Leading Quality Improvement: Essentials for Managers in Maternal and Infant Health Settings

Debra Bingham, DrPH, RN, FAAN, is an Associate Professor at Curry College School of Nursing and Health Sciences and the founder and CEO of the Institute for Perinatal QI that was formed in 2016 (PQI). She has co-authored numerous peer-review articles and implementation tool-kits and developed, led, and consulted on several state and national quality improvement initiatives that have reduced maternal and infant mortality and morbidity.

Debra has over 30 years of perinatal clinical experience working in labor and delivery, postpartum/well-baby nursery, neonatal intensive care, and healthcare administration. She was the first Executive Director of the California Maternal Quality Care Collaborative (CMQCC.org), a VP for the Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses (AWHONN.org), and an Associate Professor of Healthcare Quality and Safety at the University of Maryland (UMSON). At CMQCC she co-authored and launched the Obstetric Hemorrhage and Elimination of Elective Deliveries Prior to 39 Weeks Toolkits and collaboratives. At AWHONN she co-created and launched the Postpartum Hemorrhage Project that included the Quantification of Blood Loss video, PostBirth Warning Signs program, and the Maternal Fetal Triage Index. At UMSON she expanded the utilization of implementation science and quality improvement methods and tools within the Doctor of Nursing Practice curriculum. She was the principal investigator for the Advancing Implementation Science Education (AdvISE) Nurse Support II grant funded by the Maryland Commission of Higher Education. At PQI she authored and launched the QI Essentials course, the SPEAK UP Against Racism Action Pathway which includes live virtual and online courses and modules, and the intermittent auscultation simulation-based module. 

She is a co-editor, along with Nicole Huberfeld, JD and Sarah H. Gordon, PhD, of her son David K. Jones’s (1981-2021) book Ripples of Hope in the Mississippi Delta: Charting the Health Equity Policy Agenda.

Because of her leadership and expertise, AWHONN awarded her the Caring Award and a Lifetime Achievement Award. Debra has also been quoted in newspapers such as The New York Times, USA Today, Reuters, and The Associated Press. She has been interviewed on NPR by Renee Montagne, on Studio 1A, and on Katie Couric’s podcast Next Question. She loves saving lives, creating, cooking, and spending time with her beloved family, grandchildren, friends, and dog.  

Jesse McCall, MBA, Senior Director and Improvement Advisor, Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI), coaches individuals and organizations through the process of improvement which includes the data-driven identification of strategic improvement priorities, development of operational systems to support improvement, and the building of practical improvement capability necessary for staff to get results that matter. Jesse also has extensive experience in coaching organizations to engage clinical staff to reduce burnout and foster joy in work. He joined IHI in 2007 and over his tenure has designed, executed, and evaluated programs and projects around the world. He is also a Teaching Fellow at The Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Jesse has expertise in practical application of the science of improvement, staff engagement and wellness, program and product development, marketing and communications, customer relationship management, and large-scale initiative operations. He received his undergraduate degree in Business Administration from Northeastern University in Boston and MBA from the UMASS Amherst Isenberg School of Management.