In partnership with State of California public health leadership, the California Maternal Quality Care Collaborative (CMQCC), the California Perinatal Quality Care Collaborative (CPQCC), and the High Risk Infant Follow-up (HRIF) Program are evolving to further eliminate persistent health inequities, enhance perinatal health outcomes, and foster an integrated statewide health care ecosystem.
The evolved California Perinatal Quality Collaborative (CA-PQC) is set to launch in fall 2026 and will integrate a broad coalition of leaders and advisors to build upon the ongoing impact of CMQCC, CPQCC, and HRIF. The CA-PQC will be governed by an Executive Steering Committee, with strategic guidance and recommendations from an Advisory Council composed of experts from across the health care landscape, including community.
This purposefully collaborative structure will enhance transparency and facilitate shared decision-making to enable better alignment of resources and initiatives to drive deeper maternal and infant health improvements. CMQCC, CPQCC, and HRIF will continue to operate as part of the CA-PQC framework while maintaining their identities and nationally recognized impact and momentum within their distinct areas of expertise.
As an enhanced collaborative, CMQCC, CPQCC, and HRIF will foster the integration of health care, public health, and community services and systems. To fulfill this commitment, the CA-PQC will actively involve a broad spectrum of partners, including clinical professionals, public health experts, community members, community-embedded workforce, and patients and families with lived experience, to ensure diverse perspectives are incorporated into shaping the organization’s focus and strategies.
Two new positions have been created to direct the establishment of the CA-PQC. David K. Stevenson, M.D., Harold K. Faber Professor of Pediatrics and Professor, by courtesy, of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Stanford University School of Medicine, will lead as the CA-PQC Medical Director. Kimberly D. Gregory, M.D., M.P.H., Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Director of the Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine at Cedars-Sinai, has been named CA-PQC Senior Associate Medical Director, reporting to Dr. Stevenson.
These designated Medical Directors, who each bring significant leadership experience in fostering collaboration between systems and individuals as well as specialized expertise in maternal and infant health, will offer clinical guidance and ensure effective support for the CA-PQC's operations. Dr. Stevenson led the founding of CPQCC, the nation’s first state PQC, in 1997. Dr. Gregory chairs the State of California’s multidisciplinary Pregnancy-Associated Mortality Review Committees.
Since CMQCC, CPQCC, and HRIF will be seamlessly integrated into the CA-PQC, operating within that broader framework, additional Medical Directors will support operations with clinical guidance and leadership.
Bryan T. Oshiro, M.D., Vice Chairman of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Riverside University Health System and Associate Professor of Gynecology and Obstetrics and Public Health at Loma Linda University School of Medicine, has been appointed CMQCC Medical Director. Jochen Profit, M.D., M.P.H., Wendy J. Tomlin-Hess Endowed Professor of Pediatrics at Stanford University School of Medicine, will continue as the Medical Director of CPQCC. Susan R. Hintz, M.D., M.S. Epi., Robert L. Hess Family Professor of Pediatrics and Professor, by courtesy, of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Stanford University School of Medicine, will continue as Medical Director for the HRIF Program. Drs. Oshiro, Profit, and Hintz will report to Dr. Stevenson.
All Medical Directors are now in place ahead of the fall 2026 CA-PQC launch and are available for engagement. Leslie Kowalewski, an accomplished public health leader with decades of experience advancing maternal and infant health outcomes in California, will continue as Executive Director of CMQCC/CPQCC and the new CA-PQC, working closely with Drs. Stevenson and Gregory and State of California leaders. Ms. Kowalewski remains dedicated to ensuring that the CA-PQC’s vision and strategies are comprehensively implemented through partnerships and shared decision-making.
The new organization will aim to improve maternal and infant health outcomes by addressing disparities and promoting health equity through sustainable systems and structural change. The CA-PQC will prioritize key initiatives based on population data, maternal and infant morbidity and mortality data analysis, public health impact, funding availability, community involvement, as well as the promotion of evidence-based and community-informed practices.
We look forward to sharing more updates in the coming months. For questions about CMQCC or CPQCC’s activities, please email info@cpqcc.org or info@cmqcc.org.