PEI Summit
The PEI Summit, scheduled for September 16-17th is an essential priority for the Inland Empire, as it will allow opportunities for Black/African American families, perinatal providers, behavioral health providers, midwifes, doulas, funders, policy makers and advocates to connect and discuss critical strategies to positively impact the perinatal disparities that exist within our region.
September 16-17th 2022
Welcome!
The Counties of Riverside and San Bernardino Perinatal Equity Initiatives along with the Black Infant Health Programs, and a host of community partners are working hard to change this narrative.
The PEI Summit, scheduled for September 16-17th is an essential priority for the Inland Empire, thus we are inviting Black/African American families, perinatal providers, behavioral health providers, midwifes, doulas, funders, policy makers and advocates to participate.
DAY 1 (Provider Day): The summit will focus on the perinatal disparities within Black/African American women/birthing families with an emphasis on how to provide culturally safe care. Through evidence-based presentations, interactive panel discussions, and much more. CME/CEU's will be offered.
Day 2 (Community Day): The summit will feature fun activities, a free resource fair, interactive panel discussions, and presentations on a variety of topics of interest to pregnant and parenting Black/African American families. A KIDS ZONE WILL BE PROVIDED.
Summit Materials
Speaker/Panelist Bios
Bianca Reid (Panel Moderator)
A Riverside native, Bianca Reid is a Senior Health Educator at Riverside Community Health Foundation, with an MPH (master's in public health) from CBU. Bianca is a birth doula, certified childbirth educator, a wife, and a mother of 4 children. She is a maternal wellness advocate, and enjoys spending time with loved ones, and providing valuable resources for others.
Dr. Corey Jackson
Dr. Corey A. Jackson serves as Chairman and CEO of SBX Youth & Family Services in the City of Moreno Valley. He earned his Master and Doctor of Social Work from California Baptist University and will be sworn into the State Assembly in December.
Jemilla Renee
Holistic Synergist
Certified Birth & Postpartum Doula
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"Jemilla's integrative psychological approach helps expectant parents learn to adapt a Holistic mindset. Her most noteworthy slogan, “What the mind decides, the body is sure to follow,” captures the essence of embracing the human mind and body for the expectant mother."
Dr. Kendra Flores-Carter
Dr. Kendra Flores-Carter is the Published Author of the textbook Medical Social Work Practice. She’s a Full time Social Work Professor and Researcher at California Baptist University and an Adjunct Professor in the Simmons University Doctor of Social Work Program. An advocate for social justice and change, she has dedicated her career to help bring awareness to disparities in healthcare experiences and various issues affecting women and children of Color.
Jovon Ramsey
Jovon Ramsey is a CBU alumni and started her public health nursing journey in 2017. Since then she has worked with women and babies in women’s health/postpartum at RUHS and Kaiser and is currently living out her purpose and career dream as Public Health Nurse for the Black Infant Health program.
Jovon Precious Aigbe, BIH Participant
Osama Precious Aigbe is originally from Nigeria. She has a bachelor’s degree in Electrical Electronics Engineering and currently works as an IT Engineer with Amazon. Osama is a wife and a mother of two children. She is a two-time graduate of Black Infant Health pre-natal and postpartum class of 2017 and 2022. She has shared she is an evolving young woman and delighted to part take in this summit.
Aiyana Davison, Midwife
Aiyana Davison (pronouns: she/her) is a Certified Nurse Midwife and Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner currently practicing in Southern California. While she has worked for the past six years at a large hospital-based teaching facility, she recently started her own homebirth practice and has plans to open a birth center. Aiyana’s work focuses on healing through sharing and vocalizing stories, supporting Black people as they traverse healthcare especially within pregnancy, birth, and postpartum, and educating those interested in midwifery and overall obstetric and gynecologic health.
Professor Amanda Pitchford-Madrid, Ph.D.(c), MSN RN PHN
Amanda Pitchford-Madrid is 6th-year lead faculty member here at California Baptist University College of Nursing as well as an Obstetrics Lecturer at UCLA. She received a bachelor's degree at California Baptist University, a master's degree in Nursing at Grand Canyon University with an emphasis of Public Health and is currently a doctoral candidate at Loma Linda University where she is researching perinatal care practices in the community-based setting. Her nursing experience includes Labor and Delivery, Public Health Nursing, and non-profit sector work. She remains committed to creating safe perinatal care spaces through nursing research, education, and practice.
Priya Batra, MD, MS, FACOG
Medical Director, Health Promotion Bureau – Los Angeles County Department of Public Health
Dr. Priya Batra joined the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health in 2022. A board-certified Obstetrician-Gynecologist, Dr. Batra completed her MD degree at Columbia University and her clinical training at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). She also completed an MS degree in Health Policy and Management at UCLA’s Fielding School of Public Health. Dr. Batra’s formal training and experience in health services research and implementation science play a large role in her approach to improving health and equity across communities.
Deidre Coutsoumpos
Deidre Coutsoumpos has been walking with birthing and breastfeeding families for 17 years. Her career has expanded to coordinating the Doula Access Program. DAP provides public health insurance members with doulas throughout the inland Empire.
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​Deidre is a proud member and cofounder of the Sankofa Birthworkers Collective of the Inland Empire, a collective of Black Birthworkers that serve riverside and San Bernardino counties. Her passion to create safe space for Black birthing women and families now includes coordinating the Sankofa doula Community Doula Program and training new Doulas in the SBCIE Black Community Doula Training, in Partnership with the Riverside Community Health Foundation. Deidre also coordinates community based doula trainings for BIPOC folks.
Chantel Runnels
Chantel has served as a doula for women and the families in hospitals, birth centers and homes since 2008. Based in Southern California, her practice is centered on curating experiences for each family based on advocacy, educating and preparing for parenthood. She received training from past DONA International board president Ana Paula, Postpartum Support International in Maternal & Perinatal Mental Health, Birthing From Within, and Implicit Bias & Cultural Competency through RCHF.
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Chantel strives to help women feel confident and capable for the unpredictable journey of pregnancy, birth and postpartum. Whether preparing for a TOLAC, planned cesarean, or navigating the NICU—“no mama should have to walk alone”.
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You can find Chantel in sunny Southern California, homeschooling her four children, cycling or coffee crawling with her husband Christopher.
Dr. Adwoa Osei
Adwoa Osei is the Program Director for UCR PRIME Leadership Education to Advance Diversity, Co-director for the Health Equity, Social Justice, Anti-Racism (HESJAR) curriculum, Clerkship Director for Pediatrics, and Assistant Clinical Professor of Pediatrics in the University of California School of Medicine. Dr. Osei has led the School of Medicine team in the development and implementation of a new Health Equity, Social Justice, Anti-Racism (HESJAR) across multiple SOM domains (Graduate Students, UME, GME, Faculty, Staff). She has developed innovative new methods for involvement with local communities of diversity to share their experiences and educate those in the School of Medicine on the impact of the level of their cultural competencies on those around them, partnering with health insurance agencies to train physicians on diversity, belonging and anti-racism. She is a physician consultant for Black Infant Health in Riverside County.
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She leads the UCR clinic for Leadership Education in Neurodiversity and has served on expert panels on disabilities for the CDC and American Academy of Pediatrics. She is part of the ACES Aware initiative and together with the regional AAP, helps train physicians in ACEs and related topics. Dr. Osei received the Berton Mathias Award in 2008 for clinical excellence and compassion in patient care, Academy Award for Excellence in Compassion in 2017, Teaching Excellence Award in 2020 from UCR SOM Alumni and Outstanding Pediatrics Instructor in 2020 and 2021.
Dr. Bryan Oshiro
Maternal Fetal Medicine Physician
Dr. Oshiro obtained his M.D. degree from Loma Linda University, where he also completed his residency in obstetrics and gynecology. He subsequently completed a fellowship at the University of Texas in Houston. Dr. Oshiro is board certified in obstetrics and gynecology and Maternal-Fetal Medicine. He has participated in numerous multi-center trials and has published numerous articles and book chapters in the areas of quality improvement, perinatal infectious diseases and high-risk pregnancy conditions.
Dr. Sarah Smithson
Maternal Fetal Medicine Physician
Sarah Smithson, DO, MS is the newest physician member of the MFM Department at RUHS.
She obtained her medical degree at the University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine in Biddeford, Maine followed by residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at Monmouth Medical Center in Long Branch, New Jersey. During residency, she also completed a master’s degree in Medical Education and Leadership from the University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine. After residency, she finally moved to the west coast to complete fellowship in Maternal Fetal Medicine at Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. Her research interests include hypertensive disorders of pregnancy and postpartum depression. She has conducted several research studies which have resulted in multiple recent publications. Clinical interests include prenatal ultrasound as well as resident education.
Jessica Wade
Mrs. Wade has spent the last 10 years working in her community, advocating for under-served women, children and families. She is a devoted wife, a Mother of two, a Mentor, she also is the Manager of Maternal Infant Health Initiatives covering San Diego County March of Dimes. Jessica Wade is also the founding President and CEO of Mighty Little Giants (MLG), a grassroots organization that advocates through providing support, education and hope for mothers and fathers experiencing pre-term deliveries resulting in long-term stays in the hospitals’ NICU.​
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Jessica Wade received her Bachelors Early Childhood Administration, is a Certified Doula ( with Emphasis on NICU Postpartum Support) as well as a Certified Lactation Education Specialist (CLES). Her passion for NICU families and mothers experiencing pre-term births developed as a result of her personal experience of being hospitalized on total bed-rest for eight weeks, prior to delivering her first son 12-weeks prematurely. Once her son was released from the NICU after his 143-day stay, she made a promise to God that she would do everything in her power to help families that experience similar situations.
