Advisory Board
Dr. Bill Sexson
Dr. William Sexson is a board-certified pediatrician and neonatologist with a master’s degree in bioethics. His long-term goals are to practice, promote, and advance clinical, professional and ethical conduct in Maternal and neonatal care.
These efforts have encompassed regional systems development; legislative policy engagement; legislative and community advocacy; local national and international education in perinatal care and perinatal systems development; as well as leadership in healthcare ethics.
Previously, Dr Sexson was a Colonel in the US Air Force with multiple responsibilities which included consultant to the Surgeon General USAF in perinatal systems and regionalized Neonatal ICU development.
Joan Wilson, JM, MAS, FACHE
As Assistant Director of the Emory Urban Health Initiative and former Associate Director of the Global Collaborating Center for Reproductive Health, Joan Wilson develops and directs programs aimed at reducing health disparities in underserved communities and countries.
With more than two decades of commitment to health equity, Joan has advocated for Native American communities on federal reservations and for individuals living in urban poverty. She has coordinated resettlement services for refugees and asylum-seekers and has worked extensively with migrant laborers in conditions of extreme poverty. Her efforts in Central America include organizing public health teams to combat high infant mortality rates through improved living conditions.
In addition to her work in public health, Joan’s background in aviation—as both a trained pilot and safety advocate—has contributed to enhancing airport safety in developing countries, facilitating humanitarian aid and infrastructure development.
Joan holds a BS in Biology and a Master of Aeronautical Science. She also has a Juris Master degree with a concentration in Global Health Law from Emory University Law School. She is board-certified in Healthcare Administration, a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives, and a Senior Fellow at the Global Collaborating Center for Reproductive Health.
Dr. Tracy Bell
Dr. Bell graduated from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill with both her Bachelor of Science in Nursing and Master of Science in Nursing. Her Doctor of Nursing Practice was obtained from Duke University in North Carolina.
She is currently the coordinator for the Neonatal Nurse Practitioner Program at the University of Pittsburgh School of Nursing.
An area of interest for Dr Bell is the expansion of the nursing role and scope of practice internationally. In addition, Dr Bell has been involved in attempts to rectify the issue of lack of diversity in higher education.
Dr. Bell is also a respected member of the editorial board for the journal Advances in Neonatal Care, where she serves as the Section Editor for “Case Studies.”
Dr. Marcia Bishop
Dr. Marcia Bishop is a Neonatal Nurse Practitioner with a Doctor of Nursing Practice, working in the NICU setting for over 4 decades. She has provided care for infants in Level II, III and IV NICUs in multiple states, and has extensive experience in Neonatal
Transport. Dr. Bishop joined the Global Collaboration for Maternal and Infant Health
(GCMIH) leadership team in 2024.
In addition to working clinically in multiple NICUs, Marcia serves as the Coordinator for Education and Protocol Development for Millennium Medical Group’s
Division of Neonatology.
Dr. Bishop has multiple certifications in the field of Neonatal Nursing, including
S.T.A.B.L.E and Neonatal Resuscitation instructor.
Dr. Bishop’s passion is education, evidence-based care, and Quality Improvement Projects.
Dr. Zuzana Novak
Dr. Zuzana Novak is a Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics, board-certified in
Neonatal- Perinatal Medicine. In 2025, she took over as the Director of the GCMIH. Dr. Novak is passionate about caring for
micro-preemies and elevating the standard of care in the NICU focusing on collaborative care and quality improvement projects.
Dr Novak completed the initial part of her training in Slovakia where she worked as a general pediatrician. Upon coming to the United States, she completed both Pediatric Residency and Neonatal Fellowship at the University of Alabama / Birmingham.
After fellowship, she joined private practice “Tennessee Valley Neonatology” in Huntsville, AL where she worked in Huntsville Women and Children Hospital and Crestwood Medical Center. As a traveling Neonatologist within Envision Healthcare Women’s & Children’s Services, Dr. Novak provided care to numerous infants in level 2, 3 and 4 NICU centers in 8 different states.
She currently is a national leader and educator in
clinical neonatology and works actively in leading systems development, in educating
Neonatal Nurse Practitioners and in lecturing internationally with the Global Collaboration for Maternal and Infant Health. She currently serves as medical director of the level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and Well Baby Nurseries with the Lovelace
Health System in Albuquerque, New Mexico. She is part of the Millennium Medical
Group’s Division of Neonatology.
Dr Novak works internationally as a leader in the Global Collaboration for Maternal and
Infant Health (GCMIH).
GCMIH 