Quality Improvement Subcommittee

Erika (Gaby) Cordova Ramos, MD is an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics and KL2 scholar at Boston University School of Medicine, a clinical neonatologist at Boston Medical Center (BMC), and an implementation science researcher of the BU Evans Center for Implementation and Improvement Science. Dr. Cordova Ramos’ research focus is on program evaluation of the implementation of evidence-based interventions targeting perinatal health disparities. She has led the adaptation and implementation of social determinants of health screening and referral in the NICU at BMC and is currently co-leading the efforts to disseminate this practice across five safety-net NICUs in MA. She is involved in multi-site QI initiatives to improve family engagement among diverse families of high-risk infants. 

Dr. Cordova Ramos obtained her medical degree from Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia in Peru. She completed her training in Pediatrics in the Boston Combined Residency Program and her training in Neonatology in the Harvard Neonatal-Perinatal Fellowship Training Program. 

Nicholas M. Heitkamp, MD, MSc is a PGY-2 pediatrics resident at Eastern Virginia Medical School and the Children’s Hospital of The King’s Daughters. Dr. Heitkamp is excited to be applying to neonatal perinatal medicine fellowships during the 2023-2024 recruitment season. His clinical interests include the use of point-of-care ultrasound in the NICU as well as the implementation of quality improvement initiatives. Currently, Dr. Heitkamp is an improvement science fellow, leading a multidisciplinary team with the aim of increasing the success of Golden Hour admissions in the NICU. He is also active in the pediatric graduate medical education community with several recent publications focused on the impact that the pandemic has had on residency recruitment and equity. He is a member of the Association of Pediatric Program Director’s residency recruitment committee as well as the residency recruitment committee at his home institution. Dr. Heitkamp is also the co-founder of FuturePedsRes, a social media-based organization helping pediatric residency applicants during the interview season.

Dr. Michelle-Marie Peña is a Neonatologist and Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Emory and Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. Dr. Peña received her medical degree from Harvard Medical School, completed her pediatric and neonatology training at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, and joined the Emory/Children’s faculty in July 2022. Dr. Peña completed the Center for Healthcare Improvement & Patient Safety (CHIPS) Concentration in Healthcare Quality and Safety as part of her Masters in Health Policy Research at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Peña’s primary interests include health equity research and advocacy with a focus on using QI and implementation science to address inequities in parent’s milk provision and lactation support practices, specifically skin to skin care and breast pump access.

Dr. Roopali Bapat is a neonatologist at Nationwide Children’s Hospital and The Ohio State University Medical Center. She is the Medical director of Quality and Safety of Neonatal Network and Medical co-director of the Clinical pathways Program at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. She has a Masters degree in Healthcare Quality and Safety. She has also completed leadership training in healthcare setting through Medical Leadership Program and Journey to Leadership Excellence Program at Nationwide Children’s hospital. She has successfully conducted QI workshops and provided lectures across the country. She is the leader of QI projects in multiple state and national collaboratives such as Ohio Perinatal Quality Collaborative (OPQC) and Children’s Hospital National Consortium (CHNC).

Susan Hwang, MD MPH PhD is a neonatologist, health services researcher, and perinatal quality improvement expert at Children’s Hospital Colorado and the University of Colorado School of Medicine.  She leads the Colorado Hospitals Substance Exposed Newborn Quality Improvement Collaborative (CHoSEN QIC) and the Data-driven Engagement of Families to Improve the NICU Experience (DEEFINE) QIC.  She previously led the Massachusetts Hospitals Safe Infant Sleep Quality Improvement Collaborative.  Dr. Hwang received her medical degree from SUNY Downstate, MPH from the Harvard School of Public Health, and PhD from the University of Colorado Graduate School.  She completed her pediatric residency and chief residency at New York University and her neonatal fellowship at Boston Children’s Hospital. Dr. Hwang is an NIH-funded investigator whose research interest is in the transition of high-risk infants from hospital to home, with particular focus on safe infant sleep practices to reduce sudden unexpected infant death.