The Viral Hepatitis Program (VHP) focuses on prevention and enhanced surveillance of adult hepatitis B, adult hepatitis C, and perinatal hepatitis C. It collaborates closely with the Reportable Disease Section and Immunizations Branch at the Kentucky Department for Public Health (KDPH) to address hepatitis-related public health needs. VHP emphasizes harm reduction and priorities the voices of individuals with lived experience, particularly people who inject drugs (PWID). The program works to rapidly detect and respond to outbreaks of acute hepatitis B and C. It also collects and analyzes surveillance data to inform interventions and support statewide elimination planning. Ultimately, VHP seeks to improve access to testing, treatment, and prevention services in communities disproportionately impacted by drug use.
Ms. Murphy received her bachelor’s from the University of Georgia in 2017. She continued her education at New York University in the School of Global Public Health. She earned her master’s in public health with a focus in Epidemiology, in May of 2020. Shortly after graduation, she joined Kentucky’s Department for Public Health in the Division of Epidemiology and Health Planning, working as a COVID-19 Data Epidemiologist. She then moved to Kentucky’s Perinatal Quality Collaborative (KYPQC) where her work focused on quality improvement projects. She currently serves as an epidemiologist in the Viral Hepatitis Program and coordinates perinatal hepatitis C work. She is passionate about leading impactful, data driven work aimed at lowering vertical transmission rates of hepatitis C and improving health outcomes for both mothers and their infants.
Katie Gardner, RN, BSN, is a public health nurse and health educator with 18 years of experience in clinical care, including harm reduction and infectious disease care and prevention. Katie currently serves on the board of the Kentucky Youth Health Network, which works to create public awareness of health risks and promote healthy outcomes for Kentucky youth. In her current role as Program Coordinator for the Viral Hepatitis Program at the Kentucky Department for Public Health, Katie focuses on increasing hepatitis C education and care in communities most impacted by hepatitis C and the overdose epidemic.
Following completion of this course, learners should be able to:
- Understand the difference between a birth doula and a postpartum doula.
- Understand what a doula does during the antepartum period versus postpartum.
- Identify birth doula actions that progress labor.
- Reveal how doulas can support clinical and community maternal health settings.
Alexa is the Founder and Executive Director of Granny's Birth Initiative (GBI), but also a nurse, doula, and fierce advocate for perinatal health for those in her community. Alexa invests in the outcomes of others by repeatedly answering the call to create alternative solutions.
Cradle Cincinnati is a collective approach to ending infant mortality. They are a network of community members and organizations working across sectors to measurably improve Cincinnati's infant mortality rate, they bring together services and systems to help moms and, in turn, save babies' lives.
The Cradle Cincinnati Learning Collaborative (CCLC), launched in 2015, is a network of more than 200 healthcare professionals representing hospitals, community health centers, home health agencies, and social support organizations. These representatives are committed to transforming prenatal care for women and their families. At the heart of our work, we believe in providing equitable care that centers on women’s voices and experiences. Using data-sharing and an “all teach, all learn” model, the CCLC serves as an opportunity to activate change within the prenatal care space. We aim to lower infant mortality by focusing on activities and interventions related to the following focus areas: reducing extreme preterm birth, eliminating sleep-related infant death, preventing birth defects, and reducing the racial disparity in birth outcomes.
Learn more about Cradle Cincinnati
Dominique Walker is the Senior Data Management Specialist for Cradle Cincinnati. In this role, she collects, analyzes, and disseminates data to community members, and partners of Cradle Cincinnati programs and initiatives that focus on reducing infant mortality and improving maternal and infant health in Hamilton County. Dominique, a native of Cincinnati, has a BA in Health Promotion from Morehead State University and a Master of Public Health from Western Kentucky University. Dominique has worked in Public Health for about 10 years, most of which has been spent serving the Hamilton County community. Her passion is for innovative and impactful data-driven solutions for reducing health disparities and working toward more equitable health practices and systems.
Lauren Everett is the Associate Director for Cradle Cincinnati. In this role, she develops strategies, processes, and tools to ensure effective implementation of Cradle Cincinnati programs. Lauren oversees systems-change strategies such as the Cradle Cincinnati Learning Collaborative), the Policy Committee and Mama Certified, cultivating partnerships with key stakeholders across sectors to improve healthcare delivery and address the root causes of health disparities in maternal and infant health. She oversaw Cradle Cincinnati’s 5-year strategic planning process and continues to lead its implementation within the organization and across the collective impact coalition. Lauren has worked in public health for 10+ years working in nonprofit, local and federal government. Lauren received a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from Spelman College and a Master of Public Health from Emory University.
This Lunch & Learn will provide the opportunity to learn more about The Bridge Project in Appalachia, a groundbreaking initiative providing unconditional cash support to low-income pregnant individuals and new mothers across Ohio, Kentucky, and West Virginia.
Launched in January 2025, the program offers financial assistance over three years to help families during the critical early stages of a child’s life. This webinar will also feature a conversation on strategies to reach and support more moms throughout Appalachia, ensuring the program has the greatest possible impact. Don’t miss this opportunity to explore the program’s impact and how you can get involved!
For more information on The Bridge Project, scan the QR code or visit The Bridge Project Website.
Following the completion of this course, learners should be able to:
- Understand the mechanism by which fentanyl is such a high-risk substance in pregnancy, the concerning use trends, and the available treatment options for decreasing maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality.
- All participants will be able to answer >80% of the post-presentation assessment questions on fentanyl.
- Webinar attendees will have knowledge on an arsenal of treatment options, some of which are new and exciting, to help mitigate the effects of fentanyl use and overdose.
- Participants will understand the management of patients with history of fentanyl use in the intrapartum and postpartum period and how to apply simple, yet effective pain-management strategies.
- Attendees will be able to promptly implement strategies in their patient care to help minimize the development of neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome (NOWS) and a potential novel syndrome related to fentanyl use during pregnancy.
- Participants will be equipped with the tools for properly addressing patients with fentanyl (and other substances) use in a way that minimizes stigma and provides patients with the comfort they need to seek care.
- Attendees will understand the importance of providing equitable care in a time where fentanyl use is on a dangerous rise by being familiar with the barriers to access to medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD).
Dr. Ljuba Mirsky, MD is a Maternal-Fetal-Medicine Fellow at the University of Kentucky (UK). She attended UK for her undergraduate studies and medical school, then completed her Obstetrics and Gynecology residency at the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville, TN. She has always been interested in substance use in pregnancy and completed research on Neonatal Opioid Withdrawal Syndrome (NOWS) in medical school and on a novel neonatal syndrome related to fentanyl exposure in fellowship. She currently works at the Pathways clinic when on rotation and is passionate about providing equitable care to this underserved population.
Following the completion of this course, learners should be able to:
- By the end of the presentation, maternal healthcare providers will be able to articulate the role of doulas and identify at least three ways doulas enhance patient care and birth outcomes.
- At least 80% of participants will correctly answer three out of four post-presentation quiz questions on the benefits of doula support in hospital settings.
- Equip healthcare providers with evidence-based strategies to collaborate with doulas, ensuring complementary and effective patient-centered maternity care.
- Provide actionable insights on how doulas can reduce intervention rates, improve communication between providers and patients, and enhance maternal satisfaction with the birthing experience.
- Encourage attendees to implement at least one strategy for improved doula collaboration within their hospital or clinic within the next three to six months.
- Present case studies from diverse patient populations, emphasizing how doulas can improve birth outcomes across different cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds.
- Address systemic barriers that limit access to doula support, including insurance coverage, hospital policies, and provider-doula communication challenges, while promoting solutions for equitable maternal healthcare.
Victoria Wilson is a certified birth doula through DONA International and has supported over 100 families since 2015, and many others through classes and community involvement. Past clients speak to Victoria's compassion, expertise, and intuition as a birth doula. Victoria has participated in numerous professional development programs to continuously enhance her skills. She is also an experience entrepreneur and marketing expert. As the owner and lead doula of Mother Well Doula Service, LLC, she has maintained a successful doula practice since 2015, fostering positive relationships with clients, healthcare providers, and the wider birth community. Her expertise extends to childbirth education, as well as advocating for low-intervention births in hospitals and collaborating with clinicians for better birth outcomes. Her birth work is driven by the belief that fostering relationships is the way to positively impact individual births and the entire maternity care system. Victoria has spoken on college campuses, in professional groups, and in private settings on the topic of birth and doula work. She is supported by her husband and four daughters, and as of 2024 is in the process of earning her BSN.
Following the completion of this course, learners should be able to:
- Clearly define how the TeamBirth program improves maternal outcomes by fostering structured communication and collaboration between care teams and birthing individuals.
- Illustrate measurable improvements in clinical outcomes and patient satisfaction metrics from existing TeamBirth implementations across the program's implementations.
- Demonstrate practical steps for implementing the TeamBirth model within Kentucky's maternal care settings, aligning with current resources and goals.
- Emphasize the importance of dignity and equity in maternal care, addressing disparities in outcomes particularly for Black and Indigenous birthing individuals.
- Outline a realistic timeline for implementation in participating facilities, with defined phases for socialization, training, and evaluation within 12-18 months.
- Ensure a focus on including voices from diverse patient populations and multidisciplinary care teams in the planning and feedback processes for TeamBirth adoption.
- Highlight strategies to address systemic inequities in maternal care, ensuring equitable access to high-quality, respectful care for all birthing individuals in Kentucky.
Please reach out to kypqc@ky.gov with any questions or concerns.
Trisha Short is a Senior Clinical Implementation Specialist with the Delivery Decisions Initiative at Ariadne Labs, a research and social impact program focused on transforming childbirth care worldwide so that every person can start or grow their family with dignity. Trisha has been an obstetrical nurse for 18 years, specializing in high-risk obstetrics and quality improvement. She joined the Ariadne team in 2021 after leading the successful implementation of TeamBirth at her hospital in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Trisha currently oversees the management and implementation of the TeamBirth spread occurring nationwide, serving as the primary contact between Ariadne and hundreds of hospitals and partner organizations. She earned her BSN from the University of Oklahoma. She is currently pursuing her Masters in Nursing Leadership and Management.
Following Barbara O'Brien has been the Director of the Oklahoma Perinatal Quality Improvement Collaborative since 2006. She holds her Master of Science in Nursing from University of Oklahoma College of Nursing. She has been asked to a part of the OK MMRC, the AWHONN Maternal Morbidity and Mortality Task Force, and several other leading groups for maternal and infant safety. She was the March of Dimes 2011 Oklahoma Nurse of the Year for Women's Health.