Maternal Health
The Rising Incidence of Maternal Syphilis and
What We Need to Do About It
Available On Demand: Webinar Recording and Slides
ABOUT
Syphilis is a sexually transmitted infectious disease that has experienced a 676 percent increase in prevalence in females of reproductive age from 2012 to 2021 in the United States. The organism that causes syphilis is Treponema pallidum and can cross the placenta to infect a fetus, causing congenital syphilis. Although pregnant individuals from vulnerable populations are more likely to become infected, syphilis is not a disease exclusive to vulnerable communities.
This webinar will discuss how to evaluate individuals at higher risk for becoming infected with syphilis and reviews the screening tests, diagnosis, and treatment for pregnant individuals to minimize the risk of the fetus acquiring congenital syphilis. This webinar aligns with the Health Center Performance Improvement domain of Quality, Patient Care, and Safety as it discusses direct patient care strategies to mitigate complications in the postpartum period. This training will be in conjunction with the National Coalition of STD Directors.
PRESENTERS
Senior Advisor, Practice Transformation, Renaye James Healthcare Associates
Dr. Rachel Mandel is a physician executive with over 28 years of clinical, executive and teaching experience.
In her career, Dr. Mandel has developed a passion for the successful alignment of administration and medical staff in order to adopt transformative changes in healthcare to include population health initiatives and total cost of care models. She is experienced in evaluating key dynamics and issues on both a healthcare system and service line level. She advocates for wide-spread and meaningful improvements in clinician communication in order to positively impact patient experience and quality outcomes. Dr. Mandel is experienced in developing and coordinating effective teams that drive high reliability, performance improvement and efficiency.
Board Certified in Obstetrics and Gynecology, most recently Dr. Mandel worked within the Frederick Memorial Healthcare System, in Frederick, Maryland from 1998 through 2018, beginning as a Private Practitioner, and serving in various executive and physician leadership capacities, including Vice President of Medical Affairs. Her experience included forward thinking work in Population Health, Quality Improvement, Physician Alignment, Emergency Preparedness, Women’s Health, as well as Patient and Family Centered Care.
Dr. Mandel has demonstrated her commitment to community health and wellness through her many speaking engagements, outreach initiatives and volunteer support. She is on the Board of Trustees for the Community Foundation of Frederick County, and in this position championed the 2018 Human Needs Assessment on which future grants and non-profit work will be based for the next decade. She has been recognized for her work and commitment to quality care and community by many organizations including the Delmarva Toastmasters District 18 who presented her with a “Communication and Leadership Award.”
She obtained her Bachelor’s in Science degree from Union College in NY, and her Doctor of Medicine degree from Northwestern University Medical School through the military’s Health Professions Scholarship Program. She earned her Master’s degree in Health Administration from Mt. St. Mary’s University in 2013. After receiving her MHA, Dr. Mandel was asked to teach the Contemporary Health Policy course in the program, which she did for four semesters.
She is a Fellow of the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Dr. Mandel holds a Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do.
Stephanie Arnold Pang,
Senior Director, Government Relations and Programs, National Coalition of STD Directors
Stephanie Arnold Pang is currently the Senior Director, Government Relations and Programs at the National Coalition of STD Directors, where she has led the policy team since 2011. In her current role, she is responsible for formulating strategy and providing overall leadership for the organization’s public policy and federal government relations activities and selected programs, including federal policy and advocacy, state policy, and training. She is also a leading national subject matter expert on 340B STI issues. Before joining NCSD, she was a senior Legislative Aide for U.S. Senator Patty Murray (WA), working on issues of sexual and reproductive health and healthcare reform, and also worked at the National Family Planning and Reproductive Health Association (NFPRHA). Stephanie holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Beloit College.
Elizabeth Finley,
Senior Director, Communications and Programs, National Coalition of STD Directors
Elizabeth Filney is NCSD’s Senior Director of Communications and Programs. She works with the media to shape productive conversations about the nation’s STI epidemics, leads STI Engage, and leads NCSD’s programs team as they work to provide technical assistance to strengthen the public health response to STIs. She has more than two decades of extensive experience in strategic communications, branding, media relations, and policy analysis, almost exclusively focused on sexual and reproductive health. Prior to joining NCSD, Elizabeth was the Chief External Affairs Officer at SHIFT NC (Sexual Health Initiatives For Teens), where she oversaw communications and public policy engagement to improve young people’s sexual health in North Carolina. Immediately after joining NCSD, she co-led the organization’s response to the 2022 Mpox Outbreak and coordinated groundbreaking AI-based message testing to promote mpox vaccines. Elizabeth is based in Durham, NC.
The AAFP has reviewed Preventive Services and Chronic Disease Strategies for Health Centers and deemed it acceptable for AAFP credit. The term of approval is for one year. Participants should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
Each live session is approved for 1.0 AAFP Elective credits. Elective credits are available for physicians, physician assistants, nurses, nurse practitioners, and medical assistants.
This program is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of an award totaling $1,485,711 with 0% financed with non-governmental sources. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by HRSA, HHS, or the U.S. Government. For more information, please visit HRSA.gov.