September 22, 2025 - California Surgeon General, Diana E Ramos, M.D., MPH, MBA, is joining leading maternal mental health experts for the 8th Annual El Camino Health Maternal Mental Health Symposium on Friday, September 26.
The free, virtual event will feature a presentation from Dr. Ramos on the impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences on maternal and infant health. Other presentations include Interventional Psychiatry in the Perinatal Period: Exploring ECT, TMS, and Psychedelic Therapies and Severe Mental Illness During Pregnancy and the Postpartum Period.
"Education is the best way to remove the stigma, and maternal mental health has been deeply stigmatized for centuries," said Nirmaljit Dhami, MD, medical director of the inpatient perinatal psychiatry unit at the Scrivner Center for Mental Health & Addiction Services at El Camino Health. "This ongoing stigma is what drives the Maternal Mental Health Symposium—our mission is to reduce it and create lasting, meaningful change."
El Camino Health is recognized for its pioneering and world-renowned maternal mental health initiatives, including the Maternal Outreach Mood Services (MOMS) program. It’s also home to one of only four inpatient perinatal psychiatry units in the country. Most recently, the hospital was recognized for its high performance in maternity care by the California Surgeon General in 2024.
Surgeon General Ramos is passionate about reducing the maternal mortality rate in California by increasing awareness and providing access to resources for expectant mothers through the Strong Start & Beyond movement, which aims to reduce California’s maternal mortality rate 50-percent by December 2026.
"Supporting families before, during and after pregnancy is an urgent need," said Dr. Ramos. "Mental health can have a big impact on a mother’s pregnancy journey and education is a key first step. That's why the Maternal Mental Health Symposium is so important for healthcare professionals to attend and learn from each other on this critical topic."
Register for the free, virtual event here. For more information about maternal mental health care at El Camino Health, visit here.
About El Camino Health
El Camino Health has served the communities of Silicon Valley and the South Bay for more than 60 years, with nationally recognized physicians and nurses at two not-for-profit acute care hospitals in Los Gatos and Mountain View, and 26 care locations across the region, which includes primary care, multi-specialty care, and urgent care. El Camino Health is dedicated to giving patients high-quality care utilizing the most advanced technology and research. As your healthcare partner of choice, we focus on keeping you healthy and getting you back on your feet when you need it, so you can live your best life.
Aside from achieving outstanding patient outcomes, the hospitals have earned numerous awards for clinical excellence, including being named one of the World's Best Hospitals 2025 by Newsweek, one of the Best Hospitals for Maternity Care by U.S. News & World Report, one of America's 100 Best for Cardiac Care by Healthgrades and becoming the San Francisco Bay Area's first Magnet hospital, earning four consecutive designations from the American Nurses Credentialing Center for nursing excellence.
Key service lines include cancer care, cardiovascular care, maternity care, mental health and addiction services, orthopedics, pulmonology, urology, and women's health. Visit elcaminohealth.org to learn more.
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