Maternal Health Summit: Improving Cardiovascular Health

Rosario “Rosie” Buclatin was born in México. She lives in San Diego, California, and proudly owns a window coverings franchise. As a military spouse and loving mother of two children, she balances her family life with her career and is also an active church member.

In 2006, Rosie was diagnosed late in her pregnancy with an enlarged heart and later postpartum cardiomyopathy after the birth of her second child. Her mother passed away in 2012 due to heart failure, and her sister, who was diagnosed early only by chance at three months into her pregnancy, has undergone two heart transplants. With a family history of heart disease, she and her sister never thought or were told that pregnancy and heart failure had similar symptoms.

Afshan Hameed, MD is a Maternal Fetal Medicine Specialist and a Cardiologist at the University of California, Irvine. She co-authored inter-conception care guidelines from ACOG in women with hypertension in the form of an algorithm to improve postpartum care and follow up. She serves on the California Maternal Quality Care Collaborative (CMQCC) Pregnancy Associated Mortality Review Advisory Committee (PAMR) that reviews all cases of maternal mortality to identify gaps in care for quality improvement opportunities. She co-chaired the Cardiovascular Toolkit and Venous Thromboembolism Toolkit published by CMQCC. Dr. Hameed served on the ACOG Presidential Task Force for publication of Practice Bulletin on Heart Disease in Pregnancy in 2019. She currently serve as an expert to help create Obstetrics Basic Life Support curriculum to integrate into the American Heart Association Life Support Program. She serves on the writing committee for Heart Rhythm Society’s “Arrhythmias in Pregnancy Guidelines”, scheduled release later in 2020. She also serves on the SMFM Quality and Patient Safety Committee. He goal is to eliminate preventable causes of maternal morbidity and mortality.

Joelle Donofrio-Odmann, MD is a recognized leader in prehospital emergency medical services (EMS) with an interest in improving maternal and neonatal care in the field. As Deputy Chief Medical Officer for the City of San Diego Fire-Rescue Department, she oversees EMS operations for 1.8 million residents, ensuring quality care for prenatal, delivery, postpartum, and neonatal emergencies. Board-certified in Pediatrics, Pediatric Emergency Medicine, and Emergency Medical Services, she has spent over a decade advancing EMS training and protocols to bridge gaps between prehospital and hospital-based maternal care. She works closely with policymakers, public safety officials, and healthcare innovators to expand access to life-saving interventions.

Sarah Vaillancourt DNP, WHNP-BC, RN, is a women’s health nurse practitioner and doctorally prepared public health nurse, currently working as the Outpatient Clinical Lead at CMQCC. At CMQCC, she provides clinical and quality improvement leadership to projects including: the Low-Dose Aspirin to Prevent Preeclampsia and Preterm Birth Initiative, and the Prenatal Anemia Initiative. She prioritizes a systems-focused approach to trauma-informed care, care delivery to vulnerable populations, and the integration of perinatal care into the outpatient care continuum. She additionally has expertise in clinical communication as a motivational interviewing facilitator, providing learning sessions and training opportunities multiple times per year. She maintains her clinical practice as a WHNP at a community health center in the Central Valley.

Sarah completed her Doctor of Nursing Practice with a specialty in Public Health Nursing from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Her doctoral work included Title X service implementation and evaluation, outpatient perinatal quality improvement, and implementation of social health screening and adverse childhood experiences screening in reproductive-age women. She also has her Master of Science in Nursing with a Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner Specialty from Vanderbilt University, and a Bachelor of Science in Psychology for University of Texas, Austin.

Brittany Brittany Mbong is a certified nurse midwife and nurse practitioner who can diagnose, treat, and independently manage the birth process. She brings expertise in primary and maternity care for women and families. She has seven years of clinical expertise in prenatal, intrapartum, and postpartum care, including managing high-risk pregnancies. Beyond her clinical work, she has excelled in leadership roles as a community organizer and researcher addressing systemic maternal health disparities. Over the last decade, Britany engaged diverse BIPOC populations, implemented evidence-based practices, and promoted culturally sensitive approaches in midwifery care and educational initiatives!

Karen Mark, MD is the Medical Director at the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS), which administers California’s Medi-Cal program. Dr. Mark is an internist and infectious diseases physician with an MPH and PhD in epidemiology. Prior to working for the State of California, Dr. Mark served as an Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) Officer with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and a faculty member at the University of Washington, doing clinical and public health research on sexually transmitted diseases, hepatitis, and HIV. In 2010, Dr. Mark joined the California Department of Public Health, Office of AIDS, where she led California’s response to the HIV epidemic until 2018. Her passion for using data, health care financing, and provider and community collaboration to improve statewide health outcomes and health equity among California’s most vulnerable populations led her to join DHCS as the Medical Director. Her current role involves leading medical policy efforts throughout the department, including DHCS’ Birthing Care Pathway and Transforming Maternal Health (TMaH) efforts. Throughout her career, Dr. Mark has continued to see patients in public hospital and community clinic settings, including currently one-half day per week at a federally qualified health center in Sacramento.

Holly Morrell is the Founder and Executive Director of Heartfelt, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to preventing sudden cardiac death through early detection, education, and public awareness.

More than 25 years ago, Holly pioneered the grassroots community cardiac screening movement, working to make life-saving screenings more affordable and accessible to the general public.

Since 1999, Holly and her team have screened over 60,000 people, identifying life-threatening conditions in thousands and saving more than 1,000 lives. The data collected from these screenings has also contributed to heart health research, advancing the understanding of cardiac conditions in both children and adults.

Holly’s dedication to this mission is deeply personal. Her family has been devastated by Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM)—a genetic heart condition that has claimed the lives of six loved ones. Two of her family members have received life-saving heart transplants, while two others live with implanted cardiac devices for protection against sudden cardiac death.

Holly herself was diagnosed with HCM in 2002, the same year she underwent her first heart-related surgery. Over the years, she has endured a total of seven heart-related surgeries, including emergency open-heart surgery in 2012, which she survived by mere seconds, and her most recent procedure in 2019.

Despite these challenges, Holly has dedicated her life to preventing similar tragedies for other families. Her leadership has not only expanded public access to cardiac screenings but also raised national awareness about the importance of early detection of abnormalities that could lead to sudden cardiac death.

With over 25 years of community service and more than 60,000 hearts screened, Holly’s work stands as a testament to her relentless commitment to saving lives and shaping the future of cardiac care.

Monica Alleje is the Community Impact Director with the American Heart Association for Greater Valley region. With more than 15 years of experience in community-driven initiatives, Monica is passionate about her work with the Association in creating equitable solutions to advance health and wellness in historically under-resourced populations.

A proud Bay Area native and graduate of Sacramento State, Monica brings both local insight and a deep commitment to her work in improving community health outcomes. Beyond her professional endeavors, Monica finds joy and fulfillment in her family, as well as her love for reading, dancing, cooking, and traveling.

Monica will be highlighting American Heart Association’s Lending Library Program— a critical initiative where the Association provides libraries with blood pressure monitoring kits and other resources to help educate the community about heart health.

Martin Cardeiras, MD is cardiologist committed to delivering comprehensive care for patients with advanced heart failure, heart transplantation, and mechanical circulatory support. He actively explores innovative technologies to enhance healthcare access and delivery. He is particularly interest in precision medicine, which improves clinical outcomes.

By collaborating with regional health systems, Dr. Cadeiras and his team focus on preventing heart failure and facilitating shared patient care, while also promoting the early recognition of heart failure. Their work particularly emphasizes serving underserved populations, ensuring equitable access to advanced therapies.

In addition to his clinical practice, Dr. Cadeiras and his team collaborate with the UC Davis Cardiovascular Research Institute on pioneering research initiatives, including the NIH/NHLBI HeartShare Center and the AHA Strategic Focused Research Network. Through these efforts, they aim to advance the understanding, treatment, and prevention of heart failure, ultimately improving the lives of patients at risk for or affected by this complex condition.

Ryan Natividad (he/they) is the Cardiovascular Disease Prevention Program Lead in the Center for Healthy Communities, Chronic Disease Control Branch of the California Department of Public Health. In this role, Ryan is leading statewide efforts to improve the health of Californians by preventing cardiovascular disease before it happens.

Ryan has contributed to community health initiatives and policy research regarding chronic disease; community health workers; healthy eating and active living; and positive and adverse childhood experiences among priority populations. Ryan’s social justice advocacy and community-based research interests lie at the intersections of public health, health policy, and urban planning. At these intersections, Ryan explores how these fields can address the structural, social, and political drivers of health through equity-focused, place-based approaches.

Ryan has a BA in Anthropology from Columbia University and a Master of Public Policy from University of California, Riverside School of Public Policy. In 2021, Ryan was recognized as a 40 Under 40 in Public Health by the de Beaumont Foundation. In 2022, Ryan joined the Diverse Executives Leading in Public Health, organized by the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials and the Satcher Health Leadership Institute at Morehouse School of Medicine.

Stephen Bruso joined Morningside Ventures in 2019 and focuses on early-stage investments in the digital health space. He has extensive experience providing operational and management oversight to companies. Mr. Bruso serves as a director for numerous private companies including Cognito Therapeutics, Curai Health, Suvera, Neuroelectrics, Huckleberry, Ieso Digital Health, Wellinks, Curve Health, Koa Health, SimpliFed, Casana Care, Freespira, Origin Health, Manistee Therapeutics, Linus Health, PsycApps, and Blueberry Pediatrics.

Prior to joining Morningside, Mr. Bruso worked at a series of molecular diagnostics startups spun out from the Church Lab at Harvard Medical School before transitioning to the software space where he led the development and commercialization of e-commerce platforms for SMBs at IT Retail. He received his MBA from Boston University in 2019, graduating magna cum laude. He received his BA from Emory University in 2009.

Maneesh Jain, PhD, is CEO and co-founder of Mirvie, a company delivering predictive tools and support that drive preventive and personalized pregnancy care. As a proven life-science entrepreneur, he has served in founding and executive roles at transformational biotech startups addressing large unmet needs for the past two decades. He has helped pioneer the first platforms to create more accessible next-generation sequencing (Ion Torrent) and medical ultrasound imaging (Butterfly Network), as well as the first liquid biopsy plasma test for the early detection of cancer (Cirina and GRAIL).

A graduate of both Caltech and Stanford, he serves as an independent board member for Mission Bio and Mammoth Bioscience and is an author of more than 20 publications and several patents.

Jesus Saucedo, MD is a dedicated healthcare leader with over 25 years of experience transforming care delivery for underserved and marginalized populations across the United States. Growing up in a farmworker family, he gained a deep understanding of the challenges faced by these communities, fueling his lifelong commitment to health equity.

Board-certified in Family Medicine, OB/GYN fellowship-trained, and a clinical informaticist, Dr. Saucedo currently serves as a Clinical Advisor for Trust, a community network platform that scales trusted relationships with hard-to-hard populations for health and social care.
On the national stage, Dr. Saucedo advises the Secretary of Health and Human Services as a member of the National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services (NACRHHS), where he champions public-private partnerships to dismantle systemic barriers and expand access to care in rural and underserved areas.

A proud graduate of UC Berkeley and USC’s Keck School of Medicine, Dr. Saucedo holds an Executive MBA from Saint Mary’s College and advanced training in Academic Medicine and OB/GYN. He leverages health information technology, data analytics, and artificial intelligence to drive measurable improvements in care delivery and patient outcomes. As an advisor to healthcare technology companies and a mentor at UC Berkeley’s SkyDeck startup accelerator, he amplifies innovations that align with advancing health equity.

Known for his collaborative leadership style, Dr. Saucedo builds high-performing teams that work toward shared goals and measurable results. A Fellow of the National Hispanic Health Foundation, a former Fellow of the National Hispanic Medical Association.
Dr. Saucedo is a passionate advocate for innovation, driving progress through teamwork, bold solutions, and a steadfast commitment to creating healthier, more equitable communities—whether in urban or rural settings.

Bonnie Zell, MD, MPH, FACOG, is the Chief Medical Officer at Delfina, where she focuses on leveraging technology, including machine learning and remote connection, to develop a comprehensive closed-loop system of care that addresses the complex needs of maternal health. With more than 30 years of experience in healthcare practice, management, coaching in quality and safety, policy development, and public health, Dr. Zell brings a unique perspective shaped by her diverse roles as a nurse, OB/GYN physician, and hospital administrator. She has played a pivotal role in advancing new healthcare systems of care and driving policy improvements through her work with national quality improvement organizations. Before Delfina, Dr. Zell co-founded Lemonaid Health, an early telehealth company, where she served as Chief Medical and Quality Officer. Dr. Zell earned her medical degree from the University of California, San Francisco, School of Medicine and her MPH from Harvard School of Public Health.

Ramin Mousavi brings extensive executive leadership and operational expertise across various domains including general management, marketing, strategy, product development, and commercialization within diverse market segments. With a notable tenure most recently leading the patient monitoring and digital health portfolio at Baxter International, Ramin has also held key leadership roles at Edwards Lifesciences, Panasonic, and Rockwell Collins.

At CathWorks, Ramin served as Vice President of Global Marketing and Strategy, as well as Chief Marketing Officer from 2019 to 2020. He holds dual B.S. degrees in Computer and Electrical Engineering from the University of California, Irvine, complemented by an M.B.A. from the Paul Merage School of Business at UC Irvine. Additionally, Ramin has furthered his expertise with a Healthcare Executive Leadership certificate for Business Innovation in Global Healthcare from Harvard Business School.