Contact Our Team

More than 100 Years of Combined Clinical Experience Caring for Critically Ill Pregnant Patients

Stephanie Martin, D.O.

  • Board certified in Obstetrics and Gynecology (OB/GYN) and Maternal-Fetal Medicine (MFM)
  • Extensive clinical experience in the care of critically ill pregnant and postpartum women

  • Highly regarded speaker and educator

  • Author of numerous publications on critical care obstetric topics including sepsis, maternal cardiac disease, placenta accreta spectrum disorder, maternal cardiac arrest, and obstetric hemorrhage

  • Co-author of American College of OB/GYN (ACOG) Practice Bulletin on Pregnancy and Heart Disease
  • Participant and co-author on “Putting the M back in Maternal Fetal Medicine” meeting and publication
  • Previously served as Medical Director for and helped establish the Obstetric Intensive Care Unit at Texas Children’s Hospital Pavilion for Women in Houston, Texas
  • Active in the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine, including having served on the Board of Directors
  • Serves as peer reviewer for American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology
  • Course Director for America’s Board Review MFM Oral Board Exam Review Course, helping MFM candidates prepare for the oral board certifying examination
  • She also works with the American Heart Association (AHA) on the Advancing Maternal Health Science Advisory Panel. 

Julie Arafeh, MSN, RN

  • Extensive clinical experience in critical care obstetric nursing and simulation-based training
  • Highly regarded speaker and simulation specialist
  • Previous member of the multidisciplinary obstetric simulation team at Packard Children’s Hospital on the Stanford University campus for over 15 years
  • Previously served as an Obstetric Simulation Specialist at the Center for Advanced Pediatric and Perinatal Education at Stanford University for 20 years
  • Served as a simulation expert for the California Maternal Quality Care Collaborative (CMQCC)
  • Participated in the expert panel for Obstetric Life Support (OBLS), a national certification course on maternal cardiac arrest.
  • Has worked in a wide range of settings caring for low-risk to high-risk obstetric patients including as an advanced practice nurse in an OB-ICU in both inpatient and outpatient settings
  • Publication topics include sepsis, cardiac disease in pregnancy, maternal cardiac arrest and simulation-based training
  • Received a bachelor’s degree in nursing from the University of Evansville in Indiana and a master’s degree in perinatal nursing from Indiana University in Indianapolis
  • Currently Simulation Director for Clinical Concepts in Obstetrics

Suzanne McMurtry Baird, DNP, RN

  • Extensive clinical experience in high-risk and critical care obstetric nursing
  • Highly regarded speaker and educator
  • Graduate of Vanderbilt University MSN and BSN programs
  • Graduate of Rush College of Nursing's DNP Executive Leadership track
  • Previously worked as the Maternal Quality Improvement Specialist for the Tennessee Initiative for Perinatal Quality Care (TIPQC), Assistant Director of Nursing for Clinical Program Development at Texas Children’s Pavilion for Women, taught obstetric and critical care nursing at Vanderbilt University School of Nursing, and staff nurse in L&D at Vanderbilt Medical Center
  • Association of Women's Health and Neonatal Nurses (AWHONN) service includes
    • editor and author of the Critical Care Obstetric Education (CCOE) and Perinatal Education and Orientation Program (PEOP) modules
    • Obstetric Triage toolkit reviewer
    • Served on the Board of Directors, Implementation of Evidence Based Practice Advisory Board, and Education Committee
  • Editor and author for the 5th edition of the textbook Intrapartum Management Modules
  • Editor and author for AWHONN’s High Risk and Critical Care Obstetrics, 4th and 5th edition textbooks
  • Co-author of the Hypertension in Pregnancy Scientific Statement from the American Heart Association (AHA) and Institute for Healthcare Improvement
  • Co-author of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologist Obstetric Cardiac Conditions Change Package
  • Works with the AHA on the Advancing Maternal Health Science Advisory Panel
  • Works with Maternal Health Equity Programs,Tennessee Maternal Mortality Review Task Force
  • Awarded the AWHONN Award of Excellence in Clinical Education (2017) and Vanderbilt University School of Nursing Lulu Wolf Hassenplug Award for Distinguished Career in Nursing (2024)

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