Austin, TEXAS - The Texas Collaborative for Healthy Mothers and Babies (TCHMB), Texas’s state perinatal quality collaborative, has named Dr. Catherine Eppes as Chair of its Executive Committee and Dr. Rashmin Savani as Vice Chair/Chair-Elect.
Stepping down as chair after a 2-year term is Dr. Michael Speer, Professor of Pediatrics and Neonatology at Baylor College of Medicine and Medical Director of the Neonatal Nurse Practitioner Program at Texas Children’s Hospital. Dr. George Saade, Chief of Obstetrics and Maternal-Fetal Medicine at the University of Texas Medical Branch, will step down from the Executive Committee after serving for over 4 years in the roles of Chair and Past Chair.
“Dr Eppes and Dr. Savani are extraordinary physicians and long-time champions of maternal and infant health in Texas,” says Speer, who will continue to serve on the executive committee as Past Chair for the next two years. “I couldn’t be more confident in the future of TCHMB.”
Catherine Eppes, MD, MPH, is a Maternal-Fetal Medicine physician at Baylor College of Medicine and the Chief of Obstetrics for Ben Taub Hospital. She received her MD from The University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio and completed her obstetrics residency at Johns Hopkins. Her fellowship, and Masters of Public Health, were received from Northwestern University. She is currently the ACOG District XI (Texas) patient quality and safety chair, and TexasAIM Medical Director. She holds several grants, including the maternal opioid misuse grant which is a collaborative grant between Texas Health and Human Services and Harris Health to improve the outcomes of women with substance use disorder. Prior to her selection as Chair, she served on the TCHMB Executive Committee as co-chair of the obstetrics committee.
“Texas has a lot of challenges when it comes to the health of its mothers and babies,” says Eppes. “We also have an extraordinary community of people dedicated to making things better. Under the leadership of Dr. Speer and his predecessor, Dr. George Saade, the Collaborative has been an important part of that larger community, and I look forward to carrying the mission forward.”
Rashmin Savani, MD, is Division Director of Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine and Associate Director of Pulmonary & Vascular Biology in the Department of Pediatrics at The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. He obtained his medical degree from the University of Sheffield and was a pediatric resident at Duke University Medical Center and a fellow in Neonatology and in Pulmonary Biology (1989-1991) at Cincinnati Children’s Medical Center. His research focus has been on lung injury and development, including inflammation and angiogenesis. Prior to his selection as Vice Chair/Chair-Elect, he served on the TCHMB Executive Committee as co-chair of the neonatology committee.
“This is a wonderful opportunity to work collaboratively with leaders across Texas to improve the health of moms and babies in Texas,” says Savani. “It’s a privilege to be selected as vice chair.”
Former Vice Chair Dr. Patrick Ramsey, Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, now serves in a staff role as TCHMB’s Chief Medical Officer.
The Texas Collaborative for Healthy Mothers and Babies is a multidisciplinary network made up of health professionals throughout the state. Its mission is to advance health care quality and patient safety for all Texas mothers and babies, through the collaboration of health and community stakeholders in the development of joint quality improvement (QI) initiatives, the advancement of data-driven best practices, and the promotion of education and training.