Meet the Taskforce

Core Team

  • Malathi Balasundaram, MD

    Founder & Co-Chair
    Clinical Associate Professor,
    Stanford School of Medicine
    Attending Neonatologist &
    FCC Committee Chair,
    El Camino Health

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  • Colby Day, MD

    Co-Chair
    Assistant Professor of Pediatrics &
    Medical Director,
    Golisano Children’s Hospital NICU at University of Rochester Medical Center



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  • Keira Sorrells

    Co-Chair
    Founder & Executive Director,
    NICU Parent Network

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  • Morgan Kowalski

    Program Manager
    Family Partner,
    Golisano Children’s Hospital NICU at
    University of Rochester Medical Center

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Committee Chairs

  • Marketing & Communications Committee Co-Chair

    Daphna Barbeau, MD
    Attending Neonatologist,
    HCA University Hospital
    Director,
    High Risk Infant Follow Up Clinic

  • Marketing & Communications Committee Co-Chair

    Alex Zavala
    Founder,
    The NICU Dad &
    The NICU Dad Podcast
    PFAC Chair,
    Dell Ascencion NICU Network
    Family Advisor,
    Vermont Oxford Nework

  • Newsletter Committee Co-Chair

    Vargabi Ghei, MD
    NICU Medical Director,
    HCA East Florida Northwest Medical Center

  • Newsletter Committee Co-Chair

    Morgan Kowalski
    Program Manager,
    Family-Centered Care Taskforce
    Family Partner,
    Golisano Children’s Hospital NICU at University of Rochester Medical Center

  • Advocacy Committee Co-Chair

    Kerri Machut, MD
    Attending Neonatologist,
    Lurie Children’s Hospital
    Associate Professor,
    Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University

  • Advocacy Committee Co-Chair

    Nicole Nyberg, NNP
    Neonatal Nurse Practitioner,
    Cone Health
    Founder,
    Empowering NICU Parents & The Empowering NICU Parents Podcast

Executive Council
Family Partners

  • Lelis Bauzá Vernon

  • Jennifer Canvasser

  • Amy Finn

  • Molly Fraust-Wylie

  • Marybeth Fry

  • Yamile Jackson, PhD

  • Kelli Kelley

  • Morgan Kowalski

  • Kristy Love

  • Mia Malcolm

  • Necole McRae

  • Kimberly Novod

  • Betsy Pilon

  • Elizabeth Simonton

  • Meegan Snyder

  • Alex Zavala

Executive Council
Healthcare Partners

  • Daphna Barbeau, MD

  • Joy Browne, PhD

  • Robert Cicco, MD

  • Mary Coughlin, MS, NNP, NCC-E

  • Jessica Fry, MD

  • Vargabi Ghei, MD

  • Christy Gliniak, PhD, OTR/L, CNT, CPXP, NTMTC

  • Mitchell Goldstein, MD

  • Luann Jones, DNP, APRN, NNP-BC, NE-BC

  • Henry Lee, MD

  • Kerri Machut, MD

  • Nicole Nyberg, MSN, APRN, NNP-BS

  • Tim Palmer, MD

  • Aida Simonian, MSN, RNC-NIC, SCM, SRN

  • Dharshi Sivakumar, MD

  • Robert White, MD

  • Emily Whitesel, MD

Organizational Partners

Family-Centered Care Taskforce Phase 3 work supported by a grant from Genentech, a member of the Roche Group & partially funded by Prolacta Bioscience Foundation. 2023 Gravens Conference luncheon supported by an independent educational grant by Chiesi USA, Inc.

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