Dr. White practiced OB/GYN in Frankfort, Kentucky, for over twenty years. She retired from clinical medicine and joined the Kentucky Department for Public Health (KDPH) as the Director of the Division of Women’s Health in 2009. She then joined the College of Public Health at the University of Kentucky (UK) in 2011 in the Department for Health Behavior. Dr. White returned to KDPH as Deputy Commissioner of Clinical Affairs in 2011. She is Principal Investigator for multiple grants that include chronic diseases to substance use disorder and works in the state pandemic response.

Ms. Clouse received her Master’s in Public Health from the University of Kentucky in May of 2009. From 2010 to 2019, she worked as an epidemiologist in Kentucky’s Department for Public Health (KDPH), within the Division of Maternal and Child Health (MCH). In October 2019, Ms. Clouse joined the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) serving as a Local Field Placement in Kentucky. In this role, she worked to enhance the KDPH’s capacity to develop and implement goals in critical areas for Kentucky’s Opioid Use Disorder, Maternal Outcome, and Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome Initiative (OMNI) and assisted Kentucky in establishing a Perinatal Quality Collaborative. Ms. Clouse is now employed with the University of Kentucky and serves as the Program Manager of Kentucky’s Perinatal Quality Collaborative (KyPQC). Ms. Clouse recently received her Certification in Public Health (CPH).

Ms. Farley serves as the Epidemiologist for the KyPQC through the Kentucky Department of Public Health. Ms. Farley received her Master’s of Public Health from the University of Kentucky in May of 2023. Ms. Farley also has BS in Health and Human Performance from the University of Louisville. She has experience in clinical research, interdisciplinary collaboration, and community outreach.

Mrs. Vargas is the Health Equity Coordinator for the Kentucky Perinatal Quality Collaborative (KyPQC) at the Kentucky Department of Public Health.  She is bilingual in Spanish and is able to use that skill to further the mission of the KyPQC in underserved perinatal populations.  She earned her Bachelor of Public Health (BPH) from the University of Kentucky in 2016 and is now completing her Master of Public Health (MPH) at George Washington University. Following her BPH, she worked in international development across Central America, focusing primarily on public health and water initiatives in Honduras. Upon returning to the U.S., Mrs. Vargas joined the organization CASA and later served with the Pike County Health Department, furthering her commitment to community health and equity.

Anna is the Program Coordinator for the HRSA funded Kentucky Perinatal Psychiatry Access Program.  This program will create a provider consult line for primary care, obstetric providers and others across the state to consult with a perinatal mental health professional - including but not limited to a psychiatrist, psychologist or resource and referral specialist.  This program is set to launch in 2025.  Anna has 15 years of experience in nursing in perinatal women's care, both inpatient and outpatient settings and is an Internationally Board Certified Lactation Consultant.  Her areas of interest include perinatal mental health, substance use disorder in perinatal women and foster and adoptive experiences of perinatal women.

Kimberly Scarborough started as a Registered Respiratory Therapist, with focused care of heart and lung transplant recipients, she was always drawn to those who were the most at risk and fragile. Perhaps that is one reason her career shifted to caring for the tiniest patients of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit 20 years ago.  The intriguing, challenging environment of the NICU prompted Kim to return to college to become a Registered Nurse, Certified in Maternal Newborn Nursing so that she could expand her scope of practice.   After serving as a NICU, Newborn Admissions and Postpartum Nurse, Kim now serves as the Obstetrical Educator at Hardin Memorial Hospital.  This role not only puts her on the front lines with the bedside nurse, but also a global appreciation for the healthcare system’s Shared Governance model for promoting and implementing evidence based practice where she’s actively involved as the Co-Chair for the Project Resource and Development Council. Outside of her role as an Obstetrics Educator, Kim remains active in maternal-child organizations such as March of Dimes, AWHONN, Maternal Child Health Organization, KyPQC Steering Committee and serves as President of the Kentucky Perinatal Association.

Leann Baker is a practicing neonatal nurse practitioner. Prior to that, she worked as a labor and delivery nurse, NICU nurse, and a nurse educator. In 2018, Mrs. Baker completed her Doctor of Nursing Practice degree at UofL with a focus on Improving Inter-professional Collaborative Practice and Communication in the Perinatal Healthcare Environment. Mrs. Baker serves as an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at UofL, the coordinator for the UofL Neonatal Nurse Practitioner track for the School of Nursing, and provides teaching along with her clinical practice under the School of Medicine in association with Norton Children’s’ Medical Group – Neonatal Medicine. She is a member of numerous regional and national organizations associated with nursing and medicine. She has presented several posters at national conferences; and is the co-author of a chapter in the recently published: “Handbook of Perinatal and Neonatal Palliative Care: A Guide for Nurse, Physicians, and Other Health Professionals (2019).”

Dr. John R. Barton completed medical school and residency in Obstetrics & Gynecology (OB/GYN) at the University of Kentucky (UK) Medical Center.  He completed a Maternal-Fetal Medicine (MFM) fellowship at the University of Tennessee-Memphis under the direction of Dr. Baha Sibai in 1991. He served as the Director of Maternal-Fetal Medicine at Baptist Health Lexington in Lexington, Kentucky.  He served as voluntary faculty at UK and was active in the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine and the Foundation for SMFM.  Dr. Barton served as a member of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), Hypertension in Pregnancy Task Force and contributed to the National Partnership for Maternal Safety Consensus Bundle on Obstetric Hypertension.  He published over 250 articles and abstracts largely in his field of interest of hypertension in pregnancy and maternal medical complications of pregnancy.  His contributions to the field of Maternal Fetal Medicine and the patients he served were one of his greatest legacies.  Dr. Barton passed away in July 2023. 

Famed Lexington OB-GYN John Barton dies at 66 | Lexington Herald Leader (kentucky.com)

Dr. John O’Brien specializes in Obstetrics and Gynecology Maternal-Fetal Medicine at the University of Kentucky, where he serves as Medical Director for Labor and Delivery and Professor of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Dr. O’Brien graduated from Kalamazoo College in Michigan with a B.A. in Biology and from Wayne State University in Detroit with an M.D. in 1988. He completed his residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology in 1992 and a Fellowship in Maternal Fetal Medicine in 1994 at the University of Tennessee.

Charles Dixon is a Senior Compliance Professional with Humana. He received his MA from Campbellsville University, a MS from Indiana Wesleyan University, and a BA from Jackson State University. Mr. Dixon is certified in Six Sigma Lean.

Dr. Mina H. Hanna is a neonatologist in Lexington, Kentucky and is affiliated with University of Kentucky Albert B. Chandler Hospital. He received his medical degree from University of Alexandria Faculty of Medicine and has been in practice between 11-20 years.

Pauline Hayes is a registered nurse with 46 years hospital experience, 43 of which were spent as a NICU nurse and the last 11 years as unit manager. During her hospital experience, Ms. Hayes took part in research, quality improvement projects, and staff education. She served as a member of the multidisciplinary task force that developed the first treatment protocol for NAS in 2009. Ms. Hayes serves as a hospital-based NRP instructor and STABLE instructor. She is certified in Neonatal Intensive Care Nursing and she finished her MPH in December of 2018. Currently, Ms. Hayes is the Perinatal Nurse Consultant/Inspector for the Division of Maternal and Child Health within Kentucky’s Department for Public Health. Besides being a member of the Neonatal workgroup for the KyPQC,  Ms. Hayes is also on the board of the Kentucky Perinatal Association.

Damara L Jenkins is an advanced practice registered nurse and certified nurse midwife with the OB/GYN & Women’s Health at the University of Louisville Physicians Outpatient Center. She is a board member of the Friends of Louisville Birthing Center. Mrs. Jenkins received her MSN from Frontier Nursing University in 2009.

Melanie Moch is the Vice President of Data and Health Information Services with the Kentucky Hospital Association (KHA). She has 20 years of experience in various areas of the healthcare system.  Moch is a graduate of Western Kentucky University, having received her Bachelor of Science degree in Social Work. In addition to her background in social work, Ms. Moch is a professional coder, certified by the American Academy of Professional Coders. During her tenure at KHA, Moch has overseen the statewide administrative claims data program and several quality improvement programs. Some of the quality programs overseen by Moch have been, but are not limited to: the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) Safety Program for ICUs CAUTI/CLABSI project, and the States Targeting Reduction in Infections via Engagement (STRIVE) project which focused on CAUTI, CLABSI, MRSA and C. difficile.  Moch also worked on Early Elective Deliveries (EED), Maternal Hemorrhage and Pre-eclampsia for the CMS Quality Improvement project. During this time, she also worked with the Improving Patient Safety for Mom and Baby project. In addition to her data driven work, Ms. Moch is involved with the Kentucky Statewide Opioid Stewardship (KY SOS) program. This inpatient program focuses on reducing opioid over-prescribing while improving safe opioid use across the Commonwealth.

Dr. Sara Petruska is a generalist obstetrician-gynecologist at the University of Louisville, where she serves as Medical Director for Labor and Delivery and Medical Student Clerkship Director. She graduated from Boston College with a B.S. in 1994 and from the University of Florida with an M.D. in 2000. She completed residency training in 2004 and a fellowship in Medical Education in 2008 at the State University of New York Stony Brook. In 2008, she relocated to Louisville with her husband Jeff as they joined the faculty of UofL together. She believes we are at our best when we are a team with the patient at the center.

Angie Scroggins has a BSN from Mount St. Joseph University and obtained her MSN from Northern Kentucky University in 2019.  Mrs. Scroggins has practiced OB nursing for 20 years and transitioned from inpatient to outpatient in 2015. She is a member of Association of Women’s Health, Obstetrics and Neonatal Nursing (AWOHNN) and participates with many women's health community endeavors and regional councils that focus on addiction in pregnancy and parenting. Mrs. Scroggins is married with three grown children and 1 granddaughter. She has a passion for helping women be successful in what is most important to them, whether it is professional development of her staff or the health and well-being of her patients.

Dr. Judith Ann Theriot is the Medical Director for the Kentucky Department for Medicaid Services and has served in that capacity since May 2019. Prior to that, she was the Commission for Children with Special Health Care Needs’ Medical Director from July 2013 through May 2019. Dr. Theriot attended medical school at the University of Louisville (UofL) then went on to complete her Pediatric residency and a chief resident year before joining the faculty at UofL. Dr. Theriot served as the director of the General Pediatrics Clinical Research Unit (for two years) and prior to that as the medical director of the Children and Youth Project; a multidisciplinary primary care clinic serving the inner-city high-risk children of Louisville, Kentucky (for 9 years). Dr. Theriot is a certified physician executive and is a professor of Pediatrics at UofL.

Nikki Boyd is the Director of Maternal and Infant Health Initiatives for March of Dimes Kentucky market. The aim is to mobilize community partners with initiatives that focus on reducing pre-term births and maternal morbidity/mortality and to advocate for the health of families and babies state-wide. Nikki has over twenty years of experience in project planning, including organizing, developing, training, implementing and evaluating strategies to promote health and wellness; improve health outcomes and address social determinants of health, with fourteen of those years specifically aimed at promoting the health and wellness of families and children. Nikki holds a BS from the University of Louisville and studied Public Health with a focus on Health Behavior at the University of Kentucky College of Public Health.

Joan Wempe is a retired Nurse Manager from Baptist Health Louisville. She has 30+ years’ experience in Maternal and Child Nursing. Mrs. Wempe serves as a member on the AWHONN and a member and treasurer for Kentucky Perinatal Association. She is a current Kentucky Legislative Representative and served as the Kentucky Section Chair in 2018-2019. Mrs. Wempe actively participates in the Kentucky Maternal Morbidly and Mortality Committee.

Bethany, APSS is a Peer Support Specialist for the University of Kentucky PATHways Program.  Throughout her career she has worked among community and behavioral health organizations focusing on prevention, intervention, and rehabilitation services.  Bethany has had the opportunity to support others through providing hospital visits, performing HIV/HCV testing and risk reduction counseling, recovery planning and education with individuals including those experiencing incarceration, outreach in various community settings, one-on0one peer support sessions, and treatment group facilitation/co-facilitation.