Summit for
Perinatal Excellence
2025

Ms. Zdecjlik has been a certified nurse-midwife for 40 years. She spent her midwifery career in clinical practice, teaching at the University of Minnesota in the master’s degree Nurse-Midwifery Program and at Bethel University in their Nursing Program. Lynn, along with her colleague Sue Steen, founded Birth with Dignity in 2018, whose mission it is to save Ugandan mothers and babies in childbirth and care for those whose babies die. Lynn resides in the Twin Cities of Minnesota with her husband, adult children and grandchildren.

Dr. Workalemahu is an assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology in the division of maternal-fetal medicine at the University of Utah. I developed a research program to investigate the genetic and epigenetic mechanisms related to obstetric complications (and their short-and long-term adverse outcomes)

Dr Warland is a registered midwife and lecturer in midwifery at the University of South Australia. Jane is an active researcher in the areas of population health, mental health, and maternal health. Since suffering the unexplained full term stillbirth of her daughter Emma in 1993 she has been a passionate researcher into preventative and modifiable risk factors for stillbirth. She has published a textbook, book chapters and journal articles and has presented her research at numerous national and international conferences.

Dr. Toppin is currently the Board Chair and is a board-certified OB/GYN with many years of experience in women’s health care. She graduated from Wellesley College. She received her medical degree from the University of Cincinnati in 1982 and then completed her residency at Harlem Hospital, serving as Executive Chief Resident in her fourth year. Her professional experience includes serving as clinical instructor at Columbia University College of Medicine, medical directorship of the Ossining Open Door Clinic in upstate New York and private practice in White Plains, New York. Dr. Toppin was selected as a Top Obstetricican/Gynecologist in Woodbury, MN by The International Association of Obstetrics & Gynecologists published in “The Leading Physicians of the World” Dr. Toppin was elected for SUPER DOCTORS 2015 in the Mpls. St. Paul Magazine. Dr Toppin is the author of a wonderful book called One in Four: Shifting the Balance on Pregnancy Loss.

Prof Tong is an academic obstetrician at the University of Melbourne. He co-leads several teams seeking discoveries to reduce the impact of major pregnancy complications. These teams are developing blood tests to prevent stillbirth and finding drugs to treat the life-endangering disease of preeclampsia.

Sue has done research in the area of perinatal bereavement and works as a Perinatal Nurse Navigator at Maple Grove Hospital, with families who have suffered the early or late loss of a baby. Sue’s nursing and teaching career spans over 40 years. Along with her colleague and co-founder, Lynn Zdelchik, they began "Birth with Dignity" in order to help address the high mortality rates of Ugandan mothers and babies in childbirth . Sue is currently serving on the board with the International Stillbirth Alliance. She resides in the Twin Cities with her husband, two grown children and their families.

Dr. Bharti Sharma Assistant Professor at satellite centre of PGIMER Chandigarh, India. Her areas of interest include high-risk obstetrics and Perinatology (Stillbirths) She is a: Regional Trainer for MPDSR and Establishing Newborn Birth Defect & Stillbirth Surveillance and has 40 Publications in peer-reviewed National & International Journals

Professor Claire Roberts directs the Pregnancy Health and Beyond Laboratory (PHaB Lab) at Flinders University in Adelaide South Australia. She is immediate Past President of the International Federation of Placenta Associations. With a strong interest in genetic and modifiable risk factors for pregnancy complications, her team recruited large pregnancy cohorts and has developed algorithms for use as screening tools for early pregnancy risk prediction of major pregnancy complications in first time mothers.

Alisha Reginal is a mother of two boys and leads an organization called Remembering My Child, which she and her husband founded after the stillbirth of their first child, Travis Jr. Through Remembering My Child, Alisha helps bereaved parents grieve, heal, and cherish their children’s memories, and she equips supportive loved ones and professionals to better care for bereaved parents. Alisha holds a Master of Health Administration degree from The George Washington University and a B.A. from Yale University; is certified in Mental Health First Aid; and works as a healthcare consultant, advising a wide range of health system, health policy, and other leaders on strategies to improve healthcare delivery, processes, and outcomes.

Dr. Tosin Popoola is an experienced Registered Nurse and Midwife with an outstanding record of achievement in teaching and research into issues relating to stillbirth bereavement care, palliative care and cultural issues in bereavement. Tosin completed his PhD in 2019 and has extensive multi-country and multicultural nursing and midwifery experience in Australia, Botswana, New Zealand, Nigeria, and South Africa.