program under the hospitals Health Equity Accelerator, a program she co-created during the initial surge of the COVID-19 pandemic as a way to keep both pregnant and postpartum patients safe at home. She specializes specializing in reproductive endocrinology, family planning, and high risk pregnancy care. This program has gained national attention on NPR, the Boston Globe and was recently awarded an Innovation Award from the US Department of Health and Human Services. She has a deep passion for continuing to improve the lives of birthing people and reducing racial disparities.

Erica Holland, MD is an Assistant Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Boston University School of Medicine and the Interim Director of the Division of Maternal and Fetal Medicine at Boston Medical Center. She received her BA from Cornell University and her MD from the University of Massachusetts Medical School. She completed a Residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology from Boston University/Boston Medical Center, a Fellowship in Maternal and Fetal Medicine from Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and a Fellowship in Bioethics from the Center for Bioethics at Harvard Medical School. 

Megan Miller, MD is an Assistant Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at UMMS-Chan-Baystate Medical Center. She leads outpatient and inpatient initiatives for pregnant people with substance use disorders at Baystate Medical Center. In the outpatient setting, she runs a clinic for pregnant and parenting people with substance use disorders. She also coordinates closely with the Baystate inpatient obstetrics services, addiction medicine service, and emergency department to institute best practices for pregnant and parenting people with substance use disorders. Regionally, she co-chairs the Hampden County Perinatal collaborative. 

Katherine Standish, MD, MS is a clinician and health services researcher in the Department of Family Medicine at Boston University and is co-founder of the Breastfeeding Equity Center at BMC, which aims to increase equity in breastfeeding support and outcomes. She practices breastfeeding medicine and is participating in the first breastfeeding medicine fellowship in the U.S. Her research addresses breastfeeding services and interventions in marginalized and high-risk populations. She currently serves as Chair of the Protocol Committee of the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine.