Nurture Connection hosted a conversation on Wednesday, June 11th, 2025 about the power of codesign, and how parent partnership supports practice transformation in early childhood ecosystems.
Presenters shared how researchers, practitioners, and parents worked together to develop Reach Out and Read’s recent Parent/Caregiver-Clinician Relationship Survey, a validated assessment tool for assessing the parent-clinician relationship during routine pediatric primary care. Together, they reflected on how engaging families in the research design process offers a relational foundation for implementation research, and furthers the impact of ERH promotion efforts through pediatric primary care.
Guest Speakers (Bios):
- Nikki Shearman, PhD, Chief of Strategic Initiatives, Reach Out and Read
- Dani Dumitriu, MD, PhD, Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Director, Center for Early Relational Health, Columbia University
- Desarae Smalls, Parent Leader, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP)
Co-hosted by:
- Nicole Loveless, Parent Leader, Family Network Collaborative (FNC)
- David W. Willis, MD, FAAP, Founder and Director, Nurture Connection
Event Resources:
- Webinar Slide Deck
- Other links shared during the presentation:
- CSSP Parent Manifesto for Race Equity & Parent Leadership in Early Childhood Systems – Read here
- ”My Baby, My Doctor & Me: Hearing from Parents about Foundational Relationships and the Role of the Health Care System in promoting Early Relational Health” (The Center for Improvement of Child & Family Services, Portland State University) – Read here
- Reflections from our Family Network Collaborative (FNC) on the 2-year anniversary of Nurture Connection – Read here
- Podcast episode: “Centering Parent Voice and Leadership to Support Early Relational Health” (Collective Impact Forum) – Listen here
- Article co-authored by Dani and Nikki about an evaluation strategy focused on connections and relationships – Read here
- Op-ed authored by one of Nurture Connection’s parent leaders and Ira Hillman, Nurture Connection funder (Einhorn Collaborative) about the importance of investing in power sharing with your community – Read here
- Columbia Center for Early Relational Health (CERH)