I am a highly motivated, self-directed individual and have worked tirelessly for the past 3 years, preparing to lead a national effort to reduce maternal mortality attributable to heart disease. I have served as the chair-elect for the Missouri Pregnancy-Associated Mortality Review (PAMR) committee for the past two years and was recently promoted to chair in 2022. As PAMR lead, I am guiding state and national efforts to implement public health interventions which specifically target pregnant women with cardiovascular disease. As an advocate for equitable maternal and child health, I serve on the board for the Midwest region of the March of Dimes, designating programmatic support and implementation throughout the state for mothers in need. My career focus has been on quality of care and reducing disparities, which has earned me several roles including board member on the national Equitable Maternal Health Coalition of the March of Dimes, a fellowship position in the Kansas City Quality and Value Innovation Consortium, and as a mentor in the UMKC Quality Improvement & Patient Safety Faculty Scholars Program.

In coordination with the Mid-America Heart Institute, I have gained extensive experience in caring for pregnant women with CV disease. In 2014, I developed the region’s first cardio-obstetrics clinic where collaboratively we have cared for over 2000 pregnant women with CV disease. I have developed and published on the specific components believed necessary for optimizing obstetrics care for women with CV disease. Recently, I was honored by the nomination to serve on the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology/Alliance for Innovation in Maternal Health (ACOG/AIM) board for the development of the Cardiac Conditions in Obstetric Care bundle. I have enhanced my skills as a clinical researcher through becoming the first non-cardiologist in the esteemed CV Outcomes Research Division as a clinical scholar. This experience has been invaluable in my role as an editorial board member for the American Heart Journal Plus, where I review cardio-obstetrics manuscripts for this peer-reviewed publication.