2026 Kentucky Symposium for Maternal and Infant Outcomes
Wednesday, July 22, 2026
1:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Keynote
Michael Warren, MD MPH FAAP
Michael Warren, MD MPH FAAP

Dr. Michael Warren is Chief Medical and Health Officer for March of Dimes. He leads the organization's programmatic, policy, research, and innovation initiatives and serves as the principle medical/public health spokesperson. The Mission of March of Dimes is to end preventable infant and maternal mortality and close the health equity gap.

Previously, Dr. Warren served as Associate Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Maternal and Child Health Bureau. Under his leadership, MCHB's budget grew by 31% TO $1.7B, with four new legislative authorities and multiple new/expanded programmatic initiatives, including a pediatric pandemic network, a national maternal mental health hotline, and a doubling of the evidence-based home visiting program with new state matching grants. MCHB's programs reached 99% of infants, 93% of pregnant women, and 62%of children nationwide. 

Before joining HRSA, Dr. Warren served as Tennessee's Deputy Commissioner for Population Health. He led improvements in infant safe sleep, breastfeeding rates, early elective deliveries, newborn screening transit times, electronic systems for WIC and vital records registration, and established the first-ever real-time public health surveillance for neonatal abstinence syndrome.

A board-certified pediatrician, he completed his residency, chief residency, academic general pediatrics fellowship, and master's in public health at Vanderbilt where he also served on the clinical faculty. He received his Doctor of Medicine from Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University and graduated with Honors in Psychology from Wake Forest University. In addition to his March of Dimes role, Dr. Warren serves as Adjunct Professor of Health Policy and Management at Emory University's Rollins School of Public Health. He previously served as President of the AMCHP Board of Directors.

Agenda Day One
Day of Agenda
Wednesday, July 22, 2026
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
Symposium Registration
Welcome
1:00 PM - 1:15 PM
Welcome & Opening Remarks
Lori Caloia, MD, MPH
Lori Caloia, MD, MPH, KDPH - Deputy Commissioner for Clinical Affairs
1:15 PM - 2:30 PM
What Families Can Count On: Medicaid Coverage Before, During, and After Pregnancy in Kentucky
Judith Ann Theriot, MD, CPE, KY DMS - Medical Director
Judith Ann Theriot, MD, CPE, KY DMS - Medical Director
2:30PM - 3:30 PM
Sustaining Rural Obstetric Services: Decision Support, Policy Considerations, and Community Impact
Angie Chisholm, DNP, CNM
Angie Chisholm, DNP, CNM
3:30 PM - 5:00PM
KyPQC Awards & KyMMM Awards
Victoria Johnson, MPH - KyPQC Awards
Victoria Johnson, MPH - KyPQC Awards
Cynthia Cockerham, RN - KyMMM Awards
Cynthia Cockerham, RN - KyMMM Awards
Closing Remarks
5:00 PM
Closing Remarks
John O'Brien, MD
John O'Brien, MD
Networking Reception
5:30 PM - 8:00 PM
Networking Reception
Agenda Day Two
Day of Agenda
Thursday, July 23, 2026
7:00 AM - 8:00 AM
Registration & Breakfast
Welcome
8:00 AM - 8:15 AM
Welcome & Opening Remarks
Steven Stack, MD, MBA Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services - Secretary
Steven Stack, MD, MBA Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services - Secretary
Keynote Address
8:15 AM - 9:00 AM
Stronger Together: From a National Movement to Community Action in Kentucky
Michael D. Warren, MD MPH FAAP
Michael D. Warren, MD MPH FAAP
9:00 AM - 10:00 AM
Bringing Maternal Care Closer to Home: Rural Health Transformation in Kentucky
Alisha C. Morgan, DNP, CNM
Alisha C. Morgan, DNP, CNM
Morning Break
10:00 AM - 10:30 AM
Morning Break & Poster Session
10:30 AM - 11:30 AM
Anchoring Community Health Workers and Doula Programs Through Rural Workforce Development
Jenkins Michelle Lawhorn, DNP, CNM, RNC-OB
Jenkins Michelle Lawhorn, DNP, CNM, RNC-OB
Working Lunch
11:30 AM - 12:30 PM
Collaborative Working Lunch / Opportunity to Visit Exhibitors
12:30 PM - 1:15 PM
Behind the Numbers: Neonatal and Infant Mortality Trends in Kentucky Featuring State MCH Data and March of Dimes Report Card Findings
Lyndsey Neese, MD MMM FACOG
Lyndsey Neese, MD MMM FACOG
Nikki Boyd, MPH
Nikki Boyd, MPH
1:15 PM - 2:00 PM
Pain Management for Patients with Substance Use Disorder
Niraj Chavan, MD MPH
Niraj Chavan, MD MPH
Afternoon Break
2:00 PM - 2:30 PM
Afternoon Break & Poster Session
2:30 PM - 3:15PM
Maternal Sepsis: Recognition, Response, and Recovery
Melissa E. Bauer, DO
Melissa E. Bauer, DO
3:15 PM - 4:00 PM
The Purple Pathway: Bridging Gaps in NICU Access and Maternal Care
Alexa Scisney, BSI, ADN, CD
Alexa Scisney, BSI, ADN, CD
4:00 PM - 4:45 PM
Every Family Matters: Supporting Unique Families Through Respectful Maternity Care
Angela Clark, DNP, RNC-OB, MSN, BSN
Angela Clark, DNP, RNC-OB, MSN, BSN
Closing Remarks
4:45 PM - 5:00 PM
Closing Remarks & Future Directions
Lyndsey Neese, MD MMM FACOG
Lyndsey Neese, MD MMM FACOG