I’m thrilled to share a major milestone in the journey of Nurture Connection — a national network committed to promoting strong, positive, and nurturing early relationships to build healthier, more connected communities. Starting this fall, Nurture Connection will be anchored within Georgetown University’s newly established Thrive Center for Children, Families and Communities.
The Thrive Center is a large, multidisciplinary, innovative center designed to rapidly advance equitable systems of care and support that enable children, families, and communities to thrive. It brings together new, innovative projects with long-established programs at Georgetown University Medical Center and its academic health system partner, MedStar Health, with a particular emphasis on underserved children, families, and individuals with developmental disabilities.
As a part of the Thrive Center, Nurture Connection builds upon Georgetown University’s deep and ongoing commitment to advancing the early childhood field and the institution’s partnership with innovators, leaders, and organizations working to support the health and well-being of children, families, and communities.
This move marks an exciting new chapter for Nurture Connection — which, for over the past five years, has brought together parents, caregivers, researchers, medical professionals, philanthropists, early childhood leaders, and policymakers to strengthen families across the country. The Thrive Center’s mission and values align perfectly with our work — with innovative research and opportunities that help children, families, and communities flourish.
As part of this move, I have joined the Georgetown faculty as Professor of Pediatrics at the Georgetown University School of Medicine. In this role, I will partner with the team at the Thrive Center to continue to develop Nurture Connection and expand its reach by building new relationships across the university — from pediatrics and child psychiatry to health policy and law. I will also continue my work as co-chair of the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine’s Forum on Children’s Well-Being.
We are grateful to the Center for the Study of Social Policy (CSSP) for incubating and guiding Nurture Connection through its early years. With their support, we’ve achieved many significant milestones, including a paradigm shift in Early Relational Health (ERH) and early childhood systems. Together, we have:
- Supported parent leadership within our Family Network Collaborative (FNC)
- Gained insights from place-based initiatives like Pediatrics Supporting Parents, EC-LINC, Strengthening Families, and Early Learning Nation
- Transformed pediatric practices in partnership with Reach Out and Read (ROR) and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP)
- Collaborated with Zero to Three’s Evidence to Impact Center on early childhood systems building
At Georgetown, we can grow our impact, work side by side with a diversity of families, and develop more partnerships to reimagine what’s possible for the healthy development of children. The Thrive Center’s deep commitment to equity, family-centered care, and community collaboration aligns with our mission and advances the Early Relational Health field as a whole.
We look forward to continuing our important work together and exploring the exciting possibilities ahead at Georgetown. Thank you all for your hard work and dedication — it is because of you that we’ve come this far, and together, we will achieve even more.
Onward to even greater success!
David W. Willis, MD
Professor of Pediatrics
Georgetown University School of Medicine
Thrive Center for Children, Families, and Communities
Founder and Director, Nurture Connection