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Describe factors that influence perinatal resilience for both clinicians and birthing families, including the relationship between clinician well-being and patient experience.
Supporting Perinatal Resilience in Birthing Parents with Disabilities
PRESENTED BY
Hilary Brown
PhD
When the Plan Changes: Building Clinician Resilience Through Patient-Centered Communication
PRESENTED BY
Rachell Dumas
BSN, MSN, DNP(c)
Burnout, Secondary Traumatic Stress, and Moral Injury in Maternal Providers
PRESENTED BY
Kathleen Kendall-Tackett
PhD, IBCLC, FAPA
Why Trauma-Informed Care Should be a Standard Precaution
PRESENTED BY
Kara Kushnir
MSW, LCSW, PMH-C
It Takes a Village: Leveraging POST-BIRTH Warning Signs to Improve Outcomes Across Care Settings
PRESENTED BY
Jessica Irrobali
DNP(c), MSN, RNC-OB,C-OBE, CHSE, C-EFM, C-ONQS
From Storytelling to Strategy: Integrating Narratives to Build Trust and Improve Perinatal Care
PRESENTED BY
Jamie Agunsday
MA, MSN, RNC-OB
Discuss how equitable, trauma-informed approaches in perinatal care can address the needs of individuals with disabilities and at-risk populations and how to incorporate these practices into routine interactions.
Examine how effective patient-centered communication and education strategies across the perinatal period can support individuals and families through unexpected outcomes, and promote early recognition of postpartum warning signs to improve care-seeking and health outcomes.
Rose Horton
MSM, RNC-OB, NEA-BC, CPCHE, FAAN
Founder & CEO, NotOnMyWatch Consulting Partners
Rose is the Founder & CEO of NotOnMyWatch Consulting Partners, an LLC she created 3 years after coining the hashtag #notonmywatch. In this role she provides consulting for healthcare organizations, keynotes and teams training. She created the hashtag out of frustration at the rising rate of maternal & infant morbidity and mortality. As an executive nurse leader, she believes that nurses, as the largest healthcare employee contingent, have the power to change the trajectory of morbidity and mortality. The hashtag is a call to action for all nurses to use their collective voices to support, listen to, advocate for, and follow evidence-based practices in caring for all birthing people. Rose was inducted as a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing (FAAN) in October 2022, nursing’s highest honor. She served as the 2025 President of the Association of Women’s Health Obstetrics & Neonatal Nurses (AWHONN). Rose serves on the Executive Committee for the National Network of Perinatal Quality Collaboratives and is the Executive Director Maternal Health of Huggies Healthcare.
Hilary Brown
PhD
Associate Professor and Connaught Scholar at the University of Toronto
Hilary Brown is an Associate Professor and Connaught Scholar at the University of Toronto, in the Department of Health & Society and the Dalla Lana School of Public Health. She also holds a cross-appointment in the Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology at the Temerty Faculty of Medicine and is a Senior Adjunct Scientist at the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences. Dr. Brown holds a Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in Disability and Reproductive Health. Her research examines reproductive, maternal, and child health across the life course, with a focus on populations with disabilities and chronic illness.
Rachell Dumas
BSN, MSN, DNP(c)
Founder, HEARD and A Light After Nine
Rachell is a nurse informaticist, reproductive health advocate, and founder dedicated to improving how patients are supported within the healthcare system. Her work is deeply shaped by her personal journey through nine pregnancy losses, which exposed critical gaps in communication, safety, and patient-centered care. This experience fuels her mission to ensure that no patient, particularly women navigating reproductive health challenges, feels dismissed, unheard, or unsupported. With over a decade of clinical nursing experience, Rachell combines frontline insight with expertise in nursing informatics to address systemic issues in maternal and reproductive healthcare. She is the Founder and CEO of HEARD, an AI-powered patient advocacy platform designed to help individuals document their care in real time, communicate more effectively with providers, and escalate concerns when necessary. Through HEARD, she is building infrastructure that prioritizes early intervention, transparency, and equity, particularly for women and marginalized populations who are disproportionately affected by gaps in care. Through her work, Rachell is redefining what patient advocacy looks like by centering lived experience, amplifying patient voices, and creating tools that empower individuals to take an active role in their healthcare journeys.
Kathleen Kendall-Tackett
PhD, IBCLC, FAPA
EIC Journal of Human Lactation, CEO of Praeclarus Press
Dr. Kendall-Tackett is a health psychologist and International Board-Certified Lactation Consultant, and the Director of Praeclarus Press, a small press specializing in women's health. For over 10 years, Dr. Kendall-Tackett has been Editor-in-Chief of Psychological Trauma. She is Fellow of the American Psychological Association in Health and Trauma Psychology and Past President of the APA Division of Trauma Psychology. Dr. Kendall-Tackett specializes in women's-health research including breastfeeding, depression, trauma, and health psychology. She has received numerous awards for her work including the 2019 President’s Award for Outstanding Contributions to the Field of Trauma Psychology from the American Psychological Association.
Kara Kushnir
MSW, LCSW, PMH-C
Founder, A Work of Heart Counseling
Kara is a psychotherapist and founder of A Work of Heart Counseling in northern New Jersey, a group practice specializing in perinatal, pediatric, and family mental health. She holds a Perinatal Mental Health Certification (PMH-C) and has extensive experience addressing perinatal mood and anxiety disorders, trauma, and the psychosocial dimensions of reproductive health. In addition to her clinical practice, she is the Training & Partnerships Manager for Postpartum Support International – NJ and co-leads regional initiatives to expand access to evidence-based perinatal mental health care. She is the author of Mama’s Thoughts and frequently partners with healthcare providers to integrate mental health support into obstetric and pediatric care, with a focus on improving maternal outcomes and reducing barriers to care. Kara offers training on Screening & Identification of Perinatal Mental Health Disorders, Trauma Informed Birth & Supporting Staff and workshops & Grand Rounds for OBGYNs, Nurses, and Social Workers. She was named an NJ Biz 2025 People to Watch in Healthcare, 2024 Healthcare Herp, NJ Kids Top Doc 2020-2025, and Best of Bergen Finalist.
Jessica Irrobali
DNP(c), MSN, RNC-OB, C-OBE, CHSE, C-EFM, C-ONQS
Director of Collaborative Clinical Programs at AWHONN
Jessica serves as the Director of Collaborative Clinical Programs at the Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses (AWHONN), where she leads national initiatives to improve maternal outcomes and advance nursing practice. With expertise in perinatal high-risk, she has served as a perinatal educator, maternal designation and critical care coordinator, and Levels of Maternal Care surveyor. She is a recognized leader in maternal safety and has played a key role in expanding AWHONN’s POST-BIRTH Warning Signs education program. Her work includes developing a mobile app for post-birth warning signs and translating patient education materials into more than 50 languages to increase accessibility. She also led the creation of patient- and clinician-facing educational videos that promote standardized discharge education and early recognition of life-threatening complications. Ms. Irrobali contributes to advancing evidence-based practice through research, including her recent publication in the Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic, and Neonatal Nursing (JOGNN) on implementing POST-BIRTH Warning Signs across varied clinical settings. She travels nationwide to deliver AWHONN’s Obstetric Patient Safety Program, supporting diverse healthcare environments, including rural and critical-access hospitals. She directs AWHONN’s Emerging Leader Program, cultivating future nursing leaders, and co-hosts the AWHONN Insights podcast, delivering fresh, engaging content to nurses everywhere. She shares expertise on maternal safety, leadership, and respectful maternity care at national conferences and through AWHONN platforms.
Jamie Agunsday
MA, MSN, RNC-OB
Perinatal Quality Liaison
Jamie Agunsday is a master’s prepared Registered Nurse in NJ who has spent the last 11 years serving perinatal nurses and families through storytelling, advocacy, and education. As a labor nurse, she was deeply impacted by seeing women and people giving birth experience severe pregnancy complications. She has spent her career supporting maternal mortality review, nurse education and perinatal quality initiatives. Jamie is heavily involved in her professional organization, the Association of Women's Health, Obstetric, and Neonatal Nurses (AWHONN) on the state and national level. She is the new Section Chair in New Jersey and the 2026 Chair of the Educational Advisory Committee. She is an AWHONN instructor, a former member of the AWHONN Insights Podcast Advisory Board, and a 2022 Emerging Leader. Jamie is a nationally recognized public speaker and a mentor to nurses across the country. Her advocacy work centers and amplifies the voices of those most affected by adverse pregnancy outcomes.