Jennifer Shuford, MD, MPH, Commissioner of the Texas Department of State Health Services, has appointed seven new members to the Texas Maternal Mortality and Morbidity Review Committee. The appointments will take effect from June 1. This follows legislation signed into law last year that added seven new positions to the committee to broaden its areas of expertise and increase its total membership to 21.

“I am grateful these outstanding appointees have enthusiastically volunteered their time to help Texans understand the factors that contribute to maternal mortality and make recommendations to protect the lives and well-being of women,” Shuford said. “In this week following Mother’s Day, I thank all members of the committee, past and present, for their tireless work and advocacy on behalf of Texas mothers and babies.”

The newly created positions include physicians specializing in emergency care, cardiology, anesthesiology and oncology; a representative from a managed care organization; and two community members with relevant health care experience representing urban and rural areas of the state. These replace a previous community advocate position.

“I’m pleased with what the 88th Legislature achieved in passing HB 852, authored by Rep. Shawn Thierry, to expand the expertise of the Texas Maternal Mortality and Morbidity Review Committee. This will improve pregnancy outcomes for all Texans,” said Senator Lois W. Kolkhorst, who chairs the Senate Committee on Health and Human Services. “The expanded membership is based on recommendations by the committee in 2022 along with the Department of State Health Services. This larger committee will ensure that more diverse voices are heard from medical experts from across the state.”

The new appointees include Meenakshi Awasthi, MD; Angeline Opina Gonzalez, MD; Barbara Orlando, MD, PhD; Diaa Osman, DO; Avi Ruderman, MD; Ingrid Skop, MD, FACOG; Lindsey R. Vasquez, MD, CPE, FACOG. Each brings a wealth of experience and expertise to the committee, from pediatric emergency medicine to obstetric anesthesiology.