California Pregnancy-Associated Review Committee (CA-PARC)

California has launched a California Pregnancy-Associated Review Committee (CA-PARC) in the Central Valley counties of Butte, Colusa, Glenn, Fresno, Kern, Kings, Madera, Merced, Placer, San Joaquin, Sacramento, Shasta, Stanislaus, Sutter, Tehama, Tulare, Yolo and Yuba.

Chair

  • Kimberly D. Gregory, MD, MPH, Professor, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Obstetrics & Gynecology (Maternal-fetal medicine specialty)

Reports from CA-PARC are available on the CMQCC website. 

Committee Members

Alma Bustamante Dayanghirang, MD
OB/GYN specialty
Obstetrician-Gynecologist
Clinica Sierra Vista – FQHC in Fresno & Kern Counties
OB/GYN Hospitalist
St. Agnes Medical Center, Fresno
Annette Fineberg, MD, MPH, FACOG
OB/GYN specialty
Department of Healthcare Services (Medi-Cal) 
OB/GYN Hospitalist, Sutter Medical Center, Sacramento
Andrew Combs, MD, PhD
Maternal-fetal medicine specialty
Senior Advisor, Maternal-Fetal Medicine Clinical Quality
Pediatrix Center for Research, Education, Quality and Safety
Locum Tenens MFM
Valley Perinatal & Genetics, Stockton
Carolina Reyes, MD, ABOG
Maternal-fetal medicine specialty
Health Science Associate Clinical Professor, Maternal Fetal Medicine 
UC Davis Health, Sacramento
Christi Stone, MPH, RN, CNM, WHNP
Midwifery, public health specialties
Northeastern Region Director
Regional Perinatal Programs of CA (RPPC)
Certified Nurse-Midwife and Quality Manager
CommuniCare Health Centers (FQHC)
Sutter Davis Hospital
Christina Hiebert, MD
OB/GYN specialty
Birthing Center Chief
OB/GYN Hospitalist, Kaiser Permanente Fresno Medical Center
Daniel Hernandez, MD, MBA, FACOG
OB/GYN specialty
Medical Director, Obstetrics & Gynecology
Medical Director, High-Risk Delivery Service
Valley Children’s Healthcare, Fresno
Community Regional Medical Center, Fresno
St. Agnes Medical Center, Fresno
Elenoa Tawake, MSN, BSN, RN
Perinatal nursing specialty
Sutter Tracy Community Hospital
Elizabeth Potter, CNM, MS, WHNP, RN
Midwifery specialty
Certified Nurse-Midwife
Enloe Health, Chico
Gilbert Ramirez, MD, MAS
Emergency medicine specialty
Associate Clinical Professor of Emergency Medicine
UC, San Francisco – Fresno
Community Medical Centers – Fresno
Inspire Health
Helenia Quince, LCSW
Social work specialty
Mental Health Clinician
Embodied Heart Mental Health
Isabel Silva, MPH, CHES
Perinatal education, public health specialties
Senior Director of Wellness & Prevention
Kern Health Systems
Kern County Black Infant Maternal Health Initiative
James Bedell, DO
Maternal-fetal medicine specialty
Senior Physician, Maternal-Fetal Medicine
The Permanente Medical Group – Modesto/Stockton
Jana Mariana, RNC-OB, MSN
Perinatal nursing education specialty
Clinical Educator/Contract Consultant
St. Agnes Medical Center - Fresno
Jennifer Sizemore, D-ABMDI, BA
Deputy coroner
Tehama County Sheriff/Coroner's Office
Joyce Njoroge, MD
Cardiology specialty
Clinical Assistant Professor
Division of Cardiovascular Medicine
Stanford School of Medicine/Stanford Health Care
Karol Watson, MD, PhD
Cardiology specialty

Professor of Medicine, Cardiology
UCLA Geffen School of Medicine
Director of UCLA:

  • Women’s Cardiovascular Health Center
  • Barbra Streisand Women’s Heart Health Program
  • Fellowship Program in Cardiovascular Diseases

Co-Director of UCLA Program in Preventive Cardiology

Kimberly Robinson
Patient/family advocacy specialty
Senior Health Equity Project Coordinator
Reinvent South Stockton Coalition
Community Liaison 
Black Women for Wellness, Los Angeles/Stockton
Kimberly Turbin, BS
Patient/family advocacy specialty
Consumer Watchdog
Larry Shields, MD
Maternal-fetal medicine specialty
Director of Maternal-Fetal Medicine
Marian Regional Medical Center
System Physician VP 
Women and Infant Clinical Institute
CommonSpirit Health
Marla Seacrist, PhD, MSN, BSN, RN
Perinatal nursing/education specialty
Director of the School of Nursing
California State University, Stanislaus - Turlock
Melaney Stricklin, MSN, RNC-OB, C-EFM
Perinatal nursing/education specialty
Perinatal Outreach Nurse Educator
UC Davis Health
Nazanin Ahmadieh, DO, MPH
Addiction medicine specialty
Addiction Medicine Physician
Kaiser Permanente
Robyn Garrett, MSN, RNC-OB, C-EFM, CENP
Perinatal education specialty
Nurse Shift Manager
Dignity Mercy Southwest Birth Center - Bakersfield
Sujata Gami, MSc, LCCE, FACCE
Perinatal education specialty
Health Educator
Kaiser Permanente North Valley
Lamaze Program Trainer
Lamaze International
Teri Nava-Anderson, PhD, BDT/ AdvCD/ BPDT/PCD(DONA), ICCE, CLE
Doula specialty
Doula Trainer/Owner, Harmony Doula Group
Board President, Mt Diablo Doula Community 
Director of Certification, DONA International
Tracy Weeber, MN, CNS, PHN, RNC-OB, C-EFM, C-ONQS
Perinatal and ambulatory nursing specialties
Enloe Medical Center
Chico State Adjunct Faculty, School of Nursing
Vik Farajian, MD
Obstetric anesthesia specialty
Kaiser Permanente, Roseville Medical Center

 

Updated 10/13/25

 

Background

The California Pregnancy-Associated Review Committee (CA-PARC), formerly called the California Pregnancy-Associated Mortality Review, is a multi-disciplinary group of professionals and community representatives that reviews case-level (de-identified) information about deaths of California residents that occur during pregnancy or within one year of the end of pregnancy. The purpose of the CA-PARC is to make data-driven, actionable recommendations on changes in practices, programs, and policies to eliminate preventable maternal deaths and health inequities.

The CA-PARC Project Team is committed to broad membership inclusion, embracing the idea that diverse member representation—professionally, geographically, economically, racially, ethnically and by gender—allows the team to more fully identify how to 1) improve the quality of care for pregnant and postpartum people and 2) ensure widespread dissemination of opportunities to implement recommendations.  

In 2024, the CA-PARC Project Team formed a new CA-PARC Central Valley committee and specifically recruited new volunteer members primarily from the following counties: Butte, Colusa, Glenn, Fresno, Kern, Kings, Madera, Merced, Placer, San Joaquin, Sacramento, Shasta, Stanislaus, Sutter, Tehama, Tulare, Yolo and Yuba. 

Individuals representing the following areas were invited to apply: 

Organizations 
Core Areas    
Specialty Areas
Academic institutions
Behavioral health agencies
Blood banks
Doula programs
Federally qualified health centers
FIMR/CFR programs
Healthy Start agencies
Homeless services
Hospitals/hospital associations
Legal system/criminal justice
WIC programs
Private/public insurer
State chapters of professional associations
Rural health associations
State Medicaid Agency
State Medical Society
Tribal organizations
Anesthesia 
Community advocacy
Community birth work
Family medicine
Forensic pathology/medical examiner
Maternal fetal medicine/perinatology
Community midwifery /Certified professional midwifery
Nurse midwifery
Obstetrics and gynecology
Patient safety
Patient/familly advocacy
Perinatal nursing
Psychiatry
Public Health
Social Work
Addiction Medicine
Cardiology
Clergy
Community leadership
Critical care medicine
Emergency medicine, response
Epidemiology
Genetics
Home nursing, home visiting
Law enforcement
Mental health
Nutrition
Pharmacy
Public health nursing
Public member with personal experience
Quality/Risk management
Violence prevention agencies

 

Commitment

All CA-PARC members are expected to:

  • Commit to a three-year term with the opportunity to recommit annually.
  • Attend at least 75% of meetings throughout the year.
  • Respond to CA-PARC-related emails/texts in a timely manner.
  • Individually complete a Committee Review Form for each case they are assigned to review by the requested date.
  • Participate in the discussion, including consensus decisions through online polling.
  • Offer additional input to all cases when relevant.
  • Assist with dissemination and implementation outreach, as applicable.  

 

Additional Information

At present, CA-PARC members serve in a volunteer capacity and do not receive compensation. Meetings are virtual, though there may be an in-person meeting at some point during the three-year term. 

  • Meetings currently scheduled: November 15, 2024; January 24, March 21, May 16, 2025.
  • Each meeting is scheduled on Fridays from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and is held on Zoom.
  • Meeting preparation includes reviewing 6-8 cases in advance; this amounts to roughly 6-8 hours of prep work before each four-hour meeting.
  • Read more about the past and current work of the CA-PARC.