Amniotic fluid embolism (AFE) is life-threatening, unpredictable, sudden, and complex. Miranda Klassen and Kayleigh Summers are two remarkable survivors and leading voices in AFE advocacy, education, and research. In this episode, they describe their life changing experiences, reflect on how AFE can impact nurses and other health care professionals, and share their mission driven work to heal. Immerse yourself in this episode in order to connect with the tools and resources you need to prepare for an AFE or to support survivors.

Miranda Klassen, BSc

Miranda Klassen is the Executive Director of the Amniotic Fluid Embolism Foundation, a non-profit organization she founded in 2008, after surviving an AFE during the birth of her son. Miranda is also a co-investigator for the Amniotic Fluid Embolism Registry and Biorepository and has authored several publications on AFE and support after a severe maternal event. She is a frequent lecturer and serves on multiple boards and maternal health initiatives. She lives in San Diego, CA, with her husband Bryce, a critical care nurse, and their son, Van.

Kayleigh Summers, LCSW, PMH-C

Kayleigh Summers is a licensed therapist, writer, and content expert in perinatal trauma. Drawing from her clinical expertise and lived experience as an amniotic fluid embolism survivor, Kayleigh is dedicated to supporting families navigating perinatal trauma and collaborating with healthcare institutions to implement trauma-informed care tailored to pregnant and postpartum populations. As The Birth Trauma Mama, Kayleigh has cultivated vibrant support communities through Instagram, TikTok, and her podcast, offering connection, storytelling, and valuable resources for individuals impacted by perinatal trauma. Her work bridges clinical knowledge and personal insight, fostering hope and healing for those in need.

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Delve into the groundbreaking Neonatal Advanced Life Support (NALS) program, a collaborative effort between the American Red Cross and AWHONN. Experts Jonathan Epstein and Julie Bacon discuss the critical need for innovative education in neonatal resuscitation as well as how to bridge the gap and provide this evidence-based training in maternity care deserts. Learn how NALS differs from existing programs, what it offers health care professionals, and how you can bring it to your team.

Jonathan Epstein, MEMS, NRP

Jonathan Epstein leads the Healthcare Product Management team at the American Red Cross, bringing over 30 years of expertise in EMS, healthcare education, and customer-focused innovation. A nationally registered Paramedic with a master’s degree in Emergency Medical Services, Jonathan has shaped training programs for healthcare and public safety professionals and served in leadership roles, including Executive Director of Northeast EMS, Chair of International Trauma Life Support and a Domain lead for the International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation (ILCOR). Passionate about education, he continues to teach and advance life-saving practices worldwide.

Julie Bacon, MSN-HCSM, NPD-BC, NE-BC, CPN, CPEN, C-NPT

Julie has over 25 years’ experience in emergency transport medicine, with expertise in pediatric and neonatal transport and critical care. As Program Manager and Chief Flight Nurse at Johns Hopkins All Children’s LifeLine in St. Petersburg, Florida, she manages both a high acuity national/ international transport team as well as the transfer and dispatch center. She is a subject matter expert for newborn resuscitation and pediatrics for the American Red Cross. Julie holds multiple clinical and leadership certifications, as well as serves on the Florida EMS Advisory Council.

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Jessica Irrobali, AWHONN Director of Collaborative Clinical Programs is joined by Drs. Carrie Eaton and Kendra Coles at the 2025 AWHONN Convention. They delve into the critical topic of POST-BIRTH Warning Signs sharing their experiences and research findings from a multi-site study across 17 states. Tune in and discover the challenges and triumphs of implementing the POST-BIRTH Warning Signs education in non-obstetric settings (e.g., EDs and critical access hospitals) and learn how these efforts are building interdisciplinary collaboration and empowering postpartum patients to advocate for their health.

Carrie Morgan Eaton, PhD, RNC-OB, C-EFM, CHSE, FAWHONN

Dr. Carrie Eaton is an Associate Clinical Professor at the University of Connecticut School of Nursing. She has dedicated 25 years to labor and delivery nursing at Saint Francis Hospital in Hartford, CT. Her program of research centers on maternal mental health, obstetric emergencies, and postpartum health education, including improving patient safety through initiatives like POST-BIRTH Warning Signs. Dr. Eaton is nationally recognized for her expertise in simulation, obstetrics, and nursing education. She serves as a reviewer and Editorial Advisory Board member for JOGNN.

Kendra Coles, DNP, RNC-OB, C-EFM, NEA-BC

Dr. Kendra Coles has been the Director of Women’s & Children’s Services at UM Baltimore Washington Medical Center since 2019. She spearheads strategic planning, cultivates nurse leader development, and has a proven track record of optimizing performance and outcomes for obstetric and neonatal populations, achieved through fostering collaboration and building multidisciplinary teams. She’s also an advocate for health equity and reducing disparities. Dr. Coles has led initiatives to improve severe maternal morbidity including AWHONN’s Respectful Maternity Care, I Gave Birth Bracelets, and POST- BIRTH Warning Signs. She earned leadership certificates from both the University of Maryland School of Nursing and the Nurse Leadership Institute for Advanced Leaders. She is certified from National Credentialing Center in inpatient obstetrics, fetal monitoring and advanced nurse executive leadership.

The post Insights to Action: Scaling POST-BIRTH Warning Signs appeared first on AWHONN.

Laura Scalise, MSN, RN, a nurse manager, discusses the development and impact of programs “HeartSafe Motherhood” and “Healing at Home.” These programs were designed to leverage technology to improve patient care and engagement. The dialogue with AWHONN Insights highlights the challenges and successes achieved in implementing these programs, emphasizing the importance of patient feedback and continuous improvement.

Laura Scalise, MSN, RN

Laura Scalise is the Nurse Manager of the postpartum unit the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. She’s served in a variety of leadership roles with this institution since 1996. Most recently, Laura co-authored, “Healing at Home: applying innovation principles to redesign and optimize postpartum care.” In 2020, she contributed to Magnet Exemplar, “Gender Neutral Birth Certificates.” From 2013-2024, Laura presented six abstracts at various AWHONN conferences and has consistently maintained her membership with the organization. In 2008, she won the Daisy Award and was nominated for the Dorothy Botdorf Clinical Nurse Excellence Award in both 2004 and 2008.

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In anticipation of the first AWHONN Rural Health Summit, Mandy Pugh and Teresa Horak highlight the adaptability and innovation rural health nurses need to solve unique challenges. Tune in to this inspiring conversation on resilience to overcome obstacles, creativity in personalized care, and community relationship building, sprinkled with a couple of myth busters.

Teresa Horak, MS, RN, RNC-OB, C-EFM, FAWHONN 

Teresa Horak has been an RN for 39 years, with 29 years in nursing leadership. She’s worked in every Maternal Care hospital level (I through IV), during her career and became an AWHONN member in 1995. During her tenure, Teresa has served as Iowa Section Chair for six years and has represented District IV on the Section Advisory Committee, where she’s currently the chair; she’s also the chair of the planning committee for the Rural Health Summit. In 2024, Teresa was named an AWHONN Fellow and in 2025 she was honored to receive the AWHONN award for Excellence in Leadership.

Mandy Pugh, BSN, RNC-OB, C-EFM 

Mandy Pugh is a labor & delivery nurse at UT Health Jacksonville in East Texas and a Certified Nurse Midwife student at the University of Cincinnati. She chairs AWHONN’s Rural Special Interest Group and founded iROAR—Improving Rural Obstetrics through Advocacy and Readiness, a grassroots movement connecting and empowering rural OB nurses and midwives nationwide.

Mandy is passionate about community and treasures delivering entire families across generations and seeing her patients at church, ball games, and even in Walmart. She’s committed to amplifying rural voices, strengthening collaboration, and advancing maternal health equity.

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Disparities in the NICU are a critical issue, with many families facing barriers to equitable, high-quality care and support during some of their most vulnerable moments. Jenné Johns from Once Upon a Preemie and Adriauna Davis from the Harmonie Grace Foundation are inspiring leaders who transformed their personal experiences into powerful advocacy and support for families. Listen to learn how your team can enhance patient and family-centered care in the NICU, improve health outcomes, and foster a more inclusive health care environment.

Jenné Johns, MPH

Jenné Johns is a national health equity thought leader, author and advocate for reducing health care disparities. She is President of Once Upon A Preemie, Inc., and Founder of Once Upon A Preemie Academy, the first and only virtual training academy focused on delivering health and racial equity educational programs for perinatal and neonatal healthcare professionals. While advocating for the needs of her own son, Jenné wrote, “Once Upon a Preemie”, the first of its kind children’s book written for parents of preemies while in the NICU. A graduate of the Disparities Leadership Program at Harvard University Medical School, Jenné has over a decade of experience advocating for policy, and community changes to improve health equity and health outcomes for low-income communities. She’s also led quality improvement and health equity transformation strategies with the nation’s largest health insurance companies.  

Adriauna Davis

Adriauna Davis is a compassionate advocate and Founder of The Harmonie Grace Foundation. She currently serves as the organization’s Executive Director. In this pivotal role, Adriauna orchestrates the foundation’s mission to provide unwavering support to families navigating the challenging terrain of premature births and infant loss. Her personal journey, vividly captured in the book “Perfect Harmonie: My Journey As A Preemie Mom,” serves as a testament to her resilience and commitment to making a meaningful impact. 

Her dedication is evidenced by her involvement as a speaker and panelist for several speaking engagements, membership on various boards and volunteer appointments. Adriauna’s outstanding contributions have not gone unnoticed, earning The Harmonie Grace Foundation – nonprofit of the month, recognized in Voyage Houston Magazine and The Courier Newspaper. 

Beyond her professional endeavors, Adriauna finds solace in Houston, TX where she resides. Her holistic approach to life and work reflects a deep-seated commitment to creating positive change for families facing the challenges of premature births and infant loss. Through her leadership, Adriauna continues to inspire and uplift those touched by the Harmonie Grace Foundation’s mission. 

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To continue our conversation from 2024, research professionals from the University of Alaska Anchorage share their insights on the evolving landscape of polysubstance use across the lifespan and its complex implications for health care. Tune in to learn evidence-based strategies for screening and how to provide patient-centered treatment through innovative methods. Empathy, education, and open dialogue can transform lives in your nursing practice and enhance patient care.

Faith Ozer Green, MPH

Faith Ozer Green received her undergraduate degree in medical anthropology from Trinity University. She earned her Master’s in Public Health, specializing in Health Behavior and Health Education from the University of Michigan. Since 2021, she’s worked as a research professional and project manager at the University of Alaska Anchorage, Center for Behavioral Health Research and Services, specializing in community-led research projects around health care access in rural Alaska, and has designed and proctored multiple provider-facing trainings around effective communication.

Kathryn Davis, MPH, MPP

Katie Davis received her bachelor’s degree in health sciences at the University of Alaska Anchorage. She completed dual Master’s degrees in Public Health and Public Policy at the University of Utah. Since 2019, she’s worked at the University of Alaska Anchorage, Center for Behavioral Health Research and Services, as a research professional working in project evaluation and health communication.

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Local Chapters are the heart of AWHONN member engagement. Listen to how three dedicated volunteers transformed into influential AWHONN Section Leaders. They welcomed mentorship and leveraged diverse networking opportunities that are also available for you. Be inspired to elevate your nursing career path and learn new resources that can give you and your statewide colleagues a boost.

Marin Skariah, DNP, MBA, FNP-BC, NEA-BC, IBCLC

Dr. Marin Skariah is the Director for Women’s and Children’s Services and Pediatrics, and member of the Board of Directors for the Monetary Investment for Lactation Consultant Certification. She’s a long-time AWHONN member who’s passionate about early-career nurses and is a key stakeholder in ensuring that nurses with a strong interest in the field are provided with the necessary resources to be successful. Dr. Skariah currently serves as the Secretary-Treasurer for AWHONN in New York, she was also an AWHONN Emerging Leader in 2018.

Amanda Staab MSN, RNC-OB, C-EFM

Amanda Staab is a Clinical Nurse Improvement Coach for the Iowa Perinatal Quality Care Collaborative, incorporating quality improvement and simulation in obstetrics for birthing hospitals, critical access EDs, and EMS crews. One of her previous roles was at UnityPoint Health – St. Luke’s Hospital in Cedar Rapids, IA. She’s served 13 years in the Birth Care Center and 5 years as House Supervisor. Amanda is currently the AWHONN Chapter Leader for East Central Iowa and the Secretary/Treasurer for Iowa; she’s also a 2023-2024 AWHONN Emerging Leader.

Kristy Wente, MSN, RNC

Kristy Wente is the Operations Supervisor for Women’s Services at Oklahoma Children’s Hospital in Oklahoma City, OK. She’s worked in the field of maternal health for the past 25 years and holds a certification in Inpatient Obstetrics. She has served as the Oklahoma Section Secretary/Treasurer for the past 5 years and as a section chapter leader. Kristy is a member of the Oklahoma Maternal Mortality Review Committee and is passionate about advocating for and improving the health of women and newborns.

The post Mentorship and Leadership in AWHONN Sections & Chapters appeared first on AWHONN.

Two different paths into nursing brought Mandy Irby and Maggie Runyon to the same place. Listen as they discuss that nurses bring their psychological histories into the birth space and that most adults have experienced trauma at some point in their life. Open yourself to the vulnerability of connection with patients and accept that you’ve been complicit in obstetric violence in order to advocate to nurse leaders to change policies, serve as an active bystander, and make trauma-informed care the standard to improve health outcomes. 

Mandy Irby, BSN, RNC-OB, C-EFM, LCCE, NSI-L1

Mandy Irby is a leading authority in transforming birth care culture through the prevention of birth-related trauma by co-creating The Embodied Trauma-Informed Care Framework. Since founding The Birth Nurse, she’s worked with state quality collaboratives, departments of health, and hospital teams to strengthen psychological safety in childbirth and improve family outcomes across generations. Her paradigm shifting workshops, keynote speeches, and consultations drive the change to patient-centered care within a safe and ethical framework for nurses.

Maggie Runyon, MSN, RNC-OB, C-EFM (she/her)

Maggie Runyon is a nurse, educator, writer, and speaker. She began her nursing career in 2009 and has since practiced in hospitals and communities around the country. In 2019, Maggie founded the non-profit Your BIRTH Partners with a mission to cultivate inclusive, collaborative birth care environments rooted in autonomy, respect, and equity. Maggie is currently pursuing her PhD in Nursing and loves educating, mentoring, and learning alongside nurses. She recently authored her first book, I Thought I Was Here to Help, which chronicles her early career journey and the lessons she has learned. Her advocacy focuses on improving perinatal care in hospital environments through trauma-informed care, affirming nurses’ agency, and community collaboration.

The post How L&D Nurses Lead Trauma-Informed Change appeared first on AWHONN.

In this poignant episode of AWHONN Insights, Jose Perez shares the tragic story of the loss of his fiancé, Christine Fields. Pause as you listen to the details in order to identify the loopholes where a clinician or advocate could have intervened. Jose has now taken up the mantle to fight for respectful care, better parent preparation for childbirth, legislative changes including passage of the Grieving Families Act, and greater community support.

Jose Perez

Jose Perez is an advocate for maternal health from Brooklyn. Since the tragic loss of his fiancée, Christine Fields, in November 2013, he’s been collaborating with lawmakers, health care advocates, and birth workers to help reform the systemic maternal health issues for black and brown women. Currently, he’s fighting for the Grieving Families Act to be passed in New York and continues to build alliances to get quality care in underserved communities.

Kandis Mclean, DNP, FNP, RNC-OB, RNC-MNN, CHSE, NEA-BC, FAWHONN

Dr. Kandis McLean is an Associate Professor for Maternal Child Simulation at Nassau Community College and appointed Director of Nursing for Maternal Health over Suffolk County, NY State. She is also a practicing family nurse practitioner in the obstetrical department at Columbia University/NYP Allen.

Her maternal consultant work has been sourced to Pearson, the National League for Nursing, and a 12-system hospital, NYC Health and Hospitals, to deliver AWHONN fetal monitoring and simulation. Dr. McLean utilizes simulation to address diversity, equity, and inclusion in maternal care and obstetrical training. In her efforts to reduce maternal morbidity and mortality, she travels internationally to teach health care teams best practices for obstetric complications and how to work collaboratively to decrease adverse outcomes.

Dr. McLean is also a current member of the NY State Maternal Mortality Committee for the Department of Health in New York State for legislative recommendations. Her current research focuses on the use of virtual reality in clinical settings to enhance training for students, as well as to address perinatal mood disorders, substance use, and the gaps in maternal care delivery that are impacted by social determinants.

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