Our Founders’ Family Story

No parent should ever have to accept that there is no hope to save their child’s life. Having battled TTTS, we experienced firsthand the power of hope. Twin to Twin Transfusion Syndrome (TTTS) should have taken our daughters’ lives, but after our frantic search for information and resources, fetal surgery saved them.

Today, as grateful parents of healthy identical twin girls, we are proud as founders to continue to lead the Fetal Health Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to hope for expectant parents who’ve received a fetal syndrome diagnosis.

You can read more of our story here: The Somers’ Story

FETAL HEALTH FOUNDATION MISSION

Fetal Health Foundation supports families receiving a fetal syndrome diagnosis, funds life-saving research, increases fetal syndrome awareness, and shares leading medical information on fetal syndromes.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Fetal Health Foundation Talitha McGuinness

TALITHA MCGUINNESS
Founder and Executive Director

After delivering twin TTTS survivors, Talitha was inspired by Lonnie and Michelle Somers and wantedto give back to the medical communities and other families going through a similar circumstance. With more than 15 years experience in marketing, public relations and graphic design, she has served in various roles for the Foundation and her contributions are vital to its mission and growth. She brings much of her experience as the Owner/Creative Director of Multiplicity Magazine, and still runs her own consulting company focused on providing graphic design services. She is now a mom to 4 {chaos coordinator on the best of days}, and enjoys traveling with her husband, reading, and planning events and parties.

lonnie_somers_photo

LONNIE SOMERS
Founder, Chairman of the Board of Directors

Though he’s known for organizing, running, and announcing many beloved national events, Lonnie has over twenty years’ experience in many executive positions as an investment banker/venture capitalist having also worked with and for startups to fortune 500 companies. Lonnie still maintains an active CPA license, and received Summa Cum Laude honors from Regis University. Lonnie is also a board member of Running USA, and Kipture Primary School Foundation. In his free time, you’ll find Lonnie running, cycling, and most importantly enjoying his family. Together with Michelle, and in honor of Aspen and Ashley, his goal is to fight fetal syndromes.

MICHELLE SOMERS
Founder

An avid runner and proud mother of TTTS survivors, Michelle hopes to someday watch her daughters perform on Broadway (or cure cancer). A proud alumna of Bowling Green State University, Michelle built a career working in corporate accounting, finance and managing a global billing department. She respectfully stepped away to pursue more rewarding endeavors; raising her daughters, supporting families journeying through a fetal syndrome diagnosis and working in endurance sports. We like to brag about her eight marathon finishes, two of which earned podium spots and five were Boston qualifiers.

MATTHEW M. COOPER, MD MBA FACS FCAMA 

Dr. Cooper serves as Chief Medical Officer of the 3M Medical Solutions Division & Director, Global Safety for the Health Care Business Group.

He is a graduate of Franklin & Marshall College, New York University School of Medicine (MD), and Watson Graduate School of Management, Spears School of Business, Oklahoma State University (MBA).

He also completed a Medical Staff Fellowship in the Surgery Branch of the National Heart, Lung & Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and a Fellowship in Pediatric Cardiothoracic Surgery and Transplantation at The Hospital for Sick Children, Great Ormond Street, UK.  

 

MARY BETH MARTIN, BSN, MBA
Vice President, Doernbecher Children’s Hospital, Women’s and Children’s Services
Oregon Health and Science University

As a hospital executive with an extensive background in the medical field, we’re grateful for the Fetal/Maternal medicine perspective Mary Beth brings to the Board. She is currently the Vice President, Doernbecher Childrens Hospital, Women’s and Children’s Service where she has a strategic focus on advocating for the care of the Mother and Fetus. Mary Beth has worked at other specialty children’s hospitals such as Children’s Medical Center Dallas, Texas Children’s Hospital, Colorado Children’s Hospital and The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. In addition, she is a founding leader of the Fetal Think Tank.

TIMOTHY M CROMBLEHOLME, MD, FAAP, FACS

Dr. Crombleholme graduated from the University of Pennsylvania and attended medical School at Tufts University. 

He trained in General Surgery at the University of California, San Francisco and did a fellowship in Fetal Surgery under Michael R. Harrison, MD considered the father of Fetal Surgery. 

Dr. Crombleholme completed his training with a Fellowship in Pediatric Surgery at the Floating Hospital for Infants and Children at Tufts Medical Center before joining the faculty of Tufts University School of Medicine.  He was recruited to Cincinnati Children’s to create the Fetal Care Center of Cincinnati as the Richard and Geralyn Azizkhan, MD Chair in Fetal Surgery.  

TRAVIS LEISSNER

A registered architect, Travis Leissner is knowledgeable of the healthcare market and its delivery system, including care models reshaping the industry.

Since 1990, Travis has engaged academic medical centers, health systems, community hospitals, and physician groups and worked on a variety of healthcare facility designs, including but not limited to women’s and children’s, acute care, surgical and outpatient care, cancer, psychiatric and medical offices.

Because of this wide range of project experience, he understands planning and design needs that address concerns of both clinical and administrative stakeholders.

 

ABIGAIL WILPERS, PH.D., WHNP-BC

Dr. Wilpers comes from the small, but rapidly growing field of maternal-fetal surgery, which falls under her broader passion and focus on Reproductive Justice and intersectional equity in reproductive science and health care.

She received her undergraduate degree from Barnard College and her Master of Science from the Yale School of Nursing. She received her doctorate at the Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences as a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Future of Nursing Scholar.

After graduation, Dr. Wilpers was appointed to the Maternal-Fetal Health Postdoctoral Research Associateship at the Yale School of Medicine where she completed a year of mentored training in clinical research to improve the health of mothers and infants.

 

DR. KEN MOISE

Kenneth J. Moise Jr., M.D., is a professor in the Department of Women’s Health at Dell Medical School. Previously, he was the co-director of the Fetal Center at Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital in Houston.

Moise’s interest in fetal therapy spans a 30-year period. He is recognized worldwide for his contributions in the fetal treatment of Rh disease including the development of middle cerebral artery Doppler for the noninvasive detection of fetal anemia and the use of free fetal DNA to determine the fetal RHD status in the U.S.

He was instrumental in the formation of three fetal centers: the Center for Maternal and Infant Health at the University of North Carolina, the Texas Children’s Fetal Center in Houston and the Fetal Center at Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital in Houston.

“I really appreciate Fetal Health’s assistance during a time like this. It was truly a blessing, and has helped a great deal. I will never forget the help you all provided and look forward to becoming a donor one day.”

A family the Fetal Health Foundation helped in 2010

Financial Documents

Non Profit Organization Status

The Fetal Health Foundation is a registered 501 (c)(3) non profit organization, and your contributions are tax-deductible. Our Federal Tax Identification number is 20-0837174

Determination Letter

Tax Documents

2022 Form 990
2022 Schedule B
2021 Form 990
2021 Schedule B
2020 Form 990
2019 Form 990
2018 Form 990
2018 Schedule B
2017 Form 990
2017 Schedule B
2016 Form 990
2015 Schedule B
2014 Form 990
2013 Form 990
2012 Form 990

Previous documents can be found on our GuideStar Profile


GuideStar Page

      

Medical Advisory Board

Leaders in maternal- fetal medicine advise us and allow us access to information on the newest and most promising treatments.

Dr. Ahmet Baschat
Director, Center for Fetal Therapy
Professor of Gynecology and Obstetrics, The Johns Hopkins Hospital

Dr. Robert Ball
Maternal-Fetal Medicine
Fetal Treatment Center/St. Marks Hospital

Dr. Stephen R. Carr
Maternal-Fetal Medicine
Fetal Treatment Program, Brown Medical School, Women and Infant’s Hospital

Dr. Ramen Chmait
Maternal-Fetal Medicine
Institute for Maternal & Fetal Health, USC-Children’s Hospital Los Angeles
Hollywood Presbyterian Hospital

Dr. Timothy M Crombleholme
Director, Fetal Care Center of Dallas
Medical City Children’s Hospital

Dr. William Hay Jr.
Perinatal Research
University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, Perinatal Research Center

Dr. Anthony Johnson
Professor, Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences and Department of Pediatric Surgery
Co-Director, The Fetal Center at Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital

Dr. Mark Johnson
Maternal Fetal Medicine
Children’s Hospital Philadelphia (CHOP) Center for Fetal Diagnosis and Treatment

Dr. Hanmin Lee
Fetal & Pediatric Surgeon
Fetal Treatment Center/University of California San Francisco

Dr. Francois Luks
Pediatric Surgery
Fetal Treatment Program, Brown Medical School, Hasbro Children’s Hospital

Dr. Kenneth Moise, Jr.
Visiting Professor, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences
Co-Director, The Fetal Center at Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital

Dr. Ruben Quintero
Co-Founder
The Fetal Center, Miami

Dr. David Schrimmer
Fetal-Maternal Medicine
Perinatology
Fetal Surgery Program, University of California San Diego Medical Center

Dr. Courtney D. Stephenson
Director
Charlotte Fetal Care Center

Leandra Tolusso, MS, LGC
Genetic Counselor
Cincinnati Fetal Center/Cincinnati Children’s Hospital

Dr. Mike Vlastos
Co-Director
St. Louis Fetal Care Institute at SSM Cardinal Glennon Children’s Medical Center

Dr. Martin Walker
Fetal-Maternal Medicine
Eastside Maternal Fetal Medicine

Dr. Ed Yang
Co-Director
St. Louis Fetal Care Institute at SSM Cardinal Glennon Children’s Medical Center