JENNIFER BINKLEY CARNEY, MA, MPH is a contributing author and senior editor. Jennifer is a writer, editor, and public health professional who lives and works in the greater Los Angeles area. Her near-miss occurred in 2006 with the birth of her second child. She has two master's degrees, one in English and one in Public Health. She has volunteered with several non-profits concerned with infant health, maternal health, and maternal mental health. She is the mother of two healthy children.

 

TODD HEIDEN is a contributing author. He has over thirty years of experience in marketing, public relations, and communications with Disney and now with his own boutique firm, Bumblebee Communications, LLC. Todd lost his wife Joan in 2010 to postpartum preeclampsia. He has been a passionate advocate for awareness and education ever since. He is the proud father of Camille, Sofie, and Max and lives in Mequon, Wisconsin. Todd has his bachelor’s in communications from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

JOAN LAMBERT, JD is a contributing author. She is the co-founder of the Preeclampsia Foundation and a supporter of the Unexpected Project. She is the Director of Research and Corporate Counsel for Amava, and has her bachelor in English Language and Literature from UC Berkeley, and her Doctor of Law (JD) from UCLA. Joan served eight years on the Menlo Park City School District School Board. She is a survivor of HELLP Syndrome, and the mother of three children – Taylor, Natalie, and Gabriella.

LINDA BURKE, MD, FACOG is a contributing author and is a board-certified obstetrician-gynecologist with over 35 years of clinical experience who is passionate about reducing preventable stillbirths and maternal mortality. Dr. Burke is an alumnus of Boston University School of Medicine and Columbia University School of Social Work. She devoted her entire professional career working with medically underserved women and was an HRSA contractor for almost two decades. She served on the ACOG District 12 Perinatal/Morbidity Committee member, and is the author of The Smart Mother’s Guide to a Better Pregnancy, and is the founder of the Black Obstetrician and Gynecologist Digital Directory. Dr. Burke is a Brooklyn, N.Y. transplant who has lived in Florida and is the mother of two sons who continue to make her proud.

Aimee Woolwine is a contributing author, designed the cover for our book, and a survivor. She grew up the daughter of a naval officer father and artist/renaissance woman mother, moving around as navy families do. After graduating from Georgia Tech, she settled in the Atlanta area with her husband, where they built their family before moving to what would become their hometown near Seattle, Washington in 2009. Aimee has spent the past twenty-plus years focused on raising her two children and volunteering in the community, with the balance tipping towards community work since retiring from full-time parenting. She is an avid rower, reader, crafter, and mother of two healthy children. Most days, you can find her on a lake, a trail, or the couch with a cup of coffee.

Special thanks to Our Advisors

JAMES SMITH, PhD is President & CEO of Advanced Prenatal Therapeutics (“APT”), a private company in Laguna Hills CA, that is developing a safe and effective medical device using targeted apheresis (similar to dialysis) to treat preeclampsia and has been granted Breakthrough Device Designation by the FDA. APT is also developing a novel preeclampsia screening laboratory test that can diagnose preeclampsia in all trimesters of pregnancy. Dr. Smith has over twenty years of experience in regulatory affairs and development of novel technologies from concept through commercialization.  Dr. Smith obtained his Ph.D. in Pharmacology and Toxicology from the University of California, Irvine.

MARK SANTILLAN, MD, PhD, FACOG, FAHA is an Associate Professor of Obstetrician and Gynecology at the University of Iowa. Dr. Santillan’s predominant research, clinical, and educational interest has been in the realm of hypertensive diseases and immunology in pregnancy. His lab is particularly interested in the early immunovascular mechanisms of maternal health and the short and long-term health effects to the mother and child. Dr. Santillan is an Associate Professor in the Department of OB/Gyn. He completed his BS in Chemistry, BA in Philosophy, MD, and OB/Gyn residency at Loyola University in Chicago, IL. He completed his MFM fellowship and PhD in Translational Biomedicine at the University of Iowa in Iowa City, IA. He is the Clinical Research Director of the Iowa Maternal Fetal Tissue Bank and Co-director of OB/Gyn Resident Research. He serves as the University of Iowa Institute for Clinical and Translational Science Associate Director for Special Populations focused integrating research opportunities for underrepresented populations.

HARRY BRELSFORD served as a mentor and advisor to Anne throughout the self-publishing process. He is the founder of SMB Nation and 420MSP.com. He is a long-time SMB (small and medium-sized business) channel partner who has served customers and mentored other partners. (SMB Nation has over 49,000 members who are Managed Services Providers (MSPs) and SMB technology consultants). He holds an MBA in Project Management from the University of Denver (and numerous certifications such as MCSE, MCT, CNE, et al) and is the author of 21 books on technology and business topics. He has published over 400-articles in business and technology magazines. An active entrepreneur, Harry is the force behind the Pocket MBA, Telephonation, Cloud Nation and XPmigrations.com. His latest startup is 420MSP.

YVONNE BETANCOURT is an independent book formatter who works with authors around the world. She was a complete joy to work with and held our hands every step of the way.