Women discuss neonatal nursing ratios for perinatal quality and safety poster.

Perinatal & Neonatal Quality and Safety Fellowship

Empowering Leaders to Advance Maternal and Neonatal Quality and Safety

Fellowship Overview

Maternal mortality and severe maternal morbidity rates are on the rise—particularly impacting Black non-Hispanic birthing people, who experience pregnancy-related mortality rates three times higher than their white counterparts.

The Perinatal & Neonatal Quality and Safety Fellowship is a year-long program designed to equip healthcare professionals with the skills and support needed to design, implement, and sustain evidence-based quality improvement (QI) initiatives. The fellowship focuses on reducing disparities, improving outcomes, and fostering safer environments for mothers and babies.

The fellowship is open to professionals from all disciplines who are committed to developing their skills in perinatal and neonatal quality and safety. Fellows have come from a wide range of backgrounds, including neonatology, nursing (NICU and Labor & Delivery), midwifery, OB hospital medicine, quality and safety leadership, social work, lactation consulting, and women and children’s health system leadership.

Diverse medical team collaborating and smiling in a clinic setting.

Female doctor in white coat among diverse medical team meeting.

Fellowship Highlights

Participants:

Identify a Key Issue – Select a perinatal quality or safety challenge specific to their unit.
Receive Ongoing Support – Access monthly group sessions and individual coaching to guide QI project development and implementation.
Build Sustainable Infrastructure – Develop a framework that ensures lasting improvements in perinatal and neonatal safety.
Gain Hands-On Experience – Lead initiatives that deliver measurable results and promote safer outcomes for mothers and infants.

Download Fellowship Application

Applications are closed for 2025, and will re-open for a new cohort of fellows April 1, 2026.

Fellowship Structure and Support

Throughout the year, fellows will engage in structured learning, mentorship, and project development support, including:

Refining your QI question and defining measurable goals
Advancing equity and addressing disparities in care
Finding and applying evidence-based best practices
Building and engaging a collaborative improvement team
Visualizing and analyzing data for informed decision-making
Implementing sustainable changes with clear strategies
Mentorship in abstract and manuscript development for future presentations or publications