WHITE PLAINS, N.Y., June 19, 2015 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ — Two nationally recognized leaders in maternal and child health have been elected to the March of Dimes National Board of Trustees for five-year terms.   March of Dimes trustees are volunteers who provide strategic direction and governance to the organization.

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The new trustees are David Lakey, MD, senior vice president for population health at University of Texas Health Northeast and associate vice chancellor for population health at the UT System; and Charles J. Lockwood, MD, MHCM, editor-in-chief of Contemporary OB-GYN and senior vice president of USF Health, and dean of the University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine.

“The medical, scientific and public health expertise of Dr. Lakey and Dr. Lockwood has helped the March of Dimes create strategies to lower the preterm birth rate in this country,” says Dr. Jennifer L. Howse, president of the March of Dimes. “We’re honored to have them join our Board of Trustees as we continue our fight against premature birth – the leading cause of death for babies in the United States and around the world.”

Dr. Lockwood is an internationally known obstetrician-gynecologist and scientist whose research interests include the prevention of recurrent pregnancy loss and preterm delivery. He led a research team that discovered fetal fibronectin, the first biochemical predictor of prematurity, and is the recipient of grant funding from the National institutes of Health and the March of Dimes.

Dr. Lakey, who trained as an internist and pediatrician, previously served as Commissioner of the Texas Department of State Health Services and as President of the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) from September 2011 to September 2012.  While leading ASTHO, his presidential challenge was to improve birth outcomes nationwide. In this role, he worked with the March of Dimes to encourage state health commissioners to sign a pledge to reduce their rates of preterm birth by 8 percent. 

Based on this work, the March of Dimes created the prestigious Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR) and Virginia Apgar Prematurity Campaign Leadership Awards.

The March of Dimes works to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality. The March of Dimes is the leading nonprofit organization for pregnancy and baby health.  For more than 75 years, moms and babies have benefited from March of Dimes research, education, vaccines, and breakthroughs.  For the latest resources and information, visit marchofdimes.com or nacersano.org. Find us on Facebook and Twitter.