Christina Yarrington

MD, FACOG

Dr. Christina Deck Yarrington is the Chief of Maternal Fetal Medicine at the University of New Mexico. In her clinical work, she cares for patients with complications during their pregnancy or after delivery. She is also actively involved in elevating innovation in obstetric care. She recently implemented a program equipping women at risk for hypertensive morbidity postpartum with a cell-enabled blood pressure cuff. As they check their BP once a day, at a time in the hectic early days of newborn parenting that best represents their health. Her team of nurses reviews their data and reaches out to screen for symptoms and/or start medications according to her algorithm. This work has elevated our ascertainment of BP in the early weeks postpartum – a time of highest risk for stroke – to over 95%. Additionally, equipped and empowered to check and interpret their own blood pressures, women have presented for care and intervention earlier than prior to the program, offering the opportunity to intervene before a hypertensive crisis. Her research focuses on postpartum hypertension as it relates to two related fields: 1.) cardiovascular health across the lifespan and 2.) health inequities. She is supported by the NIH and HHS in her research on postpartum blood pressure trajectories and predictive value in relation to events of SMM in the first year postpartum. This work is further enriched by a qualitative limb that examines patient attitudes, acceptability, and self-efficacy via semistructured patient interviews. She is leading a team to implement technology, patient feedback, and targeted QI interventions to address inequitable outcomes attributable to preeclampsia.

Hilary K. Wall

MPH

Hilary K. Wall, MPH is a Senior Scientist in the Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and serves as the Science Lead for Million Hearts^®, a national initiative with the goal of preventing one million heart attacks and strokes by 2027. In this role, she provides scientific leadership and expertise to a portfolio of work related to cardiovascular disease, health care systems change, and related public policy.  With a career spanning 20+ years, Ms. Wall has contributed significantly to the field, authoring publications and developing evidence-based tools, resources, and technical assistance for clinicians and public health professionals to support cardiovascular disease prevention.

CDR Tina Pattara-Lau

Lead Faculty

CDR Tina Pattara-Lau, MD, FACOG, is the Maternal and Child Health Consultant with the IHS Office of Clinical and Preventive Services. In this role, she serves as subject matter expert, develops national programs and policies, and collaborates with federal and community resources to optimize patient access to quality care. She began her IHS career in 2015 as an OB/GYN at Phoenix Indian Medical Center, Parker and Peach Springs Indian Health Centers, and Valleywise Health Medical Center. During the COVID-19 pandemic she developed modified guidelines for OB/GYN care including delivery of telehealth prenatal care, vaccine education for patients, and multidisciplinary simulation training for Obstetric Readiness in the Emergency Department.

Tina graduated from the University of California, Berkeley with degrees in Molecular and Cell Biology and Psychology. She commissioned into the US Public Health Service in 2007 and received her medical degree from the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in 2011. She completed her OB/GYN residency at the Naval Medical Center, San Diego, is board certified, and a fellow of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists

Dr. Patricia Capo

Faculty

Dr. Patricia (Tricia) Capo, MD, FACOG, is an ObGyn physician at Alaska Native Medical Center and Southcentral Foundation in Anchorage, Alaska. She graduated from Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine and completed her residency training at The Mayo Clinic and Greenville Hospital System in South Carolina. Tricia has an inherent passion for Indigenous women’s health. She is a member of the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe and grew up on the White Earth Reservation in northern Minnesota. As a physician and a patient in the IHS system she hopes to provide a unique perspective and strive for quality care for Indigenous people.