PAC/LAC is governed by a prestigious volunteer-based Board of Directors, consisting of prominent healthcare professionals and advocates. The Board of Directors provide advice, guidance, and a commitment to the education and support of the perinatal health community.
Barry R. Halpern, MD, FAAP
President
Dr. Barry Halpern is the Medical Director of the NICU at Northridge Hospital Medical Center and Assistant Clinical Professor in the Pediatrics Department at UCLA. As Medical Director, he has held this position since 1979, Dr. Halpern has participated in all activities required to open the NICU, as well as the development of NICU policy and procedure manuals and the planning of and development of architectural plans for the NICU and purchase of equipment. Dr. Haplern is one of the original Chairs of the PAC/LAC Guidelines of Care Committee and has acted as editor and author for each publication of the Neonatal Guidelines of Care. In addition to serving as a PAC/LAC board member, Dr. Halpern is a member of the Phi Beta Kappa, California Perinatal Association, Diplomate of the American Academy of Pediatrics, and American Medical Association. He earned his B.A. at Rutgers College in New Brunswick, New Jersey and completed medical school at the College of Medicine and Dentistry; Dr. Halpern completed his medical internship and residency in Pediatrics at UCLA, and fellowship in neonatal and perinatal research at UCSD.
Mordechai Taylor, CPA
Treasurer
Mordechai Taylor is the Director at Premier Accounting and Tax Services, Inc. Mr. Taylor has 18 years of accounting, auditing, taxation, and financial service experience both in public accounting and private industry. He has successfully guided his clients through several debt restructures and numerous IRS and state agency examinations. Mr. Taylor has held key management positions for several middle market manufacturing companies throughout Southern California. Through his involvement, Mr. Taylor was able to significantly improve operating efficiencies and bottom line results for his clients. As a co-founding member of Premier Accounting & Tax Services, Mr. Taylor is responsible for the tax and financial service areas of the practice. These services include tax planning and preparation, accounting, financial consulting, and IRS tax debt resolutions. Mr. Taylor has served as a repeat guest lecturer for an accounting course at Argosy University. He is a graduate of California State University, Northridge, a licensed Certified Public Accountant, and a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accounts.
Susan G. Igdaloff, MD
Secretary
Dr. Susan G. Igdaloff is the Medical Director of Southern California at Aetna, serving as the medical lead for patient management teams for San Diego and Inland Empire, and for West Region NICU, pre-certification and appeals reviews. Prior to serving as Medical Director, she served as the Southern California Regional Medical Consultant for the State of California’s Children’s Medical Services Branch, as a Pediatrician in North Hollywood, and held a clinical teaching appointment at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. Dr. Igdaloff’s is a Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics, and member of the Los Angeles Pediatric Society, and Los Angeles Partnership for Children with Special Health Needs. She attended University of Michigan as an undergraduate and University of California Davis School of Medicine. Dr. Igdaloff’s areas of interest include family and patient-centered care/medical home, adolescent healthcare transition, and quality standards.
Catherine Ekwa-Ekoko, MD
Member at Large
Dr. Catherine Ekwa-Ekoko specializes in neonatal medicine and provides patient care at St. John’s Regional Medical Center in Oxnard.
Mitch Goldstein, MD
Member at Large
Dr. Mitch Goldstein is an Associate Professor of Pediatrics at Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital and the Medical Director of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Citrus Valley Medical Center. He has varied and diverse research interests within the field of neonatal/perinatal medicine but remains grounded in his commitment to the advancement of women and children’s health issues.
Jeotsna Grover, MD
Member at Large
Dr. Jeotsna Grover is the Director of Maternal Fetal Medicine at Olive View UCLA Medical Center in Sylmar, and Associate Clinical Professor at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. As Director of Maternal Fetal Medicine, Dr. Grover is responsible for the patient care delivered on the Perinatal Unit and Clinical-specialized Obstetrics, as well as resident and medical student teaching. Prior to her position at Olive View UCLA, Dr. Grover worked in a similar position at Arrowhead Regional Medical Center and Riverside County Regional Medical Center. She is a Fellow of the American College of Obstetrics & Gynecology, and member of the Society of Maternal Fetal Medicine, and AIUM. Dr. Grover is the recipient of several appreciation awards from PAC-LAC, March of Dimes, and for clinical teaching awards; she is truly honored and touched when she receives a ‘thank-you’ letter from a patient. She completed the M.B.B.S. and M.S programs at Medical College in Agra, India, and earned her medical degree from SUNY Buffalo in Buffalo, New York; Dr. Grover’s fellowship was in maternal fetal medicine at Harbor UCLA Medical Center in Torrance, CA. Dr. Grover’s area of interests include genetic ultrasound, diabetes in pregnancy, hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, and obesity in women and in pregnancy.
Sherri Mendelson, PhD, MSN, BSN
Member at Large
Dr. Sherri Mendelson is the Director of Nursing Research and Magnet Program at Providence Holy Cross Medical Center. Dr. Mendelson’s current position includes oversight and maintenance of the Magnet Program, leadership in provision of research education and research mentorship across the Providence Southern California region, conduct of research, and leadership for dissemination of research and quality improvement outcomes. She previously held positions as a Perinatal Clinical Nurse Specialist and educator. Dr. Mendelson is an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant and Certified by NCC in Electronic Fetal Monitoring, Inpatient Obstetrics and Neonatal Intensive Care. In addition to serving as a PAC/LAC Board Member, Dr. Mendelson is a UCLA Nursing Alumni Board Member. She is a member of AWHONN, ACNL-2013, and Sigma Theta Tau. In 2011, Dr. Mendelson received the PAC/LAC Volunteer of the Year Award, and in 2009, was awarded JOGNN’s Research Article of the Year. She received her Ph.D. at UCLA, and M.S.N. and B.S.N. at the University of Illinois. Dr. Medelson’s areas of interest include chronic diseases and pregnancy across the continuum of care, evidence-based care of women in labor, breastfeeding, and ethics and obstetrical care.
Elizabeth Russel, PhD, OTR/L
Member at Large
Dr. Elizabeth Russel graduated from UNH with a bachelors in Occupational Therapy, CSUN with a Masters in Special Education and USC with a PhD in Occupational Science. Her experience as a pediatric occupational therapist included work within public schools, hospital inpatient and outpatient departments, NICUs, and California Children’s Services. Dr. Russel’s area of specialty include areas of early intervention, deafness, blindness, physical disabilities, and sensory integration. She was previously the Program Director and Assistant Professor at Mount St. Mary’s College in Los Angeles. Dr. Russel is active in Occupational Therapy Associations and the Infant Development Association of California. Presently, she is a Program Consultant with the Children’s Medical Services.
William E. Wagner, III, PhD, MPH, MA, BA
Member at Large
Dr. William Wagner is a Professor of Sociology at California State University, Channel Islands. Dr. Wagner teaches primarily statistics and research methods courses in the social and behavioral sciences. Prior to arriving at CSU Channel Islands, Dr. Wagner held the position of Director of the Institute for Social & Community Research. During his tenure at ISCR, he served as a principal investigator on approximately $2 million in research grants and contracts. He authored Using SPSS Statistics for Research Methods and Social Science Statistics, 4th edition, and co-authored Adventures in Social Research. In addition to serving as a PAC/LAC Board Member, Dr. Wagner is on the Victor Emmanuel Arcabos Memorial Fund Board. He is a member of the American Sociological Association, International Network for Social Network Analysis, Pacific Sociological Association, California Sociological Association, and American Public Health Association. He completed his Ph.D. in Sociology at the University of Illinois at Chicago, the M.P.H. program at the California State University Northridge, the M.A. in Sociology at the University of Illinois at Chicago, and earned a B.A. in Mathematics at St. Mary’s College of Maryland. Dr. Wagner’s area of interests include sexual health behavior, social network analysis related to personal and public health, and gay & lesbian health issues.
Gilbert Martin, MD, JD
Member at Large
Dr. Gilbert Martin is the Medical Director Emeritus of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit in the Family Birth & Newborn Center. He helped open the NICU at Queen of the Valley 40 years ago. He is Board Certified in both Pediatrics and Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine, and is a Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics. He is the past Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Perinatology, the national journal for the practice of Neonatal and Perinatal Medicine, a position he held for over 20 years. He is the past president of the California Association of Neonatologists, and is on the Executive Committee of the Perinatal Section of the American Academy of Pediatrics. He is a reviewer for Pediatrics, the official journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics, as well as for Obstetrics & Gynecology, the official journal of the College of Obstetrics and Gynecology. He has published several papers in Neonatology and Perinatology. He holds Clinical Professorships in Pediatrics at the USC School of Medicine, the UC Irvine Medical Center, and Loma Linda University Medical Center.