Midwifery Role in Quality Improvement

Kelly Fitzgerald, MSN CNM is a Quality and Patient Safety Specialist at NewYork-Presbyterian in New York City, focusing on obstetric quality assurance and improvement. She began doing quality assurance work in 2014 while still practicing clinically as a midwife and left clinical practice in 2018 to focus exclusively on work in obstetric quality improvement. Prior to this position, she was the Regional Perinatal Center Coordinator at Bellevue Hospital and the manager of the midwifery service and OB quality assurance program at NYU/Brooklyn. She began clinical practice as a midwife in 2004, first in Philadelphia and then in New York City, both as part of a private group practice and in large volume, public health settings.  She was involved in the establishment of an obstetric in situ simulation program at Bellevue and completed the Institute for Medical Simulation’s instructor course, and has taught multidisciplinary simulations since 2015. She is a 2003 graduate of the University of Pennsylvania’s Midwifery Program and the UMass Amherst Second Bachelor’s Nursing Program in 1999. In her spare time, she enjoys reading and running, and is trying to be more enthusiastic about her new Peloton bike. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband and daughter.

Publications:

“Use of phenytoin in pregnancy for epileptic seizure prophylaxis: a case report.” Journal of Midwifery and Women’s Health, 49(2) March/April 2004 p 145-47.

Dysfunctional Labor. In Minassian, Sahab S. MD and Woodland, Mark B MD (Eds.). (2007) Ob/Gyn Clerkship Guide. Philadelphia: Elsevier.

Presentations: