Who We Are
The OBI Coordinating Center brings together individuals with expertise in quality improvement, implementation science, health services analytics, organizational and behavioral change, birth equity, and health policy.
We are committed to supporting hospitals, maternity care teams, birthing people, and communities, and believe that together, we can enhance the quality, value, outcomes, and equity of care provided to individuals undergoing childbirth in Michigan.
Program Directors
Michelle Moniz, MD, MSc
Program Director
Bio
Dr. Moniz is a generalist obstetrician-gynecologist and health services researcher at Michigan Medicine and Program Director of OBI. She is one of the only implementation scientists in the field of obstetrics. Her research and leadership contributions focus on eliminating health inequities by improving women’s access to evidence-based healthcare.
Molly Stout, MD, MSCI
Associate Program Director
Bio
Dr. Stout is the Michigan Medicine Maternal Fetal Medicine Division Director and OBI’s Associate Program Director. Her clinical and leadership work is focused on building innovative clinical programs for maternal and fetal care. Her research focuses on preterm birth and other major unanswered questions in obstetrics.
Core Faculty
Jourdie Triebwasser, MD, MA
Bio
Dr. Triebwasser is an Assistant Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Michigan Medicine and Medical Director of the Von Voigtlander Women’s Hospital Birth Center. She has received several teaching awards and an award for research excellence from the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine (2018). Her clinical and research interests are in hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, induction of labor, and quality improvement in obstetrics.
Alex Peahl, MD, MSc
Bio
Dr. Peahl is an Assistant Professor in Obstetrics and Gynecology and a health services researcher at Michigan Medicine. Her research focuses on improving the effectiveness, efficiency, and equity of reproductive health care through developing, studying, and disseminating high-quality maternity care interventions. She serves as co-director of the Michigan Plan for Appropriate Tailored Healthcare in pregnancy (MiPATH) and the chair of the ACOG Redesigning Prenatal Care Initiative.
Lisa Kane Low, PhD, CNM
Bio
Dr. Kane Low is a Professor in the School of Nursing, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and Department of Women’s and Gender Studies at the University of Michigan and is part of the midwifery service at Michigan Medicine. Her research includes a focus on the context of maternity care such as unit culture, shared decision-making, and person-centered care as critical contributors to improving health outcomes and promoting health equity.
Shawna Smith, PhD
Bio
Dr. Smith is the John G. Searle Assistant Professor of Health Policy and Management at the University of Michigan School of Public Health. A sociologist by training, her work focuses on how best to improve population access to high-quality, evidence-based healthcare in efficient and equitable ways through organizational and behavioral change. Her work is currently funded by NIH, AHRQ, and the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, among others.
Program Administration
Helen Costis, MSHA
Program Manager
Bio
Helen has spent the last 17 years of her career at the University of Michigan, where she has held various management positions and led the successful launch of several new Collaborative Quality Initiatives (CQIs). She brings vast experience in healthcare operations, quality improvement, and regulatory management.
Carrie Miller, MS
Project Senior Manager
Bio
Carrie brings a wealth of quality improvement and project management experience to the OBI team. Most recently, she served as Project Manager for Collaborative Quality Initiatives (CQIs) in the Michigan Medicine Quality Department. Previously, she has held positions in clinical research, regulatory compliance, and electronic FDA submissions.
Marisa Wetmore, MPP
Project Intermediate Manager
Bio
Marisa brings 5+ years of communication, design, and project management experience. She is passionate about translating complex information into actionable insights to improve healthcare policy, delivery, and equity.
Leslie Bordine, BS
Administrative Specialist
Bio
Leslie supports the daily operations of the Coordinating Center team and the Collaborative as a whole. Leslie brings four years of prior administrative experience at the University of Michigan as well as expertise in organizational and meeting coordination.
Candice Jones, AAS
Senior Database Analyst/Programmer
Bio
Candice assists in evaluating/designing existing or proposed systems to structure and access databases to support OBI hospitals with quality improvement and data abstraction efforts. With over a decade of extensive technical, interpersonal, and B2B leadership she brings a multitude of knowledge in quality assurance data analyzation, while also holding a DE sponsorship from the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Quality & Outreach
Jessi Ems, BSN, RN
Quality & Outreach Coordinator
Bio
Jessi brings experience as an OBI site Clinical Data Abstractor in Northern Michigan with a passion for improved clinical outcomes and birthing experiences. Jessi’s personal and professional focus includes diversity, equity, and inclusion in support of OBI’s mission for a safer and more equitable birthing experience.
Marnie Hyzy, MHS, PA-C
Quality & Outreach Coordinator
Bio
Marnie brings a wealth of expertise to her Quality & Outreach Coordinator role for OBI. With nearly a decade of clinical experience as a Physician Assistant, primarily within Obstetrics & Gynecology, Marnie has worked in a variety of practice settings from academic medical centers to private practices. Her background in clinical research coordination further enriches her ability to drive data-driven decision-making and quality improvement initiatives. Passionate about enhancing maternity care experiences and health outcomes, Marnie is eager to foster collaborative relationships and implement evidence-based practices to advance the Initiative’s mission.
Joan Kellenberg, MS, MPH
Quality & Outreach Coordinator
Bio
Joan has worked in various settings, including federally qualified health centers, public health departments, and academic institutions, including the University of Michigan and Boston University. She has supported research at Michigan Medicine for 15 years and leverages her clinical and public health background to address health disparities and promote health equity.
Kim Brown, MPH
Quality Improvement Specialist
Bio
Kim’s career has focused on Quality Assurance and Improvement, with an emphasis on change cycles, data integrity, reporting, analytics, and data visualization. Prior to joining OBI, she served as the Healthcare Quality Improvement Director at a federally qualified health center in California and worked at a neighboring CQI helping to facilitate the pay-for-performance program.
Analytics
Xilin Chen, MPH
Analytic Manager
Bio
Xilin (pronounced: She-Lin) leads the OBI analytics team in supporting analytic services, data operations, and performance reporting. She has worked as a statistician at Michigan Medicine and the University of Pittsburgh and brings expertise in data management, statistical modeling, visualization, and reporting. She is passionate about using data and science to promote evidence-based decision-making and improve the patient experience.
Thea Bourdeau, MPH
Statistician Intermediate
Bio
Thea supports OBI’s analytic services, data operations, and performance reporting. Previously, she has contributed to maternal and child health research projects at the Wallace Center for Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health; Stanford University in collaboration with the California Maternal Quality Care Collaborative; and Ibis Reproductive Health. She is trained as both a labor/birth doula and a pregnancy loss doula.
Rebecca Wardrop, MSPH, PhD
Senior Data Analyst
Bio
Rebecca supports OBI’s analytic services, data operations, and performance reporting. She received her MSPH and PhD from the University of South Carolina. During her studies, she contributed to oncology research regarding patient experience and racial equity as well as research aimed at improving tic disorder screening tools for children. She has previously worked as a Statistical Analyst for Palmetto GBA through BCBS South Carolina.