If you think it’s an AFE, call us! 1-307-363-2337 (1-307-END-AFES)

If you think it’s an AFE, call us!

1-307-363-2337 (1-307-END-AFES)
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AFE Foundation
Who We Are

The Amniotic Fluid Embolism Foundation brings together families, survivors, medical professionals, and researchers to promote awareness and resources aimed at reducing the risk of amniotic fluid embolism (AFE).

Our efforts have led to a respected research program on AFE, helpful educational resources for healthcare providers, and support groups for those affected by AFE worldwide.

AFE Foundation Team

Miranda Klassen

Miranda Klassen

Founder/ Executive Director

Connect with Miranda

Emily with her husband and daughter sitting on a picnic blanket.

Emily Taylor

Deputy Director

Katy Imbrogno

Katy Imbrogno

Community Liaison

Jamie Agunsday

Jamie Agunsday,
MA, MSN, RNC-OB

Nurse Abstractor

Becky Cypher, RN

Becky Cypher, RN

Research Nurse 

Kayleigh Summers, LCSW

Kayliegh Summers, LCSW

Support Program Manager

Vanita Williams, MSW, LCSW

Vanita Williams, MSW, LCSW

Support Program Manager

Jenna Gresko

Jenna Gresko

Support Program Volunteer

Board Members

Amy De Simone

Amy De Simone

Founding Board Chair

Michelle Moon

Michelle Moon

Vice-Chair

Sandra Bozanic

Sandra Bozanic

Finance

Stephanie Arnold

Stephanie Arnold

Director

Diana Masulli

Diana Masulli

Director

Naomi Ventour

Naomi Ventour

Director

Justin Waclawek

Justin Waclawek

Director

Medical Advisors/Collaborators

Irene Stafford, MD

Chair and Registry Director

Gary Dildy III

Gary A. Dildy, MD

Vice-Chair

Steven L. Clark, MD

Advisor

Stephanie Martin

Stephanie Martin ,
D.O.

OB Critical Care, Course Instructor

Suzanne Baird

Suzanne Baird,
DNP, RN

OB Critical Care Nursing, Course Instructor

Julie Arafeh

Julie Arafeh, RN

Simulation Course Instructor

Mallorie Suffield, RN

Mallorie Suffield, RN

Simulation Advisor, Course Instructor

Boards We Serve On

We are proud to provide our perspective and educational information to several key stakeholders.

Help us #endAFE!

The AFE Foundation is funded by donations. Every dollar goes toward our support, research, and education programs. We are committed to turning donations into action, including yours.

Donate Today!
Miranda Klassen

Miranda Klassen

Founder

Miranda, an AFE survivor, is the Executive Director of the AFE Foundation, which she founded in 2008 just 3 months after recovering from her AFE. Since day one Miranda has shown compassion for families grieving the loss of a loved one and supporting those and others impacted by AFE.

She is responsible for defining and implementing the organization’s overall business and marketing strategic plans and is the primary driver in overseeing day-to-day operations. Miranda assisted in the development and implementation of the Amniotic Fluid Embolism Registry in collaboration with AFE experts and maternal-fetal medicine specialists at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, Wayne State University, and the Perinatal Research Branch of the NICHD of the National Institute of Health. The Registry is the world’s largest database of AFE cases allows for future investigations pertaining to the genes and mechanisms associated with AFE.

Miranda spent 20 years in banking, finance, and business development. In 2015, Miranda left her career in banking to run the foundation full-time. Miranda also serves on boards of various maternal health organizations. She is the Patient Advocate for the Council for Patient Safety in Women’s Health Care based in Washington D.C., Executive Committee Member for the California Maternal Quality Care Collaborative (CMQCC), Pregnancy Associated Maternal Mortality Review Committee (PAMR) Executive Advisory Member for the Institute for Perinatal Quality Improvement, and as a member of the expert panel for the Obstetric Life Support Pregnancy Resuscitation Program at Baylor College of Medicine.

Miranda is a frequent speaker, panelist, and lecturer on amniotic fluid embolism and patient advocacy. She is also a contributing author on numerous publications on amniotic fluid embolism including a nationally approved AIM Safety Bundle Patient, Family, and Staff Support after a Severe Maternal Event.

Miranda has been recognized with several honors and awards for her professional and personal achievements including a feature in the 2016 People Magazine’s Special Edition American Heroes, recognizing her work with the foundation.

Her greatest joy and accomplishment is raising her son Van with her husband, ICU Nurse, Bryce.

Connect with Miranda
LinkedIn | Google Scholar

Emily Taylor

Emily Taylor

Deputy Director

Emily Taylor is the Deputy Director of the AFE Foundation. As a survivor of AFE during the labor of her first child, she knew her passion to prevent this from happening to other mothers would never dull. She believes every mother should have the birth experience they desire and hope for. Emily assists with several projects at the foundation, including our state liaison program and the research registry.

Emily is also a Village to Village member with NCDHHS and a maternal health advocate.

Emily’s healthcare experience includes her work as Director of Patient Engagement for the International Foundation for Gastrointestinal Disorders, where she primarily handled the engagement between patients and healthcare professionals. She received her Bachelor’s degree in biological sciences from North Carolina State University.

When not working for the foundation, Emily enjoys horseback riding and spending time with her four-legged friends of all sizes. She lives with her husband Alex and her daughter Evie in Cary, NC.

Katy Imbrogno

Katy Imbrogno

Community Liaison

In 2013, Katy suffered an amniotic fluid embolism during the delivery of her third child. After the traumatic experience and long recovery, Katy began to research AFE and found the AFE Foundation for support and information. Fully recovered, Katy felt a strong dedication and loyalty to the AFE Foundation and served in numerous roles as a volunteer helping others navigate their own healing process as well as fundraising for the organization. In her current role of Community Liaison, she continues to assist and mentor the AFE community through various AFE support groups, while also securing monetary and donated goods to benefit families affected by AFE. Katy continues to further her knowledge and experience with maternal mortality and morbidity by joining the AFE Foundation and other patient advocacy organizations through the MoMMA’s Voices coalition. Katy lives in New England with her husband Tim, three children, and two Wheaten Terriers.

Jamie Agunsday

Jamie Agunsday, MA, MSN, RNC-OB

Nurse Abstractor

Jamie Agunsday is a master’s prepared Registered Nurse who has been serving families in southern New Jersey for 10 years. She spent more than 7 years at the bedside as a labor nurse, helping families grow safely and with dignity. For the last 4.5 years, Jamie has supported the review of maternal deaths in her state by telling the stories of women who died from pregnancy complications to the Maternal Mortality Review Committee.
Jamie has a long history of advocacy. While receiving her master’s degree in sociology from the University of Central Florida, she worked as a crime victim advocate supporting survivors of intimate partner violence, sexual assault, and stalking. As a nurse, Jamie has been deeply impacted by seeing women and birthing people experience serious complications resulting from pregnancy. Over the course of her nursing career, Jamie has earned her master’s degree in nursing and certification in her specialty. Jamie is extensively involved in her professional association, The Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric, and Neonatal Nurses (AWHONN). She serves on committees on the state and national level, she has advocated in the halls of Congress, and she is a member of the AWHONN Insights Podcast Advisory Board. Jamie’s work also focuses on inspiring, teaching, and mentoring other nurses to make childbirth safer.

Becky Cypher, RN

Rebecca Cypher

Research Abstractor

Rebecca Cypher is a perinatal nurse with over 20 years of experience as a clinical nurse, university faculty, manager, educator, and advanced practice nurse. Miss Cypher received her BSN from Eastern Michigan University and an MSN from Regis University as a perinatal nurse practitioner. She has held various positions in AWHONN including consultant, task force chair for the Advanced Fetal Heart Monitoring course, member of the Intermediate Fetal Heart Monitoring revision committee, author in AWHONN’s fetal heart monitoring texts, and the Armed Forces Section Chair. She has presented at local, state, and national meetings on a variety of topics including fetal monitoring, legal issues, and high-risk conditions in pregnancy.
Kayleigh Summers, LCSW

Kayleigh Summers, LCSW

Support Program Manager

After experiencing an amniotic fluid embolism during the birth of her son, Kayleigh became passionate about how early treatment of birth trauma can change the trajectory of healing for an individual and their entire family.

Using her training as a licensed therapist combined with her lived experience as an AFE survivor, Kayleigh educates and supports those who have experienced perinatal trauma. With a thriving birth trauma support community she cultivated through Instagram, TikTok, and her podcast, she can provide connection, story sharing, and resources to support those experiencing birth and other trauma.

As the AFE Support Program Manager, Kayleigh directs and oversees our support offerings and often lectures on the trauma-informed care of AFE patients and families and healthcare provider trauma in the setting of a severe maternal event.

Vanita Williams, MSW, LCSW

Vanita Williams, MSW, LCSW

Support Program Volunteer

Vanita Williams is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, U.S. Navy Veteran, and an amniotic fluid embolism (AFE) survivor. She was inspired to become a social worker following her AFE experience and obtained her MSW at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Vanita currently works to provide supportive services to caregivers of veterans with chronic illnesses at the local Veterans Affairs Medical Center. Vanita also volunteers with the AFE Foundation to facilitate the monthly Infant Loss Peer Support Group and coordinates the Support Box project.

Vanita currently resides in Chicago with her husband and their two dogs where she enjoys long walks along Lake Michigan and exploring the city.

Jenna Gresko

Jenna Gresko

Support Program Volunteer

Jenna suffered an Amniotic Fluid Embolism moments after the birth of her son, James, in October 2022. Following an extended hospital stay and numerous complications, her experience as both a nurse and patient has provided her with a unique perspective and fueled her desire to support those impacted by AFE. Her dedication to helping others goes beyond the bedside and is now reflected in her current role as Community Liaison for the AFE Foundation.

Jenna holds a Master’s in Nursing and is a certified Family Nurse Practitioner. She has been a Registered Nurse for 10 years and has a clinical background in surgical ICU, ICU step down, and pre-operative nursing. Throughout her career, Jenna has developed a strong foundation in patient care, combining expertise in clinical practice with a deep commitment to helping others.

Jenna is a maternal health advocate and a PA state liaison for the AFE foundation. She is also a certified MoMMA’s Voices Patient Family partner.

In her free time, Jenna enjoys traveling with her husband, James, and their son.

Amy De Simone

Amy De Simone

Board Chair

After experiencing an AFE during the birth of her son, Aiden, in March of 2008, Amy immediately started searching for answers and other AFE survivors. Knowing she was fortunate to have survived such a rare and dangerous complication, Amy found it alienating to learn the grim statistics. After meeting through a support group, Amy met founder Miranda Klassen while traveling to San Diego and the two became fast friends. Together, they have overcome the challenges of starting a non-profit from the ground up while also grappling with the many emotions that accompany birth trauma. They have taken the early ideas and made them a reality. Amy served as the board chair for 10 years overseeing the strategic vision and mission. Amy went on to have another son, Liam, and now helps other AFE survivors who would also like to grow their families after experiencing an AFE. Amy serves as board secretary and oversees our support group administration. She and her husband Michaal and two boys live in Atlanta, GA.

Michelle Moon

Michelle Moon

Vice-Chair

Michelle suffered an Amniotic Fluid Embolism (AFE) during the birth of her second child, Piper. Like many families, Michelle turned to the Amniotic Fluid Embolism Foundation to seek answers and support. Just months after her return home, she began to formulate a plan using her unique gifts and talents in the hospitality industry to benefit the cause. The result was Tango of the Vines, a celebration of the senses that showcases the delicious and diverse cuisine of San Antonio, Texas alongside the palate pleasers of local winemakers. Its first event, just 10 months later after her AFE, was a huge success! Now in its 4th year, Tango has raised over $100,000 to benefit the AFE Foundation for AFE research.

Sandra Bozanic

Sandra Bozanic

Finance

Sandi is a Certified Public Accountant with 20 years of extensive experience in financial analysis, forensic accounting, budgeting, forecasting, and financial management. When a close friend suffered and survived an amniotic fluid embolism, Sandi wanted to support the mission of the AFE Foundation. Sandi’s extensive experience in finance, analysis, operations, budgeting, and forecasting enables her to provide a high level of expertise in overseeing the AFE Foundation’s finances.

Stephanie Arnold

Stephanie Arnold

Director

Stephanie suffered Placenta Acreta and an AFE during the birth of her second child. Stephanie spent 27 years creating and directing TV shows, music videos, and documentaries. Stephanie shares her story and speaks on patient advocacy, intuition and bridging the “gap of care” between clinicians and patients when one survives a near death experience. Named one of Today’s Chicago “100 Women of Inspiration”, she has appeared on numerous TV shows, including Good Morning America, The Dr. Oz Show, The Steve Harvey Show, Access Hollywood and is featured on Netflix’s “Surviving Death.” Her multi-award-winning, best-selling debut book, 37 Seconds, shares those harrowing moments when life hung in the balance is being translated into many languages and has been optioned for a major motion picture.

Diana Masulli

Diana Masulli

Director

Diana suffered an AFE in 2016, immediately following the birth of her first child, a daughter – Francesca, who was affectionately named after the ICU Nurse that took care of her. In the days that followed her AFE, and while she laid in the hospital recovering, it was her husband, Alan, who actually found the AFE Foundation through a google search and suggested Diana join the Facebook support group. It was there that she found an army of other survivors who understood what she was going through and supported her with the struggles that she and her family would face in the months and years that followed. In 2017, Diana reached out to the organization to volunteer and assist with the peer-based support groups.

Diana has organized blood drives to raise awareness and funds of AFE and other maternal health issues. In 2018, she and fellow AFE survivors in CT were instrumental in supporting a bill to mandate AFE education to all clinicians in Connecticut. In addition, Diana attended the Champions for Change Summits in 2018, 2019, and 2020, Mom Congress in Washington D.C. to advocate for legislative changes related to Maternal Health in 2019, and joined the CT Maternal Mortality Review Committee in 2021.

Diana holds a Master’s degree in Social Work from the University of Connecticut and is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. She has worked for various non-profits to support children and families, and currently is an elementary School Social Worker. Diana and her family also support different children and their families involved in the foster care system.

Diana hopes that she can continue to support other survivors and their families and raise awareness for the AFE Foundation and postpartum mental health.

Naomi Ventour

Naomi Ventour

Director

Naomi is an Administrative Business Partner (ABP) at Google joining them in 2017 after an 8-year stint in Burberry as Executive Assistant to the CEO Americas and EMEIA. Naomi is currently an ABP in Sales, UK Lead for State of Black Women – a space for Black women at Google of all levels to build community and align on a shared agenda and Co-Lead of a Race, Empathy & Belonging DEI initiative.

Naomi has held various roles in the tech, legal, and publishing world, and has lived and worked in Australia and Bermuda. She is married and mother to two very wonderful and very cheeky children.
After losing her beloved sister Natalie in July 2014 to an Amniotic Fluid Embolism, Naomi is devoted to raising awareness of AFE and funds for the Foundation in her sister’s name.

Naomi advises the AFE Foundation on cultural and racial inclusivity and helps expand our understanding of international societal norms in many of the areas and countries we serve abroad.

Justin Waclawek

Justin Waclawek

Director

Justin is the Director of Pharmacy at Parkview Health Services in Buffalo, NY. Justin co-founded the Alison Rose Foundation, a nonprofit organization created to continue the legacy of his wife, Alison Rose Waclawek, who tragically passed away from an Amniotic Fluid Embolism in 2019.

Irene Stafford, MD

Chair and Registry Director

Dr. Irene Stafford is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston, TX.

Dr. Stafford began her career as a scientist, earning a Master of Science in Microbiology and Molecular Medicine at Clemson University. She joined the Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, California, where she investigated the pathogenesis of the human immunodeficiency virus. Matriculating into medicine, Dr. Stafford attended medical school at the Medical University of South Carolina, completed her residency in obstetrics and gynecology at Louisiana State University and her fellowship in maternal-fetal medicine at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, Texas.

Dr. Stafford’s focus as a maternal-fetal medicine specialist is driven by maternal health and critical care issues surrounding high-acuity situations that lead to negative outcomes for mothers and newborns. She has published numerous papers on topics group B beta streptococcal disease, mastitis, placenta previa, congenital syphilis, and amniotic fluid embolism. She serves as the Chair of the Medical Advisory Board for the Amniotic Fluid Embolism Foundation.

Irene resides in Houston, Texas with her husband Dr. Shawn Stafford a pediatric surgeon, and their three sons.

Gary Dildy III

Gary A. Dildy, MD

Vice-Chair

Dr. Dildy is a Gynecologist in the Obstetrix Medical Group of the Mountain States associated with Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center. He received his Undergraduate education at Louisiana State University. He completed Medical School with a Doctor of Medicine at Tulane University. After which, he built on his knowledge by attending an internship, residency, and fellowship at Baylor College of Medicine. Dr. Dildy has obtained Board Certification in Obstetrics & Gynecology and Maternal & Fetal Medicine.

Steven L. Clark

Steven Leigh Clark, MD

Advisor

Bio coming

Stephanie Martin

Stephanie Martin, D.O.

OB Critical Care, Course Instructor

Dr. Martin is Medical Director and co-owner of Clinical Concepts in Obstetrics, LLC. Through her consulting business she helps hospitals develop obstetric intensive care programs and improve care for critically ill pregnant women. She is also co-host of The Critical Care Obstetrics Podcast which has reached #4 on the Apple Podcast Charts in Medicine. In addition to her extensive clinical experience caring for critically ill obstetric patients, Dr Martin has helped lead and develop MFM practices in several states. Her passion for educating has also led to her role as Course Director for America’s Board Review MFM Oral Board Exam Review Course, helping MFM candidates prepare for the oral board examination.

She received her medical degree from the University of North Texas Health Science Center, Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine in Ft. Worth. She completed her residency in OB/GYN at the University of California Irvine Medical Center where she also completed a fellowship in Maternal-Fetal Medicine. She is board certified in MFM and OB/GYN.

She has served on the Board of Directors for the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine and as Chairman of the Membership and Bylaws Committee. She is also a reviewer for several esteemed journals, including the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Dr. Martin’s particular clinical interests involve medical and surgical complications of pregnancy and critical care in obstetrics. She has authored numerous book chapters and articles and is a highly sought after speaker on Critical Care in Obstetrics.

Suzanne Baird

Suzanne Baird, DNP, RN

OB Critical Care Nursing, Course Instructor

Dr. Suzanne McMurtry Baird is a graduate of Rush College of Nursing’s DNP Executive Leadership track and Vanderbilt University MSN and BSN programs. Dr. Baird has extensive clinical experience in obstetrical nursing and currently works as a consultant with her company, Clinical Concepts in Obstetrics, LLC. Previously, Dr. Baird served as the Maternal Quality Improvement Specialist for the Tennessee Initiative for Perinatal Quality Care, as an Assistant Director of Nursing for Clinical Program Development at Texas Children’s Pavilion for Women, taught obstetric and critical care nursing at Vanderbilt University School of Nursing, and worked in L&D at Vanderbilt Medical Center. Dr. Baird has served on numerous programs for AWHONN including CCOE and PEOP modules author and editor, review of the Obstetric Triage toolkit, the Implementation of Evidence Based Practice Advisory Board, and served on the Board of Directors. She is an editor/author for the 5th edition of the textbook Intrapartum Management Modules and AWHONN’s High Risk and Critical Care, 4th edition textbook, and has a podcast – The Critical Care Obstetric Podcast.

Julie Arafeh

Julie Arafeh, RN

Simulation Course Instructor

Julie Arafeh received a bachelor’s degree in nursing from the University of Evansville in Indiana and a master’s degree in perinatal nursing from Indiana University in Indianapolis. In the more than 40 years Ms. Arafeh has been in Obstetrical nursing, she has worked in a wide range of settings caring for low risk to high-risk women including working as an advanced practice nurse in an OB-ICU in both in-patient and out-patient settings.

Ms. Arafeh has been a national speaker on a variety of obstetrical topics since 1989. The topics of her publications include sepsis, cardiac disease in pregnancy, maternal cardiac arrest and simulation-based training. Ms. Arafeh was a member of the multidisciplinary obstetric simulation team at Packard Children’s Hospital on the Stanford University campus for over 15 years and has served as a simulation expert for the California Maternal Quality Care Collaborative. She is a member of the expert panel for Obstetric Life Support (OBLS), a national certification course under development on maternal cardiac arrest.

Ms. Arafeh is currently Simulation Director for Clinical Concepts in Obstetrics and is a Simulation Specialist in Obstetrics at the Center for Advanced Pediatric and Perinatal Education at Stanford University.

Mallorie Suffield, RN

Mallorie Suffield, RN

Simulation Advisor, Course Instructor

Mallorie Suffield, nurse manager for labor and delivery, has been a career labor and delivery nurse since 2010. She started her career at a small community hospital in central Kansas and then moved the Overland Park, Kansas where she has continued her career as a staff nurse, charge nurse, high-risk maternal transport nurse, educator, and now manager at a tertiary care center that does 3000+ deliveries a year.

Mallorie obtained her Bachelor’s in Nursing from the University of Kansas in 2010, her Master’s in Nursing Education from Fort Hays State University in 2017, and is currently pursuing her Doctorate in Nursing Practice from Chamberlain University with a targeted graduation in 2025. Mallorie holds three active NCC certifications in Inpatient Obstetrics, Inpatient Antepartum, and Electronic Fetal Monitoring and has worked on various projects with the NCC and the Association of Women’s Health, Obstetrics, and Neonatal Nurses.

Mallorie has presented at a number of local conferences and symposiums as well as national conferences and has published articles in the Sigma Theta Tau International Delta Chapter: Journal for Undergraduate Writing and the American Academy of Pediatrics Section on Transport Medicine.

In addition to her professional accomplishments, Mallorie is mom to two fur babies – a Beagle, Roman, and a German Shepherd, Cooper! She and her husband also enjoy opening their home to foreign exchange students! She is an avid Kansas Jayhawk fan and enjoys reading, crafting, and football.