After completing my fellowship in maternal-fetal medicine at the University of California, San Diego, I began my journey as an attending physician at the San Diego Perinatal Center, joining a small, dedicated team of four. Soon, I was immersed in the complex world of high-risk pregnancies, meeting mothers and families navigating unimaginable challenges.
Each of us has an aha moment that changes how we see the world. Mine came four years into practice, during an ultrasound appointment with a mother whose baby had been diagnosed with spina bifida. She was from Nigeria, and the room was quiet but heavy with emotion. As I scanned her baby, I noticed how intently she listened, asking thoughtful and important questions about her child’s prognosis. In that moment of quiet observation, it struck me deeply—no matter our political, racial, or socioeconomic differences, all good parents love their children with the same fierce devotion. This mother would do anything for her baby, no matter the obstacles. I found myself asking: Why aren’t we working more intentionally to leave this planet a better place for all children? That moment changed the course of my life.
A few years later, with the support of incredible volunteers, I founded Miracle Babies, a nonprofit dedicated to uniting mothers and families with their sick or premature newborns in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). In the United States, one in nine babies is born prematurely. Globally, that number reaches 15 million annually. I was shocked to learn that many families couldn’t afford even a $15 nightly stay at the Ronald McDonald House or the cost of gas to visit their babies. Miracle Babies began offering financial assistance—up to $2,500 per family—to help mothers stay close to their newborns. The bond between a mother and her child is powerful and irreplaceable. A mother’s presence, breast milk, and skin-to-skin contact (kangaroo care) have profound health benefits for both mother and baby.
In 2018, I launched My Brain and My Baby, a mental health program addressing depression and anxiety in mothers navigating complicated pregnancies. Today, Miracle Babies provides free transportation for families traveling between home and the NICU in San Diego, Orange County, and Los Angeles.
Our efforts extended beyond borders when I along with other volunteers (former patients) founded Bebés Milagros at the General Hospital in Tijuana, Mexico. Together, we expanded the NICU from 8 to 22 beds and built an operating room within the unit—allowing babies to receive necessary surgeries without leaving the NICU. Bebés Milagros now provides parenteral nutrition to premature infants, with an incredible team of volunteers and staff leading the work.
As I grew older, I felt an even stronger pull to serve children impacted by adversity, especially those with high Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE) scores. With the help of dedicated volunteers and my dear friend Jeff Wohler, we started Teachers RUL (Respect, Unity, Love), an afterschool program focused on reading comprehension, sports, and arts and crafts for 3rd to 6th graders at a San Diego school where up to 40% of students experience homelessness. Principal Hernandez, a visionary leader, has been instrumental in supporting our team’s collaboration with teachers and staff, turning Teachers RUL into one of the most successful reading programs in the school’s history. We’ve also introduced regular mental health screenings to identify children at risk for depression, anxiety, and other challenges.
This work led me to find Love & Time, a nonprofit focused on building self-confidence and self-esteem in children with high ACE scores. Love & Time approaches this mission in two ways:
First, we support mothers experiencing infertility, complicated pregnancies, or those with babies in the NICU by offering free mental health care. A mother’s mental health profoundly impacts the development of her child—both in utero and throughout the first six to eight years of life. This is not just intuition; science tells us that maternal stress can shape a child’s brain and health outcomes well into adulthood through epigenetics and early life programming. If a mother is struggling, the ripple effect on her child—and on the community at large—is significant. Mothers are the CEOs of our communities; when they thrive, so do their families.
Second, we provide direct mental health support to vulnerable children, like those in Teachers RUL. We are working to establish partnerships with federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) and are hiring child therapists to expand this essential work. Our goal is to nurture a child’s subconscious mind, instilling resilience, positivity, and a sense of belonging—foundations that can change the trajectory of a child’s life and even their health span decades later.
At Love & Time, we believe the mind is the control center. Programming it with the right tools—tools that address stress, foster inclusivity, and promote responsiveness over reactivity—is the foundation for building a healthier, stronger, and more compassionate society. ❦

About the Author

SEAN S. DANESHMAND, MD
San Diego, CA | (858) 204-7110 | SeanDaneshmandMD@periconsults.com
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Professor of Medicine – Maternal/Fetal Medicine
Scripps Clinic Medical Group | San Diego, CA | 2023 – Present
Physician and Medical Director – Division of Maternal and Fetal Medicine
Scripps Clinic Medical Group/Scripps Health | San Diego, CA | 2018 – Present
Founder and Medical Director
A&B Clinical Research | San Diego, CA | 2017 – Present
Founder
Miracle Babies (501(c)3 Nonprofit) | San Diego, CA | 2010 – Present
Clinical Professor – Department of Reproductive Medicine
University of California, San Diego (UCSD) | La Jolla, CA | 2010 – Present
CEO and Medical Director
A&B Medical Spa | San Diego, CA | 2005 – Present
Voluntary Clinical Instructor – Department of Reproductive Sciences
University of California, San Diego | San Diego, CA | 1999 – Present
Director of Perinatal Outreach
San Diego Perinatal Center | San Diego, CA | 2002 – 2018
Physician (Per Diem) – Department of Perinatology
Sharp Mary Birch Hospital | San Diego, CA | 2001 – 2002
Physician (Per Diem) – Obstetrics, Gynecology, and ER
Scripps Mercy Hospital | San Diego, CA | 1999 – 2002
Logan Heights Women’s Health Center | San Diego, CA | 1999 – 2002
Kaiser Permanente | Bellflower, CA | 1998 – 1999
EDUCATION
Fellowship in Maternal-Fetal Medicine
University of California, San Diego | 2002
Residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) | 1999
Doctor of Medicine (M.D.)
New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY | 1995
Bachelor of Science (B.S.) – Kinesiology
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) | 1991
CERTIFICATIONS AND LICENSURE
Board Certified: Obstetrics & Gynecology | Maternal-Fetal Medicine
United States Medical Licensure Examination (USMLE): Parts I, II, III
California Medical License: Active | #A63844
COMMUNITY OUTREACH
Host and Producer – Dr. D Radio | San Diego, CA | 2015 – 2018

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