If you are in danger, call 911. If you need to exit this website quickly, click on the ESCAPE button. This button will immediately open a browser window for weather.com and replace your current window with google.com.
Skip to agency navigation
Skip to main content

Official Website

of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

    The .gov means its official.

    Local, state, and federal government websites often end in .gov. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania government websites and email systems use "pennsylvania.gov" or "pa.gov" at the end of the address. Before sharing sensitive or personal information, make sure you're on an official state website. 

    ​​​​Pennsylvania Maternal Mortality Review Committee (PA MMRC)

    PA MMRC Mission

    The Pennsylvania Maternal Mortality Review Committee's goal is to systematically review all pregnancy-associated deaths, identify root causes of these deaths and develop strategies to reduce preventable morbidity, mortality and racial disparities related to pregnancy in Pennsylvania.

    Maternal Mortality Review Act: Membership Requirements

    In 2018, the PA MMRC was established by Act 24 to confidentially conduct a multidisciplinary review of maternal mortality in Pennsylvania. Under the act, the Department of Health has authority to appoint members to the committee.  

    The act requires that the committee consists of the following members:

    1. The secretary or a designee authorized to act on behalf of the secretary.
    2. An obstetrician.
    3. A maternal-fetal medicine specialist.
    4. A certified nurse-midwife.
    5. A registered nurse representing maternal health care.
    6. A psychiatrist.
    7. An addiction medicine specialist.
    8. A social worker or social service provider.
    9. A medical examiner or coroner responsible for recording deaths.
    10. An emergency medical services provider.
    11. A health statistician.
    12. A representative of the department's Bureau of Family Health programs.
    13. Three individuals specializing in emergency medicine, family medicine, pathology, anesthesiology, cardiology, critical care or any other relevant medical specialty.
    14. Additional personnel at the discretion of the secretary.

    Maternal Mortality Review Committee Expectations

    It is important to consider the member expectations and time commitment when deciding to apply:

    • Attend a minimum of 75% of PA MMRC meetings annually
      • Program holds monthly, half-day meetings (9:00 am- 1:15 pm on the third Wednesday of each month)
    • Thoroughly review all pregnancy- associated death case summaries that are provided by program staff prior to scheduled meetings. Approximately 10 case summaries are reviewed each meeting and can be 5-10 pages or more each. The time commitment is estimated to be 2-3 hours in advance of each meeting.
    • Act as a case reviewer for cases when assigned by program staff
      • Participate in review meeting preparation which includes detailed case review, recommendation development, and a pre-review meeting with a program abstractor. The time commitment is estimated to be an additional 1-2 hours in advance of a meeting for which the member is a case reviewer.
    • Actively participate in case review discussion by sharing experiences and expertise to help create specific and actionable recommendations
    • Read communications pertaining to MMRC and respond to requests from program staff in a timely manner
    • Submit all required documentation (confidentiality form, handbook signature, etc.)

    If you are considering applying to be part of the PA MMRC, view the Maternal Mortality Review Committee Application. The PA MMRC is accepting applications for additional committee members, including both clinical and non-clinical experts with experience and interest in serving pregnant and postpartum individuals. While all are invited to apply, the MMRC is specifically recruiting for the roles of: community member with lived experience, law enforcement personnel, individuals who specialize in psychology and/or addiction medicine and treatment of substance use disorder,  emergency medical services provider, and an individual specializing in cardiology, critical care, or other relevant medical specialty. The PA MMRC seeks to add more members who represent populations disproportionally impacted by pregnancy-related deaths, which in PA includes Black pregnant and postpartum people and those living in rural areas.​

    Current Members

    All CoChairs and Members serve at the discretion of the secretary

    • Debra Bogen, MD, FAAP, Secretary of Health, Pennsylvania Department of Health
    • The secretary or a designee authorized to act on behalf of the secretary

    • Aasta D. Mehta, MD, MPP, FACOG, Medical Officer of Women's Health, Philadelphia Department of Public Health
    • Joanne Craig, MS, Chief Impact Officer, The Foundation for Delaware County
    • Mae Reale, MA, Health Education Specialist, Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic Violence
    • Stacy Beck, MD, OB/GYN, Assistant Professor, Maternal Fetal Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital

    • Amy Whitsel, MD, FACOG, OB/GYN
    • Antoine B. Douaihy, MD, Professor of Psychiatry and Medicine, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center
    • Benjamin Park, D.O. D.ABA FASA, Staff Anesthesiologist, Indiana Regional Medical Center
    • Betty J. Braxter, PhD, CNM, TTS, RN, Associate Professor, University of Pittsburgh
    • Bridget McKinney, D.BE, Associate Director Operations, Bristol Myers Squibb
    • Daniel Weber, MD, OB/GYN Medical Director, Pennsylvania Department of Human Services
    • David F. Silver, MD, MBA, FACOG, Director, Women's Behavioral Health, UPMC Central Pennsylvania
    • Jason Baxter, MD, MSCP, FACOG, Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Enterprise Director of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Thomas Jefferson University
    • Jean FitzGibbons, CRNP, Nurse Practitioner, Allegheny Health Network
    • Jennifer Cohn, MD, Assistant Professor of Clinical Family Medicine and Community Health, University of Pennsylvania
    • Juli Pyle, CNM, OB/GYN Full Scope CNM, Evangelical Community Hospital
    • Julia Wheeling, MBA, BSN RNC-ONQ, C-EFM, Program Director of Obstetrics, Women and Children Service Line, WellSpan Health
    • Joe Suyama, MD, FACEP, Chief of Emergency Services, UPMC Magee-Women's Hospital of UPMC, Professor of Emergency Medicine, University of Pittsburgh Department of Emergency Medicine
    • Kathleen Jenkins, MPH, Public Health Nutrition Consultant, Pennsylvania Department of Health, Bureau of Women, Infants and Children
    • Kourtney Rider, Reproductive Health Services Manager, Hamilton Health Center
    • Laura McCarthy, MSW, LCSW, PCD(DONA), Psychiatric Social Worker, Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic
    • Maria Montoro Edwards, PhD, President and CEO, Maternal and Family Health Services
    • Maria Kolcharno, MSW, LSW, Director of Addiction Services, The Wright Center for Community Health
    • Mario DeMarco, MD, MPH, Associate Professor of Clinical, Family Medicine and Community Health, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
    • Mary Harrington, BSN, RNC-OB, C-ONQS, Senior Coordinator, Clinical Quality Improvement & Patient Safety, St. Luke's University Health Network
    • Melissa Patti, MSW, LCSW, Director of Maternal and Infant Health, March of Dimes-Greater Philadelphia (Eastern PA) and South Jersey
    • Montia Brock, LPC, NCC, IMH-E, CLC, CD(DONA), Mind Breast Womb, LLC
    • Nancy Niemczyk, CNM, PhD, FACNM, Assistant Professor, Nurse-Midwifery Program Director, University of Pittsburgh
    • Patricia Clemens, MSHI, BSN, RN, CPC, CHCQM, CPMA, LNC, Health Statistics Division Chief, Pennsylvania Department of Health, Bureau of Health Statistics and Registries
    • Patricia Parenti, M.Ed, Executive Director, Helping Hands Ministries, Inc. Director Farrell Family Center
    • Portia Graham, Owner, Covenant Life Doulas LLC, Chapter Chair, Star Legacy Foundation, Southeastern Pennsylvania
    • Rebecca Clark, PhD, MSN, RN, CNM, WHNP-BC, Founder and CEO, MeaSure Co., Assistant Professor, University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing
    • Roy Hoffman, MD, MPH, Medical Director, Fatality Review Program, Philadelphia Department of Public Health
    • Shanna Klucar, MSW, Public Health Program Administrator, Pennsylvania Department of Health, Bureau of Family Health
    • Sharee Livingston, DO OB/GYN, UPMC Lititz Hospital
    • Sophia Garcia-Jackson, M.S., F-ABMDI, Coroner, Chester County Coroner's Office
    • Susan Brackbill, DNP, MPH, RNC-NIC, Program Manager/Administrator, Adjunct Faculty, UPMC Central Pa,
    • Tica Nickson, SBD, CLC, Founder & Executive Director of BirthRoot Community Doula Alliance
    • Tonya S. Wright, MD FACOG, OB/GYN, Division Chief – Academic Specialists in OB/Gyn, Vice Chair-Education, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology – Penn State Health

    Pennsylvania Perinatal Quality Collaborative

    The Pennsylvania Perinatal Quality Collaborative (PA PQC) is a partner of the PA MMRC. The PA PQC provides quality improvement support to healthcare teams to improve the standard of care for pregnant and postpartum individuals and babies. In its partnership with the PA MMRC, the PA PQC serves as a disseminator of the recommendations and strategies developed by the PA MMRC. The PA PQC is administered by the Jewish Healthcare Foundation and WHAMglobal.