Maribeth McLaughlin always tells young leaders they don’t have to have all the answers — it’s more important to know who to call to get the ones they need.

“It’s all about the collaboration and the entire team — all those essential services working together and supporting each other,” says McLaughlin, who works to improve and enhance overall women’s healthcare across UPMC.

In addition to being a respected and sought-after collaborator, McLaughlin is also known as someone always on the cutting edge of her industry, a trait that’s been more critical than ever during the pandemic.

“If I’ve learned anything in these past two years, it’s that you have got to be creative,” she says. “You have got to be willing to take a little bit of risk and to make really innovative change.”

At the onset of the pandemic, prenatal care providers pivoted quickly to provide telemedicine visits for patients. One of McLaughlin’s first decisions was to buy 5,000 blood pressure cuffs to send to women at home to be used during virtual appointments. She also helped provide technology so loved ones could conduct remote visits with new babies and their families.

Such innovation will remain crucial moving forward, she says. “We’ve got to think about how we get into communities and really improve care — not just being in hospitals and at the bedside, but how do we impact care more broadly to reduce the need for some of the hospitalizations. Nurses have the ability to do that.”