Working to make every pregnancy safe — no matter the setting.

Step Up Together™ fosters collaboration among community-based perinatal care providers—whether in hospitals, homes, birth centers, or emergency medical services. The program supports live transfer drills and other initiatives that build trust, skill, and effectiveness across all locations and levels of care. Committed to delivering equitable and safe maternal and perinatal outcomes, we offer ready-to-deploy tools, coaching, and a supportive community.

Meet the Faculty

Amy Romano, MBA, MSN, CNM, FACNM

Step Up Together Co-Founder, CEO and Founder of Primary Maternity Care

Amy (she/her) Romano is a maternity care leader focused on care model innovation, community-integrated care, and quality improvement. With a clinical background as a nurse and midwife, Amy has particular expertise in midwife-led and team-based care models, and implementation of clinical, wellness, and quality management programs.

A prolific author and speaker on maternity care system reform, she has developed nationally recognized quality improvement programs with partners including the American Association of Birth Centers, the American College of Nurse-Midwives, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, Health Equity Solutions, the Institute for Perinatal Quality Improvement, the National Partnership for Women and Families, and the Purchaser Business Group on Health.

Jen Johnson, MS, CNM

Step Up Together Founding Faculty Lead and Primary Maternity Care Clinical Operations Specialist

Jen (she/her) is a Certified Nurse Midwife with extensive clinical experience in both community and hospital settings. As a co-founder of Step Up Together, she leverages her expertise to enhance teamwork among perinatal professionals, ensuring they are better equipped to meet the needs of their local communities. As part of her work in full-scope clinical practice at Jefferson Health-Abington Hospital she promotes interprofessional education to improve collaboration between resident physicians and midwives.

Jen is dedicated to advancing equitable, safe, and high-quality care, with a focus on expanding access to midwives and community birth. She works closely with providers from all backgrounds, valuing their unique perspectives and emphasizing the importance of learning from and honoring each other’s skills and strengths.

Alexa Dougherty, MSN, PHN, CNM

Step Up Together Faculty and Primary Maternity Care Clinical Operations Specialist

Alexa (she/her) is a Certified Nurse Midwife and Public Health Nurse with over a decade of experience in maternal health. She specializes in systems strategy, aiming to improve health outcomes through interdisciplinary collaboration. With clinical experience in both birth centers and hospitals, Alexa is dedicated to integrating community birth into the broader healthcare system, reducing racial inequities, and enhancing maternal and neonatal outcomes.

At Boston Medical Center, Alexa educates resident physicians and medical students, fostering collaboration and supporting physiologic birth. Additionally, as Adjunct Faculty at Georgetown University, Alexa advises midwifery and women’s health nurse practitioner students, overseeing clinical faculty nationwide. Her commitment to education and integration is central to her work in creating sustainable healthcare change.

Step Up Together™ has been featured on