Dr. Veronica Gillispie-Bell is a nationally recognized obstetrician-gynecologist, researcher, and maternal health advocate whose mission is to eliminate racial disparities and transform systems of maternal care through evidence, equity, and innovation. She serves as System Medical Director of Health Outcomes and Medical Director of Quality for Women’s Services across Ochsner Health, and directs the Minimally Invasive Center for the Treatment of Uterine Fibroids. A Professor at Xavier Ochsner College of Medicine, Dr. Gillispie-Bell is known nationally for her expertise in managing heavy menstrual bleeding due to fibroids and performing advanced laparoscopic and robotic-assisted surgeries. As Medical Director of the Louisiana Perinatal Quality Collaborative and Pregnancy-Associated Mortality Review for the Louisiana Department of Health, she leads statewide initiatives that have improved outcomes across more than 40 hospitals and reduced severe maternal morbidity. Her leadership has informed both state and national maternal health policies, and she has testified before Congress, was an invited speaker at the inaugural White House Maternal Health Day of Action, and has advised the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Federal Communications Commission. Her research has been supported by the National Institutes of Health and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, including over $16 million in federal grants advancing maternal health equity. She serves on several national committees, including ACOG’s Committee on Clinical Practice Guidelines – Obstetrics, where she serves as the Vice-President and the National Network of Perinatal Quality Collaboratives Executive Committee. Dr. Gillispie-Bell’s leadership has been recognized with honors such as the American Heart Association Women in STEM Award, Delta Omega Honor Society in Public Health, and Top Women Leaders of Louisiana. She also serves on the Board of Directors for the Xavier Ochsner College of Medicine and the Board of Trustees at St. George’s Episcopal School. A trusted national voice in maternal health, she has been featured on CNN, Good Morning America, CNBC, and The 1619 Project Docuseries, and quoted in The New York Times and USA Today.