About Women & Infants Hospital

Advancing Equitable Care Through Every Stage of Life

Women & Infants Hospital of Rhode Island, a Care New England hospital, is one of the nation’s leading specialty hospitals for women and newborns. The major teaching affiliate of The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, we are the 9th largest stand-alone obstetrical service in the country with approximately 8,500 deliveries per year.

 

Why Choose Women & Infants

A Designated Baby-Friendly USA Hospital

Designated Baby-Friendly USA Hospital, U.S.News & World Report 2014-15 Best Children’s Hospital in Neonatology, and a 2014 Leapfrog Top Hospital, in 2009, Women & Infants opened what was at the time the country’s largest, single-family room neonatal intensive care unit.

A Premier Hospital for Women & Newborns

New England’s premier hospital for women and newborns, Women & Infants, alongside The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University offer fellowship programs in gynecologic oncology, maternal-fetal medicine, urogynecology, and reconstructive pelvic surgery, women's mental health, neonatal-perinatal medicine, pediatric and perinatal pathology, gynecologic pathology and cytopathology, breast disease, obstetric medicine, and reproductive endocrinology and infertility.

Awarded for Excellence

Designated as a Breast Imaging Center of Excellence by the American College of Radiology, a Center of Excellence in Minimally Invasive Gynecology, a Center of Biomedical Research Excellence for Perinatal Biology by the National Institutes of Health, and a Neonatal Resource Services Center of Excellence.

A Prestigious Research Facility

Our hospital is one of the largest and most prestigious research facilities in high-risk and normal obstetrics, gynecology, and newborn pediatrics in the nation, and is a member of the NRG Oncology, the Maternal-Fetal Medicine Units Network, the Neonatal Research Network, and the Pelvic Floor Disorders Network.

  • Our History
  • Our Mission
  • Our Vision
  • Our Values
  • 125th Anniversary

Providence Lying-In Hospital

Founded in 1884 as the Providence Lying-In Hospital, the hospital's initial purpose was very limited. Providence Lying-In, located at the General James Estate on Slocum Street in Providence, was exclusively a maternity hospital where women could safely deliver their babies. Two years later, we relocated to the corner of State and Field Streets, eventually outgrowing the building.

In 1926 we moved to a new facility at 50 Maude Street which was to be our home for the next 60 years. The Maude Street hospital was expanded, extensively renovated, and modernized over the years to keep pace with increasing and changing patient needs as well as new medical technology.

With these developments came a new name that more accurately reflected our broadened services for women and newborns - we became Women & Infants Hospital of Rhode Island, with far-reaching responsibilities to a population of 1.5 million. In the late 1970s, it was clear that our future process required additional physical expansion and program developments. As a result, we affiliated with Rhode Island Hospital and, in 1986, relocated to an entirely new Women & Infants facility on Dudley Street in Providence.

Current Day

Today, Women & Infants is one of the premier health care facilities for women in the country. As the largest obstetrical facility in the state, the second-largest in New England, and the eleventh largest stand-alone obstetrical service in the country, Women & Infants each year delivers nearly 8,400 babies and cares for 1,200 newborns in our Special Care Nursery - the only newborn intensive care unit in the region. Our gynecologic and general surgical program, with a volume of more than 7,500 procedures a year, now provides a comprehensive array of services to meet the needs of women throughout their lifespan.

From our main hospital building and a number of convenient satellite facilities nearby, we now provide women and their families with the most sophisticated services in infertility treatment, breast care, gynecologic cancer, urinary incontinence, prenatal diagnosis, low and high-risk obstetrics, gynecology care, women's gastrointestinal health, behavioral health, and primary care. We have also maintained our firm commitment to preventive health care, offering educational programs and a wide range of medical, nutritional, and support services through our Obstetrics and Gynecology Care Center and our outreach sites in East Greenwich, South Kingstown, and Woonsocket.

Women & Infants is also committed to medical education and research. A major teaching affiliate of The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University for obstetrics, gynecology, and newborn pediatrics, Women & Infants maintains teaching relationships with numerous nursing and professional schools. Our research efforts have earned national recognition and support. Most notably, the hospital has been involved in pioneering a newborn hearing screening test, improving detection of Down Syndrome through the AFP test, and studying the impact of diabetes in pregnancy.

We are proud of our reputation as southeastern New England's regional center for the care of women and infants, and we will continue to build on those services that improve the health of our region's women, provide for safe, family-centered childbirth, and assure infants the opportunity for normal growth and development. In all of these, we are committed to ever-increasing excellence.

View The Community Health Needs Assessment Report

Our Mission

At Women & Infants Hospital, a major teaching hospital of The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, we strive to empower women of all ages, races, ethnicities, and beliefs, through exceptional healthcare throughout every stage of life.

We pride ourselves in providing nationally leading services in women’s wellness, mental health, and starting a family.

Our Vision

Women & Infants will be the recognized leader in health care for women and infants.

Accountability
  • Set clear expectations and provide timely feedback and follow-through.
  • Do what you say you’re going to do, and be fair about it.
  • Take ownership of your responsibilities.
Caring
  • Acknowledge and respond to the needs and challenges of every person.
  • Create an environment that encourages respect and appreciation.
  • Offer support, information, and hope.
Teamwork
  • Listen and value each person’s voice.
  • Ask “How can I help?”
  • Support the work of each team and each team member.
It has been 125 years since three Providence physicians identified a need for a medical facility that would provide care for poor women with no place to give birth, creating the Providence Lying-In Hospital. It’s easy to wonder what they would think of the evolution of their creation, now named Women & Infants Hospital.
 

Looking Back, Looking Ahead

Each year, much forethought is given to establishing and growing programs and channeling innovative minds to meet the current needs of women and babies while continuing to fuel the hospital’s future. Through the decades, administrators, physicians, researchers and staff have reached for – and achieved – greatness. These days, the bar has been raised even higher as the hospital family works collectively to make Women & Infants the recognized leader in health care for women and newborns.

It's Always About the People

Staff drives the success of any institution. Techniques, equipment and plans for the future are useless without a skilled workforce and administration. Through the decades, Women & Infants has been graced with the intelligence, intuition, passion and dedication of thousands of staff members, nurses, physicians and administrators.

Searching for Answers

From the very beginning, Women & Infants has been a vibrant research facility. Staff and physicians do not accept medical mysteries; they probe for answers, solutions, cures. It’s part of being a comprehensive facility. Through the years, there have been many research-related highlights that have advanced the way the world cares for women and newborns.

Learning and Teaching

Women & Infants administrators have always understood that being a leader comes with responsibility. Part of that responsibility is ensuring there are enough high quality caregivers for the community, both today and tomorrow. The hospital’s commitment to academics was forged after its doors opened in 1884 when women interested in becoming nurses asked to be trained. Since then, education within the hospital evolved to include physicians.

Women & Infants Today

Today's hospital is a tribute to its rich legacy, offering a highly skilled workforce, forward-thinking administration, cutting-edge research and programs that bring quality care and job training into the community.

Accreditations, Awards & Memberships

Centers of Excellence
  • A Center of Excellence for Reproductive Health Resources, Optum Health
  • A Breast Imaging Center of Excellence, American College of Radiography
  • A Center of Biomedical Research Excellence, National Institutes of Health
  • A Neonatal Resource Services Center of Excellence
  • A member of the National Cancer Institute’s Gynecologic Oncology Group
  • A Brown University/Women & Infants National Center of Excellence in Women’s Health by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Accreditations
  • Women & Infants Hospital is accredited by the The Joint Commission (TJC). This hospital continuously strives to provide the highest levels of quality and safety in all that we do. We encourage you to discuss any concerns or issues you may have about your care or service with us directly so we may resolve them as quickly as possible. You may also contact the The Joint Commission directly via their website: www.jointcommission.org, email: complaint@jointcommission.org, or telephone: (630) 792-5000 or (800) 994-6610.
  • College of American Pathologists (CAP)
Licensed by
Rhode Island Department of Health
Approved by
  • Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education
  • Fellowship Program in Gynecologic Oncology/American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology
  • Fellowship Program in Urogynecology and Reconstructive Pelvic Surgery/American
  • Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology
  • Fellowship Program in Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine/American Board of Pediatrics
  • Fellowship Program in Pediatric and Perinatal Pathology/American Board of Pathology
  • Fellowship Program in Gynecologic Pathology and Cytopathology/American Board of Pathology
  • Teaching Hospital Cancer Program/American College of Surgeons
Recognitions
  • 2018 - Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services, STAR Rating – 4 Stars
  • 2018 - The Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology ranked #11 nationally by U.S. News & World Report
  • 2016 and 2017 - Named among the Top 10 obstetrics and gynecology residency programs in the country by Doximity
  • 2016 - Received Women's Choice Award, America's Best Hospitals for Obstetrics
  • 2016 - Received Women's Choice Award, America's Best Hospitals for Cancer Care
  • 2016 - Received Women's Choice Award, Best Breast Centers
  • 2015 - Named a Designated Baby-Friendly USA Hospital
  • 2015 - Received Women's Choice Award, America's Best Hospitals for Obstetrics
  • 2015 - Received Women's Choice Award, America's Best Hospitals for Cancer Care
  • 2015 - Received Women's Choice Award, Best Breast Centers
  • 2015 - Named among Top 5 obstetrics and gynecology residency programs in the Northeast by Doximity
  • 2014 - Named among the Top 10 obstetrics and gynecology residency programs in the country by Doximity
  • 2014 - Named a U.S. News Best Children’s Hospitals in neonatology
  • 2014 - Named a Top Hospital by The Leapfrog Group
  • 2013 - Named high-performing in cancer in U.S. News Best Hospitals
  • 2013 - Named high-performing in gynecology in U.S. News Best Hospitals
  • 2012 - Named high-performing in cancer in U.S. News Best Hospitals
  • 2012 - Named high-performing in gynecology in U.S. News Best Hospitals
  • 2011 - Ranked number one in the Providence metro area in U.S. News Best Hospitals metro area rankings
  • 2011 - Ranked a best hospital in gynecology in U.S. News Best Hospitals metro area rankings
  • 2011 - Ranked a best hospital in cancer in U.S. News Best Hospitals metro area rankings
  • 2011 - Named a U.S. News Best Children’s Hospitals in neonatology
  • 2010 - Named a U.S. News Best Hospital in gynecology
  • 2002 - Named one of the top ten places in the U.S. to deliver a baby by Fit Pregnancy magazine
  • 2001 - Named one of the best hospitals in gynecology in the America’s Best Hospitals in U.S. News & World Report
  • 2000 - Named one of the best hospitals in gynecology in the America’s Best Hospitals in U.S. News & World Report

Quality at Women & Infants

Measurement Reports

With the belief that good information can assist in making the best health care decisions for you and your family, Women & Infants Hospital publicly reports measurements on the quality of care we provide to our patients.  

Your feedback is very important to us. If you would like to share your story, let us know what we've done well or what we can improve, or if you need assistance in any way, please contact the Patient Service Line at (401) 274-1122, ext. 44968. Your call will be returned within one business day.

Commitment to Quality and Safety

We report on indicators used by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to judge quality of care. The data on this site is reported to the Department of Health and Human Services and is updated on a quarterly basis. For more information, please visit the Hospital Compare website. These reports give information about how Women & Infants Hospital compares to other hospitals, both in Rhode Island and nationally, in key areas of patient care.

Exceptional Patient Care Experience

Women & Infants Hospital is committed to providing an exceptional patient care experience to every patient and their family, every time. To measure the satisfaction of our patients, Women & Infants Hospital uses Press Ganey, the largest company in the industry to provide satisfaction bench-marking to health care organizations. The company offers the largest comparative customer feedback databases, actionable data, solution resources, and unparalleled consulting and customer service. Press Ganey currently partners with more than 10,000 health care facilities, including more than 40 percent of U.S. hospitals to measure and improve the quality of their care.

Senior Leadership Team

Shannon R. Sullivan, MSW, LICSW, CCM

Shannon R. Sullivan was named President & Chief Operating Officer for Women & Infants Hospital in September 2020. Shannon previously served as Vice President of Operations for both Kent Hospital and Care New England after serving in various leadership and clinical roles within Care New England since 2003.

Raymond O. Powrie, MD, FRCP(c), FACP

Dr. Raymond O. Powrie is the Chief of Medicine and Senior Vice President for Population Health at Women & Infants Hospital. His administrative focus over the years has been on advancing patient safety, improving the quality of care, and minimizing patient risk. Dr. Powrie is also a Professor of Medicine and Obstetrics & Gynecology with the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University.

Kim Francis, PhD, PHCNS-BC

Kim Francis, Chief Nursing Officer and Senior Vice President of Patient Care Services joined Women & Infants Hospital in June 2022. Kim has over 32 years of progressive leadership experience in nursing and started her nursing career as a staff nurse at Women & Infants in 1990. Kim is the Nurse Director of the Postpartum, Level 1 Nursery, Antepartum, Special Care Nursery, and Interim Director for the Neonatal Intensive Care Units.

Methodius G. Tuuli, MD, MPH, MBA

Dr. Tuuli is the Chace-Joukowsky Professor and Chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University and Chief of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Women & Infants Hospital. A board-certified Maternal-Fetal Medicine physician, his research is focused on the prediction and prevention of adverse obstetric outcomes. 

Thomas P. Ricci

Thomas P. Ricci, Vice President of Finance at Women & Infants Hospital, began in 2017 where he served as Director of Finance at Women & Infants Hospital for three years. He is highly regarded for his leadership style and strives for excellence in all areas of finance. Tom graduated from Rhode Island College with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting, as well as a Master of Professional Accountancy (M.P.Ac.).

C. James Sung, MD, FCAP
C. James Sung, MD, FCAP, is the Chief of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at Women & Infants Hospital of Rhode Island, Executive Chief of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at Care New England Health System, Professor and Vice Chair of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University.  
Jill L. Maron, MD, MPH
Dr. Jill Maron is a Professor of Pediatrics at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. She completed her undergraduate education at Harvard University (Cambridge, MA), receiving her bachelor’s degree in Biological Anthropology cum laude. She earned both a MD and MPH degree in International Health and Development from Tulane University (New Orleans, LA) prior to completing her Pediatrics training at Hasbro Children’s Hospital at Brown University (Providence, RI).