In this townhall, participants will gain insights into maternal mortality surveillance and review in the United States. The presenters will discuss current statistics related to maternal mortality and how nurses can use this information to provide safe and respectful care to the families they serve.
Learn about our speakers below:
Julie Zaharatos, MPH
Julie Zaharatos, MPH works with partners across the country to promote better understanding of the causes and factors contributing to maternal mortality. For over eight years she has supported the development of maternal mortality review committees and contributed to the Report from Nine Maternal Mortality Review Committees and Examination of a Death due to Cardiomyopathy by a Maternal Mortality Review Committee and Changing the conversation: Applying a health equity framework to maternal mortality reviews. As part of CDC’s Enhancing Reviews and Surveillance to Eliminate Maternal Mortality (ERASE MM) initiative, Julie provides technical assistance and problem solving for state specific needs. Julie received her MPH from Hunter College; she also holds a BA in anthropology. She previously served as Maternal and Child Health Program Director for the March of Dimes Georgia Chapter and served as a member of the Georgia Maternal Mortality Review Committee from 2014-2016.
Jamie Agunsday
Jamie Agunsday is a Master’s prepared Registered Nurse who has spent the last decade serving growing families in New Jersey. As a staff nurse in Labor and Delivery in one of NJ’s busiest birthing hospitals, Jamie was deeply impacted by seeing women and birthing people experience serious pregnancy related complications. For the last 4.5 years, Jamie has worked to support the review of maternal deaths in her state, where she tells the stories of those who died from complications of their pregnancies. Jamie has a long history of advocacy and is involved extensively AWHONN on the state and national level. She is a proud graduate of the AWHONN Emerging Leader Program. She serves on the Education Advisory Committee and is a member of the AWHONN Insights Podcast Content Advisory Board. Through her work, Jamie seeks to center the voices and amplify the stories of those most impacted by adverse outcomes to help make meaningful improvements in the health of all people giving birth.