Overview

The Virginia Neonatal Perinatal Collaborative started as a volunteer organization in 2017 and has since become the 42nd statewide (PQC) charged with improving outcomes for mothers and babies across the Commonwealth. Senior Director, Shannon Pursell, was named to the position in 2020 and the organization has since attracted interest from hospital systems, health care professionals, professional organizations, state agencies, and community partners to support the mission through various quality improvement projects.

The VNPC is committed to including each of the 51 birth hospitals across the Commonwealth in quality improvement projects and supporting initiatives to promote education, awareness, and prevention.

Mission

The Virginia Neonatal Perinatal Collaborative exists to ensure that every mother has the best possible perinatal care and every infant cared for in Virginia has the best possible start to life. We believe in an evidence-based, data-driven collaborative process that involves care providers for women, infants and families as well as state and local leaders. We believe that working together now will create a stronger, healthier Virginia in the future.

Power of PQC’s

  • Connection, collaboration, trust

  • Inclusion of the patient & family voice

  • Action based on data

  • Catalyst to change the culture of care

  • On-the-ground measurable change

These are the four strategic priorities that guide our work.

After engaging our community, we identified four strategic priorities that health care providers, stakeholders, and community partners want VNPC to focus on in the next three years: respectful care, community, data, and communication.

It takes a village , learn about our governance.

It is important that all the amazing voices and care providers working together to improve maternal health find their fit together within a structured governance. This is what ours is all about.

Our Partners

Hospital Recognition Program

The Virginia Neonatal Perinatal Collaborative (VNPC) recognizes the hard work and participation of our partners and has designed a recognition program that aligns with CMS requirements for birthing hospitals to participate in a perinatal quality improvement collaborative. VNPC decided this would be an exciting way to recognize the many Virginia hospitals that already partner with us, and those that will in the future.

The first round of recognition for hospital partners that meet criteria from the VNPC points framework will take place at the VNPC Annual Summit in October 2024.

Questions? Contact Rebecca Thompson.

Legislative Action

Check out what we’re tracking in the 2024 General Assembly session.

As the state perinatal quality collaborative, the VNPC is referenced in several pieces of legislation noted below:

Meet the Team

Arthur Ollendorff, M.D.

Obstetric Co-Chair

Dr. Ollendorff is the designated institutional official at Carilion Clinic in Roanoke, VA and Associate Dean of Graduate Medical Education and professor of OB/GYN and Health Systems and Implementation Science at Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine. His focus is improving quality of healthcare by creating clinical and academic partnerships especially in medically underserved regions. He is the current president of the Association of Professors of Gynecology and Obstetrics (APGO). Dr. Ollendorff completed medical school and his OB/GYN residency at Northwestern University Medical School in Chicago, Illinois.

Lori Dippold, MSN, RN, NNP-BC

Pediatrics Co-Chair

Lori is employed as a Neonatal Nurse Practitioner with Envision Physician Services. She currently works at Spotsylvania Regional Medical Center in Spotsylvania, VA, in the NICU and well baby nursery. Lori works as a clinical practicum instructor for the Neonatal Nurse Practitioner program at the University of Virginia. Lori received her Master’s degree in Nursing from Rush University, Chicago, IL in 2012.

Shannon Pursell, MPH

Senior Director

Shannon Pursell is the Senior Director of the Virginia Neonatal Perinatal Collaboration (VNPC). She is an Army veteran, who served in both Iraq and Afghanistan as a medic working with Soldiers as well as the local population. She also has expertise in state and local public health areas, maternal and child health, chronic disease, adolescent immunization, and programs with an emphasis on improving maternal and infant health outcomes, community engagement, health equity and partnership building. She completed her Master’s in Public Health in 2007 at Walden University and her Bachelors of Science at Purdue University in Health Services.

Brittany Watson, MSW, PMH-C, CHES

Perinatal Quality Systems Project Manager

Brittany joined the Virginia Neonatal Perinatal Collaborative as Project Manager at the beginning of 2023. Brittany is a graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University with a Masters in Clinical Social Work, and she has a passion for working with the perinatal and postpartum population. In addition, she does heart work as a birth doula which she absolutely loves. She is very excited to be joining the VNPC team and continuing the work towards addressing all things maternal health and creating a healthier future for our tiny humans.

Tiffany Carter, MPH, CPH

Perinatal Clinical Community Integration Manager

Tiffany Carter is the Perinatal Clinical Community Integration Manager for the Virginia Neonatal Perinatal Collaborative (VNPC). She leads quality improvement, quality care, and community engagement initiatives for Virginia moms and babies. Tiffany is passionate about helping moms and babies have their best start through a healthy life and positive birth experience. Tiffany completed a Master of Public Health at East Carolina University in Greenville, NC; and a Bachelor of Science in Human Performance at Howard University in Washington, DC. She is certified in public health, and ethnic and rural health disparities.

With over ten years of experience, Mrs. Carter is a public health leader pursuing maternal and child health, disease prevention, health equity, policy development, and healthy populations. Mrs. Carter’s work has been dedicated to ensuring all people, especially those who are disadvantaged, have the opportunity to achieve and maintain their healthiest self.

Sabrina Munro

Communications & Social Media Strategist

Sabrina began at the VNPC as its first ever intern in her junior year at the University of Richmond. Upon graduating in 2022, Sabrina transitioned into her current role within the VNPC. In addition to her work with the VNPC, Sabrina is also a full-time student in the 2025 cohort of the MSN/CNL program at UVA School of Nursing. Sabrina’s ancestral roots in traditional Guatemalan midwifery and her experience in the healthcare field have made her exceedingly passionate about maternal and infant health, health equity, and reproductive justice. As a Communications and Social Media Strategist, Sabrina’s focuses include email, text and social media communications, marketing and advertising, the VNPC’s Bear Bulletin, the Emerging Leaders workgroup, and event planning.

Rebecca Thompson

Program Administrator

Rebecca has a clinical background in patient care and education working alongside both physicians and midwives. She is a graduate of James Madison University with a Bachelors of Science in Health Assessment and Promotion. Rebecca is also a Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES) and Certified Lactation Counselor (CLC). She is passionate about building trusted relationships, helping educate women in safe, no-judgement spaces, and closing gaps in perinatal support. As one of the newest members of our team, Rebecca is excited to work alongside people who share the idea that every woman deserves to be advocated for and supported.

Evan Isaacs, MPH, CPH

Data Analyst

Evan Isaacs serves as a Data Analyst for the Virginia Neonatal and Perinatal Collaborative (VNPC) after starting in October 2023. Evan earned his Master of Public Health focused on Epidemiology from Indiana University – Purdue University at Indianapolis, and a Bachelor of Science in Public Health – Epidemiology from Purdue University. He also has hands-on epidemiological experiences from both the state and local levels of government where he primarily focused on disease surveillance and community driven success. Evan brings a skilled understanding of the link between data and public health outcomes to the Virginia Neonatal Perinatal Collaborative where he plans to contribute to the improvement of maternal and infant health.

Tony Rodriguez, MPH, CHES

Community Relations Coordinator

Tony joined the VNPC in March 2024. He received both his undergraduate and Masters of Public Health degrees at George Mason University. Tony began his career in public health working at an HIV clinic in Fairfax, VA as the PrEP Coordinator; across 5 clinics, he provided HIV preventative services to the uninsured, LGBTQ+, and Spanish-speaking populations and helped reduced the care inequities in HIV prevention care. Tony also worked as a Community Programs Coordinator for a Medicaid-based health insurance company in DC. His focus was maintaining working relationships with various organizations throughout DC such as hospitals, community-based organizations, local resources such as the police departments, libraries, faith-based organizations, and food production services. Tony then supported the Air Force as a Health Education Program Developer where he worked on creating newsletters and presentations, in addition to supporting health promotion coordinators across all Air Force bases in providing tailored health resources. In his role with the VNPC, Tony looks forward to creating and supporting accessible health resources to support communities across the Commonwealth.  

Barbara Snapp, DNP, NNP-BC

National Association of Neonatal Nurse Practitioners (NANNP)

Dr. Snapp is employed as a neonatal nurse practitioner by the Children’s National Health System at Mary Washington Hospital in Fredericksburg, Virginia. Dr. Snapp currently serves on the National Association of Neonatal Nurses Neonatal Nurse Practitioner Advanced Practice Council. Her commitment to nursing scholarship and quality care is evidenced by her many publications, leadership in multicenter, collaborative quality improvement teams, and her work with national organizations on developing quality metrics for neonatology. Dr. Snapp collaborates closely with her colleagues to assure that high quality evidence based care is provided to infants and families.

Joseph Khoury, M.D.

Ex Officio

Dr. Joseph Khoury earned his BS in Biology and Doctor of Medicine Degrees from the American University of Beirut in 2004. After completing his Residency in Pediatrics at the American University of Beirut Medical Center in 2007, he moved to the United States to repeat his Residency in Pediatrics and completed his Fellowship in Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine at the Women and Children’s Hospital of Buffalo at the University of Buffalo in 2012. He then joined the Division of Neonatology at the Children’s hospital of Richmond at VCU as an Assistant Professor and was promoted to Associate Professor in 2020. He is the Medical Director of Neonatal Transport and the Associate Medical Director of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. He was the Co-Chair and Neonatal lead of the VNPC from 2017 until July 2023. He currently serves as ex-officio on the VNPC Board of Directors.