1. Home
  2. Advisory Committees
  3. Advisory Committee on Infant and Maternal Mortality (ACIMM)
  4. Membership

Membership

On this page:

ACIMM leadership

Belinda D. Pettiford, MPH

Belinda D. Pettiford, MPH
Chair

Belinda has over 30 years of experience in public health. She has been with the Title V Program within the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Public Health since November 1995. Belinda is the Chief for the Women, Infant, and Community Wellness Section and in this capacity, provides oversight to the state’s maternal health, reproductive health, preconception health, teen pregnancy prevention, sickle cell, and numerous programs focused on equity in birth outcomes.

Belinda received her master’s degree in public health (MPH) from the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill and undergraduate degrees from the University of North Carolina in Greensboro in Community Health Education and Psychology. She co-chairs the Perinatal Health Committee of the NC Child Fatality Task Force. She is a 2023 MCHB Director’s Award recipient and a 2020 recipient of the Ron Levine Public Health Leadership Award, recognizing outstanding public health leadership in North Carolina. Belinda is a past President of the Association of Maternal & Child Health Programs (AMCHP) and serves on the Board of the National Healthy Start Association.

Members

The Advisory Committee on Infant and Maternal Mortality (ACIMM) has up to 21 members appointed by the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services for a term of up to 4 years. However, any member appointed to fill the vacancy of an unexpired term may be appointed for the remainder of the term and then be eligible for a full 4-year term.

  • Sherri L. Alderman, M.D., M.P.H., IMH-E, FAAP
    Developmental Behavioral Pediatrician
    CDC Act Early Ambassador to Oregon
    Help Me Grow Physician Champion
    Portland, OR
    Term ends: March 2025

  • Ndidiamaka Amutah-Onukagha, Ph.D., M.P.H, CHES
    Julia A. Okoro Professor of Black Maternal Health
    Associate Professor, Public Health and Community Medicine
    Assistant Dean of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Tufts
    University, School of Medicine
    Boston, MA
    Term ends: June 2028

  • Hannabah Blue, M.S.P.H.
    Consultant, John Snow, Inc.
    Denver, CO
    Term ends: June 2028

  • Charleta Guillory, M.D., M.P.H., FAAP
    Professor of Pediatrics
    Division of Neonatology
    Baylor College of Medicine
    Director, Neonatal-Perinatal Public Health Program
    Texas Children's Hospital
    Robert Wood Johnson Health Policy and Congressional Fellow (2000)
    Houston, TX
    Term ends: June 2028

  • Marilyn Kacica, M.D., M.P.H., FAAP
    Medical Director, Division of Family Health
    New York State Department of Health
    Albany, NY
    Term ends: June 2027

  • Scott Lorch, M.D., MSCE
    Kristine Sandberg Knisely Professor of Pediatrics
    Perelman School of Medicine at The University of Pennsylvania
    Vice Chair, Division of Neonatology
    The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
    Roberts Center for Pediatric Research
    Philadelphia, PA
    Term ends: June 2028

  • M. Kathryn Menard, M.D., M.P.H.
    Upjohn Distinguished Professor
    Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
    Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine
    University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
    Chapel Hill, NC
    Term ends: March 2025

  • Joy M. Neyhart, D.O., FAAP
    Pediatrician
    Juneau, AK
    Term ends: March 2026

  • Marie-Elizabeth Ramas, M.D., FAAFP
    Family Practice Physician
    Hollis, NH
    Term ends: March 2026

  • Phyllis W. Sharps, Ph.D., RN, FAAN
    Professor Emerita
    Johns Hopkins School of Nursing
    Laurel, MD
    Term ends: March 2025

  • ShaRhonda Thompson
    Consumer/Community member
    St. Louis, MO
    Term ends: March 2025

  • Jacob C. Warren, Ph.D., M.B.A., CRA
    Behavioral Epidemiologist and Rural Health
    Equity Researcher
    University of Wyoming,
    Laramie, WY
    Term ends: March 2025

  • Marya Zlatnik, M.D., MMS
    Clinical Professor
    Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences
    School of Medicine
    University of California, San Francisco
    San Francisco, CA
    Term ends: June 2028

  • Designated Federal Official
    Vanessa Lee, M.P.H.
    Health Resources and Services Administration
    Maternal and Child Health Bureau
    Rockville, MD

  • Executive Secretary
    Michael D. Warren, M.D., M.P.H., FAAP
    Health Resources and Services Administration
    Maternal and Child Health Bureau
    Associate Administrator
    Rockville, MD

  • Program Lead
    Vacant

  • Ex-officio members

  • U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
    Anne Miller
    Senior Policy Advisor
    Immediate Office of the Assistant Secretary
    Administration for Children and Families
    Washington, DC

  • RDML Felicia Collins, M.D., M.P.H.
    Office of Minority Health
    Deputy Assistant Secretary for Minority Health
    Director, HHS Office of Minority Health
    Rockville, MD

  • Charlan Day Kroelinger, Ph.D., M.A.
    National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Division of Reproductive Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Chief, Maternal and Infant Health Branch
    Chamblee, GA

  • Deborah Kilday, M.S.N., RN
    Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health
    Senior Public Health Advisor
    Office on Women's Health
    Rockville, MD

  • Danielle Ely, Ph.D.
    National Center for Health Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
    Health Statistician, Division of Vital Statistics
    Hyattsville, MD

  • Dorothy Fink, M.D.
    Office of Women's Health
    Deputy Assistant Secretary, Women's Health Director
    Washington, DC

  • Karen Remley, M.D., M.B.A., M.P.H., FAAP
    National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director, National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities
    Atlanta, GA

  • Nima Sheth, M.D., M.P.H.
    Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
    Associate Administrator for Women's Services (AAWS)
    Rockville, MD

  • Kristen Zycherman, RN, B.S.N.
    Center for Medicaid and CHIP Services, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
    Quality Improvement Technical Director, Division of Quality and Health Outcomes
    Baltimore, MD

  • U.S. Department of Agriculture
    Caroline Dunn, Ph.D., RDN
    Food and Nutrition Services
    Washington, DC

  • Tina Pattara-Lau, M.D., FACOG
    Indian Health Service
    CDR, US Public Health Service
    Maternal Child Health Consultant
    Rockville, MD

  • U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
    Alicka Ampry-Samuel
    Regional Administrator, Region I
    New York, NY

  • Nahida Chaktoura, M.D.
    National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health Chief, Pregnancy and Perinatology Branch
    Bethesda, MD

  • U.S. Department of Labor
    Gayle Goldin, M.A.
    Division Director, Women's Bureau
    Washington, DC

Nominations for membership

This committee is not currently accepting applications.

Are you eligible?

Members are representatives of both the public and private sectors. Members from the private sector may represent advocacy organizations, corporations, foundations, health plans, and other stakeholder groups such as faith-based organizations, consumers, and health professional organizations.

Members from the public sector may include elected officials and health and human services administrators from the state and local levels including representatives of minority, rural, and urban interests. 

There are no exclusions. Anyone can apply.

Questions about eligibility?

Contact Designated Federal Official - Email Vanessa Lee

Date Last Reviewed: