Verinata Health Adds Holly S. Puritz, M.D. to Clinical Advisory Board

SAN CARLOS, Calif., Oct. 11, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Verinata Health, Inc., a privately-held company dedicated to maternal and fetal health, today named Holly S. Puritz, M.D., to its Clinical Advisory Board.  Dr. Puritz is President and a Managing Partner of The Group for Women and serves as Medical Director of OB/GYN Services for Sentara Leigh Hospital in Norfolk, Virginia.

"Holly's outstanding reputation as a leading OB/GYN coupled with her experience in patient safety and advocacy brings an enhanced perspective of clinical practice to our Clinical Advisory Board," said Caren L. Mason, Chief Executive Officer of Verinata Health. "Her unique perspective on maternal and fetal health will provide critical insights into the risk management needs of the clinicians and patients who may benefit from the availability of a conclusive non-invasive prenatal diagnostic test."

Dr. Puritz was the first female physician to join The Group for Women, quickly rising through the ranks to become a Managing Partner and President of the practice today. Dr. Puritz received her B.S. and M.D. from Tufts University and completed a special internship at the Medical College of Hampton Roads. Dr. Puritz served as Chief Resident during her residency at Eastern Virginia Medical School and is board certified in obstetrics and gynecology. She is a Fellow of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology and was appointed to the Government Affairs Committee for the 2011-2012 period. She is a member of the Commonwealth of Virginia Task Force for Infant Mortality, is the recipient of numerous awards and honors for her superior clinical practice, and in June 2011, Dr. Puritz was appointed as Clinical Faculty in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Eastern Virginia Medical School.

Verinata Health, Inc.

Verinata is driven by a sole, extraordinary purpose – maternal and fetal health.  Our initial focus is to develop and offer non-invasive tests for early identification of fetal chromosomal abnormalities using our proprietary technologies.  We aim to reduce the anxiety associated with today's multi-step process, the unacceptable false-positive rates, the non-specific and sometimes confusing results of current prenatal screening methods, as well as the risk of current invasive procedures. In support of national guidelines recommending first trimester aneuploidy risk assessment, we believe women who desire such an assessment should be offered a single blood draw test with a definitive result.  Verinata is conducting a prospective, blinded pivotal study to clinically validate the sensitivity and specificity of its first prenatal test on a large scale with results of the study expected in 2011. For more information about Verinata, please go to www.verinata.com.

SOURCE Verinata Health, Inc.