Bentonville, AR, Aug. 20, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Healthy Moms, Healthy Babies America (HMHBA), the bipartisan national campaign launched in May 2026 by Olivia Walton working to cut the U.S. maternal death rate in half within five years, today named Neel Shah, M.D., M.P.P., FACOG, President.
In this leadership role, Dr. Shah will help drive HMHBA’s national strategy to turn proven maternal health solutions into measurable improvements for mothers and babies across the country. Working alongside Founder Olivia Walton and Executive Director Robin Reck, Shah will lead the organization’s clinical and scientific agenda, bringing together policymakers, health care providers, employers, investors, and communities to accelerate solutions before, during, and after pregnancy.
"Neel is the rare leader who can sit with researchers in the morning and with mothers in the afternoon, and make both conversations count," said Olivia Walton, founder of Healthy Moms, Healthy Babies America. "This is a solvable crisis — the answers exist, and Neel has spent his career delivering them to the people who need them. With Neel joining HMHBA, making America the safest country in the world to give birth isn't just an ambition. It's a plan.”
Dr. Shah joins HMHBA following a distinguished career as a physician-scientist and entrepreneur. As Chief Medical Officer of Maven Clinic, he oversaw the design and delivery of a technology-driven care model that reached 28 million people globally. A lecturer and former assistant professor at Harvard Medical School, Dr. Shah has authored more than 100 peer reviewed articles and contributed to four books. He created TeamBirth, a program shown to improve safety and dignity in childbirth that has become the standard of care at hundreds of hospitals across the U.S.
“We recruited Neel because this campaign needs someone who won't wait for the system to fix itself," said Robin Reck, Founding Executive Director of Healthy Moms, Healthy Babies America. "Over his career, he has consistently found ways to fix calcified systems and make moms and babies safer and stronger. We've set an extraordinary goal: cutting maternal deaths in half in five years. We wanted a partner who wouldn't flinch at that. Neel doesn't."
The need is urgent. The U.S. has the highest maternal mortality rate of any developed nation, a rate that has doubled over the past four decades. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the large majority of pregnancy-related deaths are preventable. Poor maternal outcomes also carry a steep economic toll, costing the U.S. an estimated $165 billion a year, nearly 1% of GDP, according to an analysis from Heartland Forward.
"A mother's chance of coming home safely shouldn't turn on which hospital she reaches or which day she goes into labor. Every mother deserves the same opportunity to thrive. We are not failing mothers for lack of knowing. We are failing them for lack of doing.” said Dr. Neel Shah, President of Healthy Moms, Healthy Babies America. That's the work here: to take what saves lives on the frontlines and carry it to every mother, every time. I'm honored to do it alongside Olivia and Robin."
About Healthy Moms, Healthy Babies America (HMHBA): HMHBA is a national, bipartisan campaign created by Olivia Walton in May 2026 with one ambitious goal: cut the U.S. maternal death rate in half in five years. HMHBA brings together leaders across government, business, health care, philanthropy, and communities to accelerate proven solutions, align action, and make maternal health a national priority. Because healthier moms mean healthier babies, stronger families, and a stronger country.
Leila Roberts 4157132009 leila.roberts@ingeborg.com