USA Health offers an extensive network of physicians and other healthcare providers. The USA Health Physician Enterprise includes our faculty practice – the largest multispecialty group in the region – as well as our affiliated clinics.
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At USA Health, we treat people. In doing so, we want to understand your unique needs so our doctors and other providers can design a plan of care specifically for you. Use the field below to search for a specific service, treatment, specialty or provider.
USA Health offers an extensive network of physicians and other healthcare providers. The USA Health Physician Enterprise includes our faculty practice – the largest multispecialty group in the region – as well as our affiliated clinics.
At USA Health, we treat people. In doing so, we want to understand your unique needs so our doctors and other providers can design a plan of care specifically for you. Use the field below to search for a specific service, treatment, specialty or provider.
The Patient Family Advisory Council works in partnership with USA Health Children’s & Women’s Hospital to support, advise, advocate, and enhance the patient and family experience.
About the Patient Family Advisory Council
Members of the Patient Family Advisory Council are passionate volunteers who work to identify issues, engage leadership and advocate for patients and families.
A component of family-centered care, patient family engagement creates an environment where patients, families and hospital staff work as partners to improve the quality and safety of care. Patients and families, clinicians and healthcare providers, the organization and the health system can all benefit from better patient family engagement.
The benefits of partnership among various healthcare groups are many. They include enhanced communication, increased patient loyalty, improved quality of care, and increased patient satisfaction.
Contact us
If you would like a topic brought to your council’s attention, please email [email protected].
Meet Your Council Members
Lindsey Brabner
Lindsey Ankersen Brabner is a wife and mother of five. An elementary school teacher, her experiences at USA Health Children’s & Women’s Hospital have been in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU), the Bridge Program, and other women’s and outpatient services. She became passionate about supporting families with terminal pregnancies after personally losing two children to rare disorders. Her goal is to help support and make patients and families feel comfortable with the good and bad that may come during a hospital stay. Her passion and special interests as a member of this council are to enhance and support the wonderful goals and attributes that members of the healthcare teams at USA Health Children’s & Women’s Hospital strive to accomplish each day.
Special Interests: Trisomy 18 (Edward’s Syndrome), pediatric complex care, pediatric palliative care, the Bridge Program, genetics.
McKenzie Sullivan
McKenzie Sullivan resides in Baldwin County with her husband, son, and daughter. Her son, Maddox, has suffered from a variety of mysterious symptoms from a very young age. Maddox was eventually diagnosed with Systemic Juvenile Arthritis at age three. In Maddox’s honor, Sullivan founded a 501(c)(3) named The JIA Foundation. The foundation specializes in identifying resource needs for families such as funding hotel rooms, gas cards, and prescription assistance. When not at the hospital with Maddox or volunteering here, Sullivan enjoys spending time with her family and vacationing.
Special Interests: Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU), Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), Juvenile Rheumatic disease.
Cara Lewis
In 2019, Cara Lewis’s son, Asher, was born with ATR-X Syndrome, a rare genetic syndrome. Prior to becoming Asher’s full-time caregiver, Lewis worked in gastroenterology and colorectal surgery clinics. Coincidentally, the experience she gained in the field benefited her when Asher spontaneously developed complex GI disorders. Like many local families with medically complex children, USA Health Children’s & Women’s Hospital became her family’s “home away from home.” She quickly discovered her passion for advocacy as she navigated her role as a parent caregiver. After spending the past few years with frequent admissions to the hospital, Lewis found that advocating, networking, seeking and sharing resources and experiences would grow and connect the local special-needs and medically complex community. Aside from her duties on the Patient Family Advisory Council, Lewis is involved in various community outreach projects and her church. She is incredibly driven and dedicated to creating positive experiences for patients and families that spend their time at our hospital.
Special Interests: ATR-X Syndrome, genetics, pediatric rare diseases, pediatric complex care, GI disorders, intestinal rehabilitation, enteral feeding and nutrition, clubfoot, neuro-development delay, cognitive/intellectual delays, physical therapy.
Markesia Forward
Markesia Forward lives in Mobile with her husband, Demetrius. Following the birth of their daughter, Makayla, they were frequently hospitalized due to complex medical illnesses. Subsequently, a tracheostomy was performed to maintain a stable airway for her daughter. Unfortunately, Makayla passed away in 2023 at the age of 13. Forward and her husband believe God has a way of putting the right people in the right place at the right time. The Forwards appreciate the supportive care they received at Children’s & Women’s Hospital. They remain grateful to the nurses and physicians who assisted with the complex medical care their daughter received.
Forward is aware of the challenges patients and families face. She remains part of the council to be a voice for this vulnerable population, who can often feel voiceless. She advocates for adults and children with special needs, whether it is medical care, equipment, or clothing needs. She passionately believes there is more work to be done, which Makayla would want her to do.
Lauren Carr was introduced to Children’s & Women’s Hospital in 2016 after giving birth to her first daughter, Collins. Born six weeks early -- and with two undiagnosed genetic syndromes -- Collins was moved to the NICU at Children’s & Women’s when she was two days old.
Carr and her husband spent the next two and a half months experiencing the difficulties of NICU life before ultimately losing Collins. Carr’s experience in the NICU impacted her deeply and she decided she wanted to help other families and babies inside the NICU system. She and her husband Austin (along with NICU nurses and countless friends) built the Collins Marie Carr Memorial Garden attached to the NICU to be used as a place of peace for families. She also volunteered in the NICU as a “holder and feeder” until the Covid pandemic, served as a co-chair of the Local Goodness fundraiser and served on the hospital’s development committee.
Shavondria Jackson is native of southern Alabama but grew up in the greater New Orleans area and lived and worked in San Juan, Puerto Rico and La Rioja, Spain until 2020. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Spanish from Xavier University of Louisiana in 2016. Following a miscarriage in 2021 and the subsequent death of an infant child resulting from a complex congenital heart defect in 2022, she went to work at USA Health.
Jackson said she was provided with numerous family-oriented, social work activities offered by Children’s Hospital New Orleans and other sites throughout the prenatal and postpartum processes of her infant daughter’s life. “I am so grateful for the services provided to me as I dealt with a deeply difficult process of being bedside with my baby girl as she struggled to survive,” Jackson said. Her experiences inspired her to seek out and develop initiatives within USA Health that contribute to helping patients and families have more access to social services throughout treatment processes.
While working in community and patient advocacy departments including the Family Advisory Council and Patient Access at University Hospital in Mobile, she has been “provided with numerous opportunities to gain a deeper sense of humanity in better connections with patients on a more personal level.” Outside of work, Jackson loves spending time with her daughter, roller skating, taking care of her feral cats, gardening and learning about digital illustration and animation.
Special Interests: complex congenital heart disease, interventional radiology, multicultural/multilingual community inclusion, social work, and art therapy programs.
Katarina Younger
Katarina Younger has a background as a registered nurse in the United States Navy. She served in varied leadership roles during her seven years of service. These include being a charge nurse of a neurosurgery step down unit, caring for wounded warriors from overseas combat operations and later as charge nurse for the pediatric oncology inpatient ward at Walter Reed Hospital in Bethesda, Maryland. After relocating to Pensacola, Florida, she served as director of the Women’s Health Department at the Naval Hospital. During this time, she met her husband, who also served in the U.S. Navy.
Following her military service, the family moved to Mobile and both secured positions within the USA Health System, working in surgical services. During her first pregnancy, at 27 weeks' gestation, she experienced the onset of preterm labor, necessitating admission to the Labor and Delivery unit at Children’s & Women’s Hospital. There, she awaited the birth of their son, Louis, who subsequently spent a challenging 77 days in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). The ensuing period was marked by prolonged days and persistent challenges. When Louis returned home, they continued to have a complex regimen of medical appointments and varied therapeutic interventions. Younger is fervently committed to advocating for the welfare and support of NICU parents, drawing from her personal experiences and professional expertise.
Special Interests: ATR-X Syndrome, genetics, pediatric rare diseases, pediatric complex care, GI disorders, intestinal rehabilitation, enteral feeding and nutrition, clubfoot, neuro-developmental delays, cognitive/intellectual delays, physical therapy.
Rachel Stanley
Rachel Stanley lives in Mobile with her husband, Michael, and their three children. When she was 22 weeks pregnant with their youngest child, Anne Marie, Stanley found out her daughter would be born with a complex urinary tract defect known as bladder exstrophy. It is a rare condition in which a child is born with his or her urinary bladder exposed. Most of the urinary tract is left exposed and is not formed correctly. This requires multiple reconstructive surgeries during childhood and the potential for repeated infection, urinary/bowel incontinence, and decreased kidney function over the course of their life. Anne Marie has frequent admissions and also sees multiple specialists in the outpatient setting.
Stanley is a nurse at Children's & Women's Hospital and after multiple extended inpatients stays with her daughter, she recognized the potential for growth within the hospital that she loved as a patient and employee. Before her daughter's diagnosis, it was not as clear the multiple factors involved with the care of a child with medical complexity. Her experience brought empathy and compassion for those in similar situations and compelled her to become involved in something that could help these patients and their families in navigating what can be a large, terrifying world of healthcare.
Special Interests: Complex medical diagnosis, urinary tract disorders, neurogenic bladder/bowel, infectious diseases, patient experiences, provider-patient relationships, psychosocial effects of chronic illness, patient advocacy, patient healthcare navigation, durable medical equipment.
Jennifer Berry
Jennifer Berry lives in Spanish Fort with her husband, Gordon, and is the proud mother of Lauren, Logan, and Caroline. Their family journey took a challenging turn in 2017 when Caroline was diagnosed with Stage 4 Alveolar Rhabdomyosarcoma, an aggressive form of childhood cancer, at the age of fourteen. For nearly two years, Caroline received treatment at Children's & Women's Hospital. Sadly, Caroline passed away on Thanksgiving morning 2018. Jennifer, Gordon, and their family remain profoundly grateful for the care Caroline received, and the meaningful connections formed with her caregivers.
Caroline became a vocal advocate for childhood cancer -- raising awareness and research funding so that no child would ever have to endure the same battle. To honor Caroline's life, and continue the fight for other children, Jennifer and her family established the Berry Strong Foundation (BSF), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. The foundation's mission is multi-faceted, aiming to fund innovative pediatric cancer research, advocate for important childhood cancer issues, and provide tangible support to local families and children undergoing treatment at Children's & Women's Hospital. The BSF hosts fundraisers and impactful awareness campaigns. Among these initiatives is an annual Black Tie Bingo Fundraising Gala and the Crafts for a Cure Arts and Crafts Drive benefitting the Mapp Child and Family Life program at USA Health. The foundation also spearheads Gold Out sporting events at local schools throughout September, the designated Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.
Since 2018, Berry has been an outspoken advocate for important childhood cancer related issues. Her advocacy has led her to Washington, D.C., where she shares Caroline's story with lawmakers to raise awareness and push for better policies. Berry collaborates with fellow advocates of the St. Baldrick's Foundation and the Alliance for Childhood Cancer, where their collective efforts have led to significant policy changes such as the STAR Reauthorization Act and the Childhood Cancer Data Initiative. These efforts have also led to historic increases in federal funding for childhood cancer research, doubling in recent years.
Special Interests: Pediatric oncology, pediatric sarcomas, pediatric oncology research, teens with cancer, palliative care, pediatric hospice, grief and bereavement, child life, art distraction therapy.
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