Stillbirth Symposium: Closing The Gaps

October 2024 Stillbirth Symposium

Contact Us

For any questions, please contact Sarah Lopez at sarah.lopez@hsc.utah.edu.

Please join us for these free events:

Stillbirth Symposium: Closing The Gaps to share learning on equity in stillbirth rates
- Parents, family members, researchers, clinicians, and all are welcome to join us at the symposium.
IMPROVE Workshop for clinicians who provide care during and immediately after stillbirth and newborn death.
- This workshop is open to MFMs, nurses, midwives, social workers, pathologists, psychologists, sonographers, and other providers at any stage of your career.
- Please note that you must be a healthcare provider to be eligible for this workshop.
- There are 2 IMPROVE workshops, one on Sunday and one on Monday
Certification program to become an IMPROVE Educator is now closed – If you would like to be put on a waitlist for 2025 certification, email Sarah Lopez at sarah.lopez@hsc.utah.edu.

Events & Schedule

A light breakfast, lunch, and coffee/tea breaks will be provided throughout the program.

See bottom of this page for parking information.

Fri, Oct 11

Sat, Oct 12

Sun, Oct 13

Mon, Oct 14

Welcome Event (6 pm–9 pm)

Location: Utah Museum of Fine Arts, 410 Campus Center Dr.

Registration (7:30–8 am)

Stillbirth Symposium: Closing the Gaps (8 am–5:30 pm)

Location: Alumni Hall & Atrium of Health Sciences Education Building (HSEB) (East entrance only)

Remembrance/Appreciation Ceremony (5:45–6:30 pm)

Location: Courtyard just outside the West entrance Alumni Hall & Atrium of Health Sciences Education Building (HSEB)

IMPROVE Workshop (8 am–1 pm)

Lunch for IMPROVE trainees (1 pm-1:45 pm)

Training of Trainers for IMPROVE Educators (1:45 pm-5:30 pm)

NOTE: This session is reserved for invited applicants, who must also attend the certification on Mon, Oct 14.

IMPROVE Educator Certification (8 am-2:30 pm) & IMPROVE Workshop (8 am-1 pm)

Program

7:30-8 am	REGISTRATION (light breakfast, coffee/tea)
8:00-8:20 am	Welcome from the University of Utah Sam Finlayson, Bob Silver, Susannah Leisher
8:20-8:35 am	Traditional Blessing Ernest Harry Begay
8:35-8:45 am	Fostering a Culture of Wellness Jamuna Jones, Jake Van Epps
8:45-9:35 am	'Nothing about us, without us’: Sharing our ways of knowing, being, and doing to address stillbirth in First Nations Communities Valerie Ah Chee, Kate Cohen, Ernest Harry Begay
9:35-10:30 am	Listening to Parent Voices Stacey Fletcher, Heleine Wolfgramm, Guadaloupe Aguilera, Ashley Hone, Celeste and Keisha Namba
10:30-10:45 am	BREAK (light snacks, coffee/tea)
10:45-11:25 am	Moving forward with a Safer Baby Bundle for the USA: Equity considerations and learning from Australia and the UK Vicki Flenady, Bob Silver, Alex Heazell, Valerie Ah Chee
11:25 am-12:15 pm	Equity in access to mental health care after stillbirth Rana Jawish, Marcela Smid, Christy Schunn, Stacey Fletcher
12:15-12:30 pm	Announcements Bob Silver, Susannah Leisher
12:30-1:15 pm	LUNCH
1:15-1:55 pm	Perinatal audit as a tool for improving equity in outcomes JJ Erwich, Jess Page
1:55-2:45 pm	Access to perinatal pathology for stillbirth Jane Dahlstrom, Drucilla Roberts, Jess Comstock, Debbie Haine Vijayvergiya, Nathan Blue
2:45-3:15 pm	The Role of a State Health Department in Addressing Stillbirth Laurie Baksh, Danielle Uribe, Susannah Leisher
3:15-3:30 pm	BREAK (light snacks, coffee/tea)
3:30-4:15 pm	Fetal Movement Monitoring & Stillbirth Equity Alex Heazell, Emily Price, Bob Silver, Adrienne Gordon
4:15-4:45 pm	Stillbirth Equity Research Updates Tsegaselassie Workalemahu, Naomi Riches, Sarah Lopez
4:45-5:15 pm	Closing: Introducing a US Stillbirth Equity Scorecard Bob Silver, Susannah Leisher, Sunayna Wahi
5:45-6:30 pm	Remembrance/Appreciation Ceremony Located at the courtyard just outside the West entrance of Alumni Hall & Atrium, Health Sciences Education Building (HSEB)

Symposium Speakers

Guadaloupe Aguilera

As a social demographer, Guadalupe Aguilera’s research interests span interrelated aspects of family formation at the nexus of migration and fertility. During her postdoctoral training at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she holds an Honorary Research Associate position, her research has focused on stillbirth and family wellbeing after loss. A combination of scholarly interests, past research experience, and personal experiences with family members' late-term pregnancy losses drives her research goals. Guadalupe draws on her foundation in social demography to examine important variation in stillbirth experiences among US subpopulations. She uses quantitative approaches to better understand mixed evidence in the US on nativity-based differences in stillbirth risk, and qualitative approaches to understand the types of support received among diverse US subpopulations after experiencing stillbirth. With deep love and through every aspect of her work, she hopes to honor her loved ones.

Valerie Ah Chee

Ms Ah Chee is an Indigenous Research Midwife at the Centre of Research Excellence in Stillbirth, Brisbane, Australia. She graduated as a Registered Midwife in 2015 and has worked clinically in Perth at the Armadale Health Service, in Midland at St John of God Public Hospital and in Adelaide at the Women’s and Children’s Hospital. Her dive into research started as an Indigenous Project Officer at Ngangk Yira Institute for Change on Baby Coming You Ready? Project: a comprehensive and culturally safe way to assess the social and emotional health and wellbeing of Aboriginal women in the perinatal period, with a focus on strength and resilience. As an Aboriginal woman, mother to 6 boys and grandmother to 6 grandchildren and midwife, Valerie's own experiences birthing in the system generated her interest to improve outcomes in Aboriginal maternal and infant health, more specifically, embedding cultural safety in the pregnancy and birth space and improving the health of Aboriginal women from a strength-based, cultural perspective. Valerie is now working on the cultural adaptation of the Safer Baby Bundle and developing a Healthy Yarning Guide for non-Indigenous health care professionals to talk about stillbirth and stillbirth prevention.

Laurie Baksh

Laurie Baksh is the Director of the Office of Maternal and Child Health, Division of Family Health, Utah Department of Health and Human Services. Laurie has also served as the Maternal and Infant Health Program Manager and as the epidemiologist for the Utah Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS). Laurie was part of the team that developed and implemented the Utah Study of the Associated Risks of Stillbirth (SOARS) in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Ms. Baksh received a Bachelor’s degree in behavioral science and health and a Master of Public Health degree from the University of Utah.

Ernest Harry Begay

Ernest Harry Begay is a Traditional Counselor who resides at Rock Point, Arizona. He has been doing ceremonies constantly for 50 years. He has worked as a Traditional Practitioner for 10 years for the Navajo Department of Behavioral Health Services. He worked for 6 years as a Traditional Healer/Counselor for the Indian Health Services (Four Corners Regional Health Center – Red Mesa, Arizona). Presently, he is a Traditional Counselor for the Utah Navajo Health System. He has been using the Indigenous Navajo Modality which consists of Self Awareness, Self Respect, Self Help and Self Care. He uses the Navajo Oral Traditions of the Black, Blue, Yellow and White Worlds to heal. He helps people with substance abuse, mental challenges, behavioral disorders, domestic violence and the variety of sicknesses that clinical institutions deal with through allopathic medicine. He uses storytelling, ceremonies and sweat lodge as mechanisms to help people. He is also a traditional educator and presenter on a variety of topics; Parenting, indigenous education, indigenous governance, history, etc.

Nathan Blue

Nathan Blue, MD, MS, is a physician scientist whose work focuses on the prevention of stillbirth, with a focus on fetal growth restriction, cord accidents, and the development of AI-based risk estimation tools. He has an active clinical practice at the University of Utah, which includes work in the University's recently launched Utah Pregnancy After Loss clinic. Dr. Blue earned his medical degree from Loma Linda University School of Medicine in California. He completed his Obstetrics & Gynecology residency at Los Angeles General Medical Center, where he developed a passion for research and a commitment to serving underserved patients. Following this, he pursued a fellowship at the University of New Mexico and served as a Women's Reproductive Health Research (WRHR) K12 scholar at University of Utah Health from 2018 to 2022. His ongoing NIH-funded research aims to use AI to create personalized prenatal risk assessment tools, helping families and health care providers make informed decisions in uncertain situations. Dr. Blue has also researched topics that include preeclampsia, preterm birth, research integrity and reproducibility in obstetrics and gynecology.

Kate Cohen

Dr. Cohen is clinical director at Ft. Defiance Indian Hospital on the Navajo Nation in Arizona. Her mentorship philosophy stems from her training experiences, which include several global health projects including work in South Africa and American Samoa. Working at Fort Defiance Indian Hospital as a specialist OBGYN since September 2019, Dr. Cohen loves the collaborative environment with midwives, intensive GYN experience and ability to practice full-scope OB/GYN in a rural setting. Her mentoring philosophy emphasizes hands-on experience with support through open communication and teamwork.

Jess Comstock

Dr. Comstock is a pediatric pathologist in the Division of Pediatric Pathology, Department of Pathology, University of Utah Health, with a subspecialty interest in perinatal and placental pathology.

Jane Dahlstrom

Jane is a Perinatal Pathologist at ACT Pathology for Canberra Health Services and Emeritus Professor at the Australian National University. She has a strong interest in stillbirth investigation including identifying gaps in care and reducing the burden of stillbirth by assisting with addressing inequities. She has been involved in the development of evidence-based, collaboratively designed educational resources for health professionals and parents including being a member of the expert working group for the recently published Care around stillbirth practice guidelines (CASaND) as part of the stillbirthcre.org.au. Over her career, Jane has held leadership positions in the Hospital and University sectors, and several professional organizations, including as past president of the International Pediatric Pathology Association (IPPA). She received an Order of Australia Medal (2019) for services to Medical Education and to Pathology. She is a recipient of the Distinguished Pathologist Medals from the International Academy of Pathology (2022) and the Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia (2023).

Jan Jaap Erwich

Professor Erwich is head of obstetrics at the University Medical Center Groningen, the Netherlands, and an expert obstetrician with a focus on prevention of perinatal mortality and parent care. He was the first director of a program for nationwide implementation of perinatal audits in all obstetric units in the Netherlands, is a member of several national committees for improvement of obstetric care and was, as past chair of the International Stillbirth Alliance, the co-organizer of the biannual ISA-ISPID conference in Amsterdam in 2014. His PhD research was on placental arachidonic acid metabolism, and he conducted a postdoctoral project on embryonic and fetal growth in Adelaide, Australia. Since 2000, he has participated in large projects on stillbirth, diagnostic work-up, placental pathology and methodological development of perinatal audit and quality of obstetric care. He is still active in clinical obstetric care and chaired the hospital’s serious adverse events committee. He is very fortunate to be the father of two healthy boys, which continuously motivates him to take care of parents who have lost a child.

Samuel R. G. Finlayson

Dr. Finlayson attended Harvard University, where he received a BA in Chinese Civilization, an MPH in International Health, and an MD degree, followed by training in general surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital. He completed a fellowship in health services research at Dartmouth and pursued an academic career in health services research, served as Vice Chair for Academic Affairs in the Department of Surgery, and as Director of the Surgical Residency Program. He then served as the Kessler Director of the Center for Surgery and Public Health, a joint health services research initiative of the Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, and the Harvard School of Public Health. He joined University of Utah faculty in 2013 as the Claudius Y. and Catherine B. Gates Presidential Endowed Chair in Surgery, and was appointed in December 2020 as the Associate Vice President for Clinical Affairs and Chief Clinical Officer. He is now interim Dean of Spencer Fox Eccles School of Medicine and CEO of the University of Utah Medical Group.

Vicki Flenady

Professor Flenady is co-director of the NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence in Stillbirth at Mater Research, University of Queensland, Australia, and is a nationally and internationally recognized perinatal epidemiologist. She is well-known for her expertise in Cochrane systematic reviews, clinical trials and the development and implementation of high-quality clinical practice guidelines. With a background in midwifery and neonatal nursing, clinical epidemiology and biostatistics, her research is now devoted to stillbirth prevention through improving identification and care for women with risk factors and improving data quality to drive change. Prof Flenady also has a major interest in improving care for parents whose child is stillborn, including in a subsequent pregnancy. She is a past chair of the International Stillbirth Alliance, and was awarded the Order of Australia Medal for her research into stillbirth in 2024.

Stacey Fletcher

Stacey Fletcher is a parent voice representative at the University of Utah. As a clinical trainer for the Utah Pregnancy After Loss Program, Stacey ensures that parent experience plays a key role in developing excellent physical and mental health care. She also is the director of the University of Utah’s Peer Support Program which is under development, president of St. George Share, a volunteer with the International Stillbirth Alliance, and a dedicated stillbirth awareness advocate. On December 12, 2006, Stacey’s son Benjamin was stillborn—with no cause ever found. She has since dedicated her life to helping others who have experienced the same devastating fate. As a peer support specialist and bereavement photographer for 12 years, she has spent many tender hours with families whose lives are forever touched by the untimely death of their baby. Stacey is a storyteller. She has worked professionally as a writer, editor, educator, and publisher, and she is passionate about giving voice to those who may not always be heard. Stacey and her husband Bryan are the busy parents of five living children. Together their family advocates against the racism and disparities often found in underserved and marginalized communities.

Adrienne Gordon

Prof Gordon is a Senior Staff Specialist Neonatologist in the RPA Centre for Newborn Care, Clinical Professor at the University of Sydney and Chief Investigator of the Centre of Research Excellence in Stillbirth. She is President-Elect of the Perinatal Society of Australia and New Zealand, Co-Chair of the IMPACT Network (Improving Maternal and Perinatal Outcomes – Action through Clinical Trials) and a Board Member of the International Stillbirth Alliance. She has strong links with national parent-led organisations and is Deputy Chair of the National RedNose scientific advisory group. Dr Gordon is a key member of the Safer Baby Bundle initiative and leads the MRFF-funded PreBabe Trial which aims to improve pregnancy and newborn outcomes for women with overweight or obesity. She founded the award-winning Sydney local health district iSAIL (integrated support after infant loss) service.

Alexander Heazell

Dr Alexander Heazell is Professor of Obstetrics and Director of the Tommy’s Stillbirth Research Centre, University of Manchester, UK and the Regional Lead Obstetrician for the North-West of England. He graduated from the University of Birmingham in 2000 and began his clinical training in the West Midlands before completing his PhD in Manchester in 2008. His research portfolio includes basic science, clinical and qualitative research studies to gain a better understanding of causes and consequences of placental dysfunction, to prevent stillbirth and improve care for parents after stillbirth or perinatal death. Dr Heazell has received over £4M of grant income and has published over 280 research papers and received national and international awards for his work on stillbirth and placental dysfunction, and for improving care. He led the recent Stillbirth Priority Setting Partnership and was one of the team for the 2016 Lancet Ending Preventable Stillbirth Series. He is a past chair of the International Stillbirth Alliance. Dr Heazell is the national lead for Rainbow Clinic, a specialist clinical service for parents in pregnancy after loss. He passionately believes that a better understanding of placental disease will improve outcomes for mothers and babies.

Ashley Hone

Ashley is a passionate advocate for those navigating grief. As a devoted parent of four, three living, she turned a personal tragedy—the loss of a child, Kingston Ryan Hone—into a mission to support others experiencing similar pain. Currently, she works at four local hospitals providing bereavement support, helping families find hope and healing after loss. Through her work, Ashley fosters resilience and connection within the community, dedicated to guiding others on their journey toward healing.

Rana Jawish

Dr Jawish is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry, Huntsman Mental Health Institute, and an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Division of Epidemiology, Department of Medicine, University of Utah Spencer Fox Eccles School of Medicine. Her clinical interest is in improving women’s mental health and expanding access to mental health care for pregnant women with substance use and mood disorder. Her research advances innovative neuromodulation modalities including Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) for the treatment of perinatal substance use and mood disorder with a specific focus on developing a breakthrough treatment to address the ongoing epidemic of methamphetamine use disorder and to reduce related morbidity and mortality in pregnant women. She is also interested in identifying existing barriers and factors that are facing this underserved, vulnerable, understudied patient population. Dr. Jawish is board-certified in Psychiatry and board-eligible in Addiction Psychiatry with the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology.

Jamuna Jones

Jamuna Jones, LCSW is a Well-Being Specialist and therapist in the Resiliency Center with University of Utah Health where she provides mental health treatment and wellness support to faculty and staff. Her clinical interests include trauma Informed care, mindfulness, health care worker burnout, and cultural humility in practice. She is also certified in Nutritional Psychology and Perinatal Mood Disorders.

Susannah Leisher

Susannah (Zan) Hopkins Leisher is a stillbirth epidemiologist and parent to Wilder Daniel, stillborn at 38½ weeks on July 13, 1999, with no cause found. Her stillbirth research interests include structural racism and epigenetic mechanisms of effect. Dr Leisher is working to launch the first Stillbirth Center of Excellence in the United States. She is an honorary research fellow of the Stillbirth Centre for Research Excellence at the University of Queensland, Australia; ex-officio chair of the International Stillbirth Alliance; co-chair of the Stillbirth Advocacy Working Group; and a member of the Steering Committee of AlignMNH, the MFMU Network’s Community Engagement Board, and the WHO/UNICEF’s Every Woman Every Newborn Everywhere Management Team. Prior to becoming an epidemiologist, Dr Leisher was a Peace Corps volunteer in Nepal and then spent over 20 years working on global poverty and social justice in Asia, Africa and Central America, including ten years in Vietnam.

Sarah Lopez

Sarah is an experienced Senior Clinical Research Coordinator in the Stillbirth Research Program, Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology at the University of Utah Health with a history of working in the hospital and healthcare industry, supervisory leadership, novel implementation of new procedures, large-scale project management, and data analytics to improve operations and outcomes in healthcare. Immense interest in equity and health disparities has been a career-long interest, but was heightened during her Masters in Healthcare Administration and Public Health. Working in Pregnancy Loss and Stillbirth research for six years has increased her passion to help bridge gaps in healthcare and increase quality access for all individuals.

Celeste and Keisha smiling and holding hands

Celeste and Keisha Namba

Celeste and Keisha have been together much longer but have only been able to be legally married for nearly ten years. In that time, they’ve faced significant challenges, including the loss of of their son, Koji, who was born four months premature and passed away at eight days old. Celeste works in finance/technology focused on providing services to low-income Americans, while Keisha is a stay-at-home mom, dedicated to raising their newly adopted son. They enjoy volunteering with various LGBTQ+ organizations in Utah.

Jessica Page

Dr. Page completed medical school at Oregon Health and Science University after earning her degree in Biochemistry and Biophysics from Oregon State University. She performed her OB/GYN residency training and Maternal-Fetal Medicine fellowship at the University of Utah. Dr. Page is board certified in OB/GYN and Maternal-Fetal Medicine and is a Fellow of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology. She is an Assistant Professor at Intermountain Healthcare and the University of Utah and a member of its Stillbirth Research Program; her research interests include stillbirth and placental insufficiency. She also serves as the Medical Director for Women and Newborn Research at Intermountain Health. Dr. Page feels privileged to work with women and their families through complex pregnancies and deliveries.

Emily Price

Ms Price is Chief Executive Officer of Healthy Birth Day, Inc., the nonprofit organization that created Count the Kicks. She oversees the national expansion of CTK, which educates and empowers expectant parents to track their babies’ movements in the third trimester of pregnancy. Accomplishments include: Count the Kicks research published in BJOG in 2023; featured on Good Morning America, ProPublica, Sunday Night Football on NBC, The Washington Post, USA Today, Inside Edition, and dozens more media outlets; the Association of Maternal & Child Health Programs (AMCHP) named Count the Kicks a Best Practice in 2021; primary stakeholder organization of the Maternal and Child Health Stillbirth Prevention Act which was signed into law in July 2024; expansion of Count the Kicks into 31 states with additional states launching in 2025.

Naomi Riches

Naomi O. Riches is a Research Assistant Professor in the University of Utah Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and a member of its Stillbirth Research Program and placenta insufficiency working group. Her research is centered around identifying and addressing the needs of stillbirth parents concerning their postmortem decision. Outside of her qualitative research interests on shared decision-making, Dr. Riches has experience in informatics, exposure science, and social determinants of health research. She received her Doctorate in Occupational and Environmental Health and completed a Postdoctoral fellowship in Biomedical Informatics. Dr. Riches is an active member of the Center of Excellence in Exposure Health Informatics (CEEHI) and the NIH National Covid Cohort Collaborative (N3C) Social Determinants of Health working group. Additionally, she is examining the impact of air pollution, climate change, and social determinants of health on adverse pregnancy outcomes, such as stillbirth.

Drucilla Roberts

Dr Roberts is Head of Obstetric and Perinatal Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Research Institute, and a professor in the Department of Pathology, Harvard Medical School. Her area of expertise and interest is in perinatal pathology - surgical and autopsy pathology. She has a special interest in understanding the biology and clinical significance of pathologic findings. She works on perinatal projects focusing on the placenta both in the US and internationally, including placental malaria, stillbirths, and autopsy pathology in resource-poor settings. She directed the first-ever Harvard Medical School CME course in Sub-Saharan Africa titled "The contribution of anatomic pathology to the health of women and children" with faculty from the USA, South Africa, and Ethiopia in 2011 and in Nigeria in 2013. Dr. Roberts is interested in highlighting the improvements pathologists can make for all patients. Her aim is to raise awareness of issues that can lead to improvements in pathology especially in sub-Saharan Africa.

Christy Schunn

Christy S. Schunn, LSCSW, is executive director of the Kansas Infant Death and SIDS Network, Inc. She has a Bachelor of Science in Social Work from Bethel College and a Master of Social Welfare from the University of Kansas. Ms. Schunn is licensed as a Clinical Social Worker in the State of Kansas and a member of the International Society for the Study and Prevention of Perinatal and Infant Death (ISPID), and the International Stillbirth Alliance (ISA). She is a board member of the Center for Research on Infant Birth Survival (CRIBS), Emberhope Youthville, past board member of Postpartum Support International Kansas Chapter and is an adjunct social work instructor at Bethel College. She currently provides counseling to those affected by perinatal and infant loss, co-leads the Stillbirth Advocacy Working Group-USA’s (SAWG-USA’s) Mutual Support Workstream and conducts research and development on the KIDS Network Safe Sleep Instructor Certification Program which uses a multi-pronged approach to embed safe sleep with a culturally tailored curriculum for priority populations across the United States.

Bob Silver

Robert M. Silver, MD is Chair of the Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, University of Utah Health and a Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology. He joined the University of Utah Maternal-Fetal Medicine Division after completing his fellowship there in 1994. He is serving as the Chief of the Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine and as Co-Director of Labor and Delivery at the UUHSC. Dr. Silver’s clinical and research interests include recurrent pregnancy loss and stillbirth, cesarean delivery, placenta accreta, vaginal birth after cesarean delivery, immunologic diseases in pregnancy, and medical disorders in pregnancy.

Marcela Smid

Marcela Smid MD, MA, MS is an Associate Professor and board certified Maternal Fetal Medicine, Complex Family Planning and Addiction Medicine physician at the University of Utah. She is the Director of Perinatal Addiction Services and the medical director of the Substance Use & Pregnancy – Recovery, Addiction, Dependence (SUPeRAD) specialty prenatal clinic, a multi-disciplinary clinic for pregnant and postpartum individuals with substance use disorder. She also serves as the medical director of University of Utah’s OBAirMed and the Chair of the Utah Maternal Mortality Committee. Her research focus is on perinatal addiction, interventions for pregnant and postpartum women with substance use disorders, maternal mortality and maternal mental health.

Danielle Uribe

Danielle Uribe is the Data Manager for the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) and Study of the Associated Risks of Stillbirth (SOARS) surveys at the Utah Department of Health and Human Services. Previously, she was a Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists (CSTE) fellow, focusing on infant mortality surveillance and out of hospital birth safety. She received a Bachelor's degree in community health education from Central Michigan University and a Master of Public Health degree in epidemiology from Grand Valley State University.

Jake Van Epps

Jake Van Epps, PhD is the Associate Director of the Resiliency Center at University of Utah Health. Jake supports the mental health and work well-being of Health Sciences faculty and staff as well as Hospital and Clinics staff. Jake is also the Director of Peer Support Programs which aims to build institutional, leadership, and staff skills on how to respond to adverse events in medical care and develop a supportive culture of well-being. In addition, Jake is Adjunct Associate Professor in the Counseling Psychology doctoral program at the University of Utah.

Debbie Haine Vijayvergiya

Debbie Haine Vijayvergiya’s daughter, Autumn Joy, was born still in July 2011. Desperate to give Autumn’s short life great purpose, Debbie has since become a powerful advocate at the state and national levels, working tirelessly to put stillbirth on the map in this country. Over the years she has developed and championed multiple pieces of legislation that focused on improving stillbirth data collection, awareness, education, and bereavement care for families. Most recently she has been working with Members of Congress and their staff to advance federal stillbirth legislation, the bicameral and bipartisan Stillbirth Health Improvement and Education (SHINE) for Autumn Act, H.R. 5012/S.2647 which would authorize funding for improved research, data collection, education, reporting, and awareness—all of which will help put the U.S. on the path to ending our country’s stillbirth crisis. Debbie resides in New Jersey with her husband and two children.

Sunayna Wahi

Sunayna Wahi MS, MBA, OLY is a Research Manager in the Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology at the University of Utah Health and works in partnership to support the equity core of the Utah Stillbirth Center of Excellence. She is also the manager of the Culture, Resilience, and Community Health Partnership departmental committee. Her interests lie in representing health disparities through the use of geospatial tools, working towards culturally competent and community-supported decision-making processes that actively involve members of the community, and through an approach that centers on implementing solution-driven methods, identifying the barriers faced by people of color in women's and maternal health which significantly contribute to healthcare inequities.

Heleine Wolfgramm

Heleine Wolfgramm is a member of the Utah Pacific Islander Health Coalition and the proud mother of five children. Her son, Makelani Pahoran Wolfgramm, was stillborn in November 2013, almost eleven years ago. She resides in northern Utah and would like more Pasifika voices to be heard when it comes to receiving proper health care.

Tsegaselassie Workalemahu

Dr. Workalemahu is a genetic epidemiology researcher in the Stillbirth Research Program, Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, University of Utah Health, investigating causes of unexplained obstetric complications. He investigates the genetic factors related to pregnancy loss, stillbirth and other obstetric complications that are often linked with adverse health outcomes over the lifespan. One of Dr. Workalemahu's studies is aimed at determining specific genetic mutations that cause pregnancy loss by conducting whole genome sequencing analysis of DNA from families. His other research interests include investigating placental epigenetic factors and genetics of complex chronic conditions such as cardiovascular diseases and diabetes.

IMPROVE Trainers

Emeritus Professor Jane Dahlstrom

Professor Vicki Flenady

Dr. Adrienne Gordon

Professor Alexander Heazell

Associate Professor Chris Lehner

Professor Chris Lehner works as a Maternal Fetal Medicine Subspecialist Obstetrician at the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital in Australia. He is a member of the Executive Board of the Australian Preterm Birth Prevention Alliance (APTBPA, www.pretermalliance.com.au) and Queensland Clinical Lead of the National Preterm Birth Prevention Program. Chris co-chairs the joint Timing of Birth Working Group between APTBPA and the Centre of Research Excellence in Stillbirth. In these concurrent roles, he has been involved in the co-design of an evidence-based tool kit to optimise timing of birth at term, while assisting in the development of the Safer Baby Bundle educational resources. Chris currently leads several collaborative quality improvement and implementation projects that focus on improving rural and remote maternity care in Australia. He is a member of the National Stillbirth Evidence and Implementation Committee within the Stillbirth CRE.

Megan Weller

Ms Weller is a proud Registered Nurse and a Registered Midwife. She is passionate about providing holistic, women-centered care to women, babies and families. She has a clinical background in continuity of care. Ms Weller is the Education Manager at the Centre of Research Excellence in Stillbirth, which includes the coordination of women’s and clinician-facing resources and education as part of the Safer Baby Bundle implementation, and she has been involved in multiple activities in the Centre of Research Excellence in Stillbirth including coordinating the large, multi-centre My Baby’s Movements trial. She is also the current National Coordinator for IMPROVE.

Travel, Accommodations, and Parking

Travel

The closest airport is Salt Lake City's International Airport.

Accommodations

We recommend the University Guest House and the Marriott University Park Hotel as the closest hotels. In addition, the public train (TRAX Red Line) comes directly to campus and is easily accessible from downtown Salt Lake hotels.

Local Transportation

If you are flying in, you can Uber/Lyft to your hotel; there are also taxis available at the airport.
If staying at the University of Utah Guest House and you would like to take public transportation from the airport, you can take the TRAX Green Line from just outside terminal 1, transfer to the RED Line at Courthouse Station, then get off at Fort Douglas Station. It is a 5 min walk to the Guest House from there.

Parking

Welcome Event, Fri, Oct 11: Fees will be waived for parking right outside the Museum from 5-10 pm.
All events on Sat, Oct 12 and Sun, Oct 13: Parking is in Lot 32 - Sorenson and is free on the weekends.
- All events on Mon, Oct 14: Parking in Lot 70 is free.