Summit for
Perinatal Excellence
2025

June 18-21
Bloomington, MN
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We are accepting abstract submissions until December 21st, 2024:

Details & GuidelinesSubmit an Abstract
Stillbirth Summit
June 18-20, 2025

Health Professional Summit

The Summit for Perinatal Excellence (formerly known as The Stillbirth Summit) will be here this summer! We are so excited for this collaboration. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn from some of the world’s foremost researchers and network with colleagues who are dedicated to the prevention and care of perinatal loss!

Out of concern for bereaved families, we kindly request that you do not bring young children.

“The Stillbirth Summit is my favorite conference. It never fails to provide the most recent information regarding the prevention of poor pregnancy outcomes and support for bereaved families. It has been a neglected topic in the public but equally neglected among health professionals.”
Jen Kouri Stillbirth Summit 2019
June 21, 2025

Community/Family Summit

We heard you, and have created a day just for parents and families. That’s right – June 21st will be our first ever community day! This community day will be dedicated to providing families with relatable and applicable information about perinatal loss.

Out of concern for bereaved families, we kindly request that you do not bring young children.

Due to the generosity of an anonymous donor, families can now attend for the greatly discounted price of just $10!  Request the discount

“Attending the Summit was one of the best things I did in my grief journey.  It was informational, and I appreciated hearing from experts who have dedicated their careers to helping families like ours.”
Heazell at Stillbirth Summit 2019

Donors and Exhibitors

Platinum Sponsor
The Family of Sonum Leela Dittakavi
Gold Sponsor
Summit 2025 Sponsor: Healing Moments Counseling
Silver Sponsor
Silver Sponsor
Bronze Sponsor
Bronze Sponsor
Bronze Sponsor
Bronze Sponsor
Bronze Sponsor
Bronze Sponsor
Bronze Sponsor
Bronze Sponsor
Bronze Sponsor
Bronze Sponsor
Bronze Sponsor
Community Event Sponsor
We are accepting donor/exhibitor submissions until May 31st, 2025
Honor, Support, and Plan

Celebrate Their Memory, Support Our Cause, and Plan Your Stay

The 2025 Summit for Perinatal Excellence wouldn't be complete without all the stars.

It is a tradition at the Summit to have stars visibly present to honor the babies we remember.  They serve to remind all in attendance of the reasons why we come together to learn about new research, collaborate for new projects and recommit to the vision that one day pregnancy & infant loss will truly be a rare event.  Please add your baby(ies) using the form below.

*DEADLINE TO SUBMIT – JUNE 6th

Honor a Baby
Stillbirth Summit
2025 Summit

Registration & Pricing

Health Professional Conference
Physicians (June 18-21) Includes Community Summit

$750
$750

Health Professional Conference
Allied Health Professionals (June 18-21) Includes Community Summit

$400
$400

Live Stream
All Health Professionals – No CE credit (June 18-20)

$400

Family/Community Summit (June 21)
(May 19 update: Thanks to an anonymous donation, families can attend the Family/Community Day for only $10! To receive the discount code, email summit@starlegacyfoundation.org.)

Health professional student pricing is available. Contact summit@starlegacyfoundation.org for more information.

Refund policy – 50% refund before May 15th less payment processing fees.  No refunds after May 15th.

$75
$75
IPPE Certified Health Professionals attend FREE

Hotel Information: Embassy Suites by Hilton

The Embassy Suites by Hilton Bloomington is 10 minutes from Mall of America and 20 minutes from Valleyfair Amusement Park, Minneapolis−Saint Paul Airport, and downtown Minneapolis. Enjoy our indoor pool and fitness center. Free breakfast and our complimentary evening reception complete your stay.

Embassy Suites by Hilton Bloomington/Minneapolis
2800 American Boulevard West
Bloomington, Minnesota 55431 USA

Reserve a Room
Embassy Suites Hotel by Hilton
Summit 2025

Confirmed Speakers

Lynn Zdechlik

MS RN CNM
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.

Tsegaselassie Workalemahu

PhD
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)

Jane Warland

PhD, RN, RM, IPPE-C
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.

Barbara Toppin

MD, FACOG, IPPE-C
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.

Stephen Tong

MBBS (Hons), PhD, FRANZCOG
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 Steen

MS, RN, CPLE, IPPE-C
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.

Bharti Sharma

MBBS, DGO, DNB
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

Claire Roberts

PhD
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

MHA, MHFA
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.

Tosin Popoola

PhD
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.
Bloomington, MN  •  June 18-21

Summit for Perinatal Excellence 2025

Register Today
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