MotherToBaby Team

Dr. Romeo works at the Utah Department of Health with MotherToBaby Utah’s Pregnancy Risk Line as an information specialist. His experiences include working as a nurse in newborn intensive care; teaching college health education classes; training medical homes in improving services for children with special health care needs; training young adults with disabilities in leadership and advocacy; and helping families learn about child development. He has served as OTIS Secretary and as Chair of various OTIS committees.

Angela is an information specialist with MotherToBaby California. She earned her undergraduate degree in psychology from Chapman University and her graduate degree from Kansas State University in academic advising/counseling. Angela has been with MotherToBaby since 2009, with experience in both research and counseling. She appreciates the opportunity to speak with pregnant and breastfeeding women and healthcare professionals regarding exposures and medications, and holds a special interest in stress and anxiety in pregnancy and breastfeeding.

Beth is a genetic counselor and pediatric nurse practitioner. She established the Nebraska Teratogen Information Service in 1986, also known as MotherToBaby Nebraska. She was also a founding board member of OTIS.

In her clinical practice, Beth sees patients in General Genetics Clinic, Prenatal Clinic, and the Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Clinic at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. Beth has provided consultation to the FDA and CDC. Two of her recent publications are, “The Art and Science of Teratogen Risk Communication” and “Safety Concerns Regarding Binge Drinking in Pregnancy: A Review”.

Brigitte has worked as a perinatal pharmacist for over 20 years at CHU Sainte-Justine, a tertiary mother-and-child hospital in Montreal, Quebec. She divides her time between NICU and centre IMAGe, where she shares her expertise as a counselor and coordinator since 2003.

Over the years, she published numerous articles in professional journals and presented several conferences on drugs in pregnancy and breastfeeding. She is one of the co-editors of the book Grossesse et Allaitement: Guide thérapeutique (Pregnancy and Breastfeeding: Therapeutic Guide); the 3^rd edition is will be published in 2021-2022.

Caroline has worked as aninformation specialist with Centre IMAGe (Montréal, Québec) since 2002. She also works as a clinical pharmacist in Obstetric and Gynecology at CHU Sainte-Justine, a mother and child university hospital center. She co-edited the 2^nd edition of Grossesse et allaitement – guide thérapeutique (Pregnancy and Breastfeeding: Therapeutic Guide), a book on pharmacotherapy published to support health care providers working with pregnant and breastfeeding women.

Carolyn is a certified genetic counselor who has worked with MotherToBaby North Carolina since 2003. Carolyn also provides multidisciplinary clinical genetic counseling services to patients at Mission Hospital. She is a student supervisor, thesis advisor, and clinical instructor in the area of teratology for the UNC Greensboro and USC Genetic Counseling training programs, and a guest lecturer on teratology for ETSU Medical School. She received her Master’s degree in genetic counseling from the University of Texas.

Chris is a board-certified genetic counselor based in Tucson, Arizona. Her counseling experience includes pharmacogenetics as well as reproductive and cardiac genetics. She is the Program Coordinator and an information specialist at MotherToBaby Arizona, located at the University of Arizona. Chris is also Clinical Coordinator and Clinical Instructor for the University of Arizona Genetic Counseling Graduate Program, Clinical Instructor in Pharmacy Practice-Science, and the host of the MotherToBaby Podcast.

Dr. Chambers is the Program Director of MotherToBaby California. She is a world‐renowned perinatal epidemiologist and a Professor of Pediatrics and Family and Preventive Medicine at the University of California San Diego. Her interests are in the areas of birth defects and other pregnancy outcomes, with a special focus on exposures that can cause birth defects. Dr. Chambers is also the lead investigator for MotherToBaby Pregnancy Studies, a series of observational studies that examine the effects of medications, vaccines, and diseases during pregnancy.

Dr. Coles is Director of MotherToBaby Georgia and Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and Pediatrics at Emory University, where she is also Director of the Maternal Substance Abuse and Child Development Laboratory. Her expertise is in the developmental and behavioral effects of prenatal exposure to drugs and alcohol and the interaction of these effects with the postnatal environment. She was among the first to describe the behavioral effects of prenatal alcohol exposure and to investigate the effects of cocaine exposure on child development.

Dee is a board-certified genetic counselor and consultant for MotherToBaby Arizona. She is a Clinical Lecturer in the Colleges of Medicine and Pharmacy at the University of Arizona and teaches genetics and teratology to health professionals; she is also Program Director of the University of Arizona Genetic Counseling Graduate Program. She received a BSN degree from the University of Bridgeport and her Master’s in Genetic Counseling from Sarah Lawrence College. At the University of Connecticut from 1981‐1989, Dee provided prenatal, pediatric, and cancer genetic counseling, and developed the Connecticut Pregnancy Riskline. She was Director of MotherToBaby Arizona from 1989-2018.

Ema completed a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in pharmacy from Université de Montréal, a doctorate of pharmacy at the University of British Columbia, and a residency in perinatology at BC Women and Children’s Hospital and Long Beach Memorial Hospital. She has a joint position between CHU Ste-Justine and Faculty of Pharmacy where she is a full clinical professor teaching OB/GYN therapeutics. She is actively involved in patient care and research projects, andco-directed the publication of two editions of “Grossesse et allaitement: Guide thérapeutique” (Pregnancy and Breastfeeding: Therapeutic Guide). A third edition will be published in 2021-2022.

Ginger Nichols is a genetic counselor who has worked with MotherToBaby for 20 years, and is now responsible for authoring, editing, and updating our Fact Sheets. Ginger obtained her Bachelor of Science degree in Biology and Sociology from Juniata College and her Master’s Degree in Medical Genetics from the University of Cincinnati. She has a special interest in occupational and environmental exposures.

Dr. Carey is Professor and formerly Vice Chair of Academic Affairs in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Utah and founder and Medical Director of MotherToBaby Utah’s Pregnancy Risk Line. Dr. Carey trained in pediatrics, genetics, and dysmorphology; he has been interested in birth defect syndromes and the care of children with these conditions. In addition to his clinical work, Dr. Carey’s research focus has been in congenital malformations, clinical teratology, and syndrome delineation. He has authored or co‐authored over 280 papers, chapters, invited articles and editorials for scientific journals. He also co‐authored the textbook, “Medical Genetics.”

Josianne is a pharmacist who graduated from the University of Montreal with a master’s degree in advanced pharmacotherapy for hospital practice. She works at Centre IMAGe, a MotherToBaby information service located at CHU Sainte-Justine, a tertiary mother-child university hospital in Montreal. She practices pharmaceutical care in the neonatal intensive care unit. As an associate clinician, she supervises pharmacy students and residents during their hospital training. She is the author of several articles and book chapters on pharmacotherapy during pregnancy and lactation and contributes to the activities of the Centre IMAGe. She has been a member of OTIS since 2008.

Kelly is the Program Manager at MotherToBaby California. She has been with MotherToBaby California since 1993. She obtained her Bachelor’s degree in Sociology at the University of California, San Diego with minors in Biology and Spanish Literature. She became interested in prenatal environmental exposures that cause birth defects and long-term developmental effects when she took a Sociology of Law course that examined the death penalty case of a man who was diagnosed with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS). She actively demonstrates her dedication to educating the community about prenatal environmental exposures through her outreach activities, lectures, and research projects.

Dr. Jones is the Medical Director of MotherToBaby California, which he founded in 1979 and is the first teratogen information service. He is Distinguished Professor of Pediatrics and Chief of the Division of Dysmorphology and Teratology at the University of California San Diego. A pediatrician specializing in the area of genetics and birth defects, he was one of the doctors at the University of Washington who first identified Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) in the United States in 1973. Dr. Jones has published over 400 scientific papers and is the author of the textbook “Smith’s Recognizable Patterns of Human Malformation.”

Kirstie Perrotta is an information specialist at MotherToBaby California, where she provides counseling by phone and chat. She received her Masters in Public Health (MPH) from the University of San Francisco, and has worked in the field of reproductive health for over 8 years. Kirstie currently serves as a member of the MotherToBaby Zika Task Force and also provides leadership around our COVID-19 response. Her interests include vaccines, infectious disease, and mental health during pregnancy.

Lauren is the Program Coordinator for MotherToBaby Georgia. She graduated from Boston University with both a Masters of Social Work and a Masters of Public Health. Lauren is also in the certification process to become a birth and postpartum doula. She has experience working with families in both an educational setting as well as in housing and health, allowing her to recognize the multiple factors contributing to the ability of women and children to thrive. She enjoys living in Atlanta and exploring what the city has to offer.

Lindsey is the senior genetic counselor for Ferre Genetics, a program of the Ferre Institute. She is also an information specialist with MotherToBaby New York and has served as co-director of the program since 2015. Lindsey received her Bachelor of Science in Biology and Molecular Genetics from the University of Vermont and her Master of Science from Brandeis University Genetic Counseling Training Program. She lectures on a variety of genetic issues to community organizations including high school, university, and medical students, physicians, and community health programs.

Lori is a board certified genetic counselor and the Director of MotherToBaby North Texas, which is part of the Texas Teratogen Information Service (TIS). Lori began the Texas TIS in July of 1991. In addition to running the Texas TIS, Lori provides community workshops and education to both the public and to health care providers, and teaches at the University of North Texas. Lori is happily married to Doug, and is the mother of three wonderful children, two of whom are adopted.

Lorrie Harris-Sagaribay is the Program Coordinator of MotherToBaby North Carolina. She is also an information specialist, providing exposure counseling in English and Spanish by phone, email, and online chat. She also conducts outreach and provides teratogen education to public health and healthcare professionals. After serving with the Peace Corps in Honduras, Lorrie earned her Masters of Public Health from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a concentration in maternal and child health. Lorrie enjoys helping women and couples make informed decisions about medications and other exposures during pregnancy and breastfeeding.

Luisa is an information specialist for MotherToBaby Utah at the Utah Department of Health. She graduated from the University of Utah with a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology. Her interests are human and child development and epigenetics. Luisa also works as program coordinator for the Newborn Safe Haven project for the state of Utah. She is fluent in English and Spanish and loves being able to educate pregnant and lactating women in both languages.

Lynn is a teratology (reproductive hazards) educator with MotherToBaby Utah’s Pregnancy Risk Line at the Utah Department of Health. Lynn has worked in women’s reproductive health for nearly 50 years and has been with the MotherToBaby Utah program for 36 years. She is a former OTIS President. She has published numerous scholarly articles on potential reproductive hazards and has provided education to tens of thousands of health professionals and families.

Mara is a certified genetic counselor who for the past 16 years has been providing pregnancy and breastfeeding exposure information by phone and email. As an information specialist for MotherToBaby California, she now also provides information through the MotherToBaby online chat. Her prior professional experience includes working at a neuromuscular genetics lab, at a muscular dystrophy and ALS clinic, and at two prenatal genetic practices. Academically, she earned her undergraduate degree from Cornell University and her master’s degree from Northwestern University.

Mark is lead information specialist and co-director for MotherToBaby New York. He has been with the program since 2006. He also serves as the program’s Research Coordinator with MotherToBaby Studies.

Myla is a certified genetic counselor and clinical instructor in the Department of Pediatrics, Division of Genetics at the University of Texas Medical School. In addition to being an information specialist for MotherToBaby TexasTIPS, she provides genetic counseling to families of pediatric patients at the Shriners Hospitals for Children in Houston. She is involved in facilitating courses and supervising students from the University of Texas Genetic Counseling Training Program. Myla graduated from Ohio Wesleyan University with a BA in Genetics and received her MS in Human Genetics and Genetic Counseling from Stanford University.

Nevena is a board certified genetic counselor and an assistant professor at the University of South Florida (USF), division of Maternal Fetal Medicine and serves as the Program and Research Coordinator at MotherToBaby Florida. In addition to providing counseling as an information specialist at MTB Florida and USF Exposures Clinic, she provides prenatal and preconception genetic counseling in various clinics across the Tampa Bay area. She provides both clinical supervision and coursework instruction for students form the USF Genetic Counseling Program. Nevena earned her MS in Genetic Counseling from the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston in 2012.

Patricia obtained her Bachelor of Science in Biology from Simmons College in Boston, MA and her Master’s in Public Health with a focus on Maternal and Child Health from Boston University’s School of Public Health. She provides oversight for the day-to-day functions of MotherToBaby Massachusetts, including providing information to the public and clinicians, training graduate students, quality of service, and promotion of the program. She serves on committees in education and research.

Dr. Miller is Director of MotherToBaby URMedicine. He holds a PhD in Pharmacology/Toxicology and is Professor of Obstetrics/Gynecology, Pathology and Environmental Medicine at the University of Rochester Medical Center in Rochester, NY. He co‐edited the 3rd edition of Drugs during Pregnancy and Lactation: Treatment Options and Risk Assessment (2015). He is the dysmorphologist and member of the Scientific Advisory Boards for the US Ribavirin Pregnancy Registry, the International Belimumab Pregnancy Registry, the MotHER Pregnancy Registry and a member of the Scientific Advisory Board for TERIS. Besides an emphasis on medication use, Dr. Miller specializes in environmental/occupational exposures during pregnancy.

Réka is a board certified genetic counselor and clinical instructor at the University of South Florida (USF), division of Maternal Fetal Medicine. In addition to providing counseling as an information specialist at MotherToBaby Florida and USF Exposures Clinic, she provides prenatal and preconception genetic counseling in various clinics in the Tampa Bay area. She also provides clinical supervision and coursework instruction for students form the USF Genetic Counseling Program. Réka, originally from Budapest, Hungary, earned her MSPH in Genetic Counseling from the University of South Florida in 2019.

Robert is a senior information specialist based at MotherToBaby California. He also serves as Stakeholder Liaison for the OTIS National Office, where he cultivates new partnerships with healthcare providers/administrators and a number of national programs for under-served populations. He attends and participates at national conferences such as the Association of Maternal & Child Health Programs (AMCHP), National Healthy Start, National WIC, Postpartum Support International, Primary Care Association and March of Dimes to strengthen OTIS’ community engagement. Robert has also served as President, Secretary, and Member-At-Large of OTIS’s Board of Directors.

Dr. Perez-D’Gregorio is a bilingual (Spanish-English) retired OB/GYN with training in Clinical Toxicology, Reproductive-Developmental Toxicology, and Placentology. After training at the University of Rochester 1982-1987, he worked in his country of origin (Venezuela) in Obstetrics and was Director of the Venezuelan Poison Control Center. He joined MotherToBaby URMedicine in 2015 as the Assistant Director and answers calls from different aspects of toxicity, medications during breastfeeding and pregnancy and collaborates with bilingual educational programs for the community and providers. Dr. Perez-D’Gregorio is Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Rochester School of Medicine & Dentistry.

Dr. Običan is the Medical Director of MotherToBaby Florida. She is a board-certified obstetrician/gynecologist specializing in maternal-fetal medicine, with particular research and clinical interest in teratology, fetal echocardiography and fetal therapy. She completed her Doctor of Medicine at the University of Miami School of Medicine, a residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at George Washington University, and maternal-fetal medicine fellowship training at the Columbia University Medical Center. She is also fellowship trained in reproductive teratology and toxicology. Dr. Običan is an Assistant Professor at the University of South Florida in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, division of Maternal Fetal Medicine. 

Sharon has worked for MotherToBaby Connecticut for more than 28 years, the last eighteen of which she has served as the Coordinator. She is also currently the Research Coordinator representing her service. Sharon is a clinical Instructor in the Division of Human Genetics, Department of Genetics and Genome Sciences at UConn Health in Farmington, CT. She graduated from Northeastern University and went on to receive a Master’s of Science in Human Genetics/Genetic Counseling from Sarah Lawrence College. Sharon’s research interest lies in psychiatric diseases in pregnancy and their treatment, and prevention of prenatal isotretinoin exposures.

Sonia is a bilingual (Spanish/English) information specialist with MotherToBaby California. Along with answering women’s and health professionals’ questions regarding exposures during pregnancy and breastfeeding via phone, email, and live chat, she provides educational talks in the community regarding pregnancy health and supports the activities to promote MotherToBaby’s services. In addition, Sonia has authored several MotherToBaby Blogs and has translated content into Spanish. She has also served in leadership and member roles for several OTIS Committees, including the Education Committee, Abstract Committee and Marketing and Website Committees.

Susan is an information specialist with MotherToBaby North Texas. She has always wanted to work with pregnant and nursing mothers, and enjoys all aspects of her position. Susan graduated from the University of North Texas, with a Bachelor’s in Education and later returned to complete her Master’s in Education. After working as a teacher and administrator in Denton‐area public schools, she took several years off to be at home with her children. Susan and her husband, Dmitri, have two beautiful girls, Karlie and Maggie May.

Dr. Chambers is Professor of Pediatrics and Family Medicine and Public Health at the University of California San Diego (UC San Diego), Clinical Professor in the Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences at UC San Diego, and the Director of Clinical Research at Rady Children’s Hospital San Diego. She is a perinatal epidemiologist who leads a number of national and international complex longitudinal cohort studies and clinical trials of prenatal exposures and child health and development. Her research has been instrumental in identifying previously unrecognized human teratogens, as well as ruling out substantial risk for other medications and vaccines. In addition to being the lead investigator of MotherToBaby Pregnancy Studies, Dr. Chambers is the Program Director of the MotherToBaby California affiliate. She is also a founding principal investigator for the Vaccines and Medications in Pregnancy Surveillance System (VAMPSS), which is the first national system to evaluate medication and vaccine safety in human pregnancy.

Dr. Jones is Distinguished Professor and Chief of the Division of Dysmorphology and Teratology in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of California San Diego. He is also Medical Director of the MotherToBaby California affiliate, which he founded in 1979. Dr. Jones received his M.D. from Hahnemann Medical School, and completed a pediatric internship at Philadelphia General Hospital and a pediatric residency at the University of Washington in Seattle. His research has focused on the clinical detection of birth defects and the mechanisms of normal and abnormal growth of tissues and organs during development. He is board certified in Pediatrics, and performs infant physical examinations for MotherToBaby Pregnancy Studies.

Beth is an Information Specialist and Assistant Clinical Research Coordinator with MotherToBaby Pregnancy Studies, where she provides exposure information by phone and enrolls and interviews women into our research studies. She has worked in maternal and child health research for 30 years in adolescent pregnancy prevention, program evaluation, and teratology, and has published in these areas. Her interests include ADHD and pregnancy, breastfeeding, public health, and birth defects research. Since 2015, Beth has served as Treasurer on OTIS’s Board of Directors, and she is a member of the Education, Public Affairs, and Meeting Planning Committees.

Dr. Adams is the Director of Neurodevelopmental Follow-up for MotherToBaby Pregnancy Studies at UC San Diego Department of Pediatrics and Professor of Psychology at the University of Massachusetts Boston (1988 – 2020). Throughout her career, Dr. Adams has conducted research of regulatory and clinical relevance within the field of neurobehavioral teratology with a primary focus on the effects of prenatal exposure to certain prescription medications upon the neurobehavioral development of the child. She has held several elected positions and been an active member in both the Society for Birth Defects Research and Prevention and the Developmental Neurotoxicology Society.

Ms. Borchelt is a child psychometrist and research assistant with MotherToBaby Pregnancy Studies. She graduated from the University of Massachusetts Boston in 2010 with a B.A. in Psychology and from Simmons College in 2014 with a Masters in Social Work. As part of the neurodevelopmental follow-up program, Jolene sends, receives, and scores questionnaires and completes face-to-face assessments with children. She loves that her job allows her to meet with moms and kids and follow their development over time!

Dr. Burke is Chief of the Division of Clinical Genetics and the Director of the University of Vermont Medical Center Clinical Genetics Program. Her clinical responsibilities include clinical genetics and dysmorphology diagnosis and care of children and adults. She received her MD from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, and completed an internship and residency in Pediatrics and a fellowship in Dysmorphology and Clinical Genetics at the University of California San Diego. She is board certified in both Clinical Genetics and Pediatrics, and performs infant physical examinations for MotherToBaby Pregnancy Studies.

Dr. Adam is Professor in the Division of Genetic Medicine, Department of Pediatrics at the University of Washington. Her clinical responsibilities include pediatric care at Seattle Children’s Hospital, as well as counseling pregnant women through the Prenatal Diagnosis Center at the University of Washington. She received her M.D. from Stanford University School of Medicine, and completed an internship and residency in Pediatrics at the Lucile Salter Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford and a fellowship in Medical Genetics at Stanford University Hospital. She is board certified in Medical Genetics and Pediatrics, and performs infant physical examinations for MotherToBaby Pregnancy Studies.

Dr. del Campo Casanelles is a medical geneticist and Clinical Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of California San Diego. He cares for patients with dysmorphologic, genetic, and teratologic conditions at Rady Children’s Hospital-San Diego and conducts clinical research projects in the Division of Dysmorphology and Teratology at UCSD. He is board certified in both Clinical Genetics and performs infant physical examinations for MotherToBaby Pregnancy Studies.

Dr. Janulewicz Lloyd is an Assistant Professor in the Environmental Health Department at Boston University, School of Public Health. She received her Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Massachusetts, under the tutelage of Dr. Jane Adams. She continued her education at Boston University, receiving a Masters in Public Health and Doctor of Science degree in Environmental Health.  Dr. Janulewicz Lloyd has worked with MotherToBaby California for the past 11 years and recently became the Associate Director of the Neurodevelopmental Follow-Up Program, under the direction of Dr. Adams.  In her free time, Dr. Janulewicz Lloyd likes to spend her time with her husband, Nathanael, their three children (Eric, Eleanor and Caroline), and their dog Marley.

Dr. Braddock is Professor of Pediatrics and Director of Medical Genetics at Saint Louis University in St. Louis, Missouri. He received his M.D. from the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Medicine in 1988, completed an internship and residency in Pediatrics at the University of Utah and fellowships in Medical Genetics at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center/UCLA in Los Angeles and in Dysmorphology and Teratology at the University of California San Diego. He is board-certified in both Pediatrics and Medical Genetics, and performs infant physical examinations for MotherToBaby Pregnancy Studies.

Violet Webb is a Psychometrist and Research Associate in the Developmental Follow-Up Program at MotherToBaby. She attended San Francisco State University where she received her Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology. In 2017, she went on to receive her Masters of Science and Advanced Certificate in Educational Psychology from CUNY Brooklyn. Violet is passionate about working with children and contributing to the research that will provide insight about child development. Her goal is to provide assessments that are both fun and comfortable for parent and child.