We are pleased to share a message from the keynote speaker for the 2022 International Pediatric Feeding Disorder Conference (IPFDC). Learn more about the conference and register today.

When Feeding Matters approached me about serving as this year’s keynote speaker at the International Pediatric Feeding Disorders Conference (IPFDC), I was honored. My role as the President and CEO of the National Institute for Children’s Health Quality (NICHQ) means that I am constantly learning about challenges that families and children face when it comes to healthcare and strategizing ways to create change. I know, and you know, that change for the future is vital, but how can we help those families who are unable to receive services now? Change is important. Rapid change can be vital.

This is part of the reason why I am so pleased to serve as this year’s keynote speaker for Feeding Matters. This organization is 15 years old. And in that time, it has evolved from a parent support organization to an organization that helps pave the way with the medical community to create the rapid change I mentioned. Through their collaborations, innovations, and strategic vision, Feeding Matters put pediatric feeding disorders (PFD) on the map, most notably with the recent establishment of diagnostic codes. These are the kinds of rapid changes that are so powerful.

I am looking forward to speaking with all of you at the conference about Driving Change to Improve Children’s Health. Whether you are attending as a professional, parent, or community member, your presence at the IPFDC is vital so that we can all continue the momentum that Feeding Matters has generated to rapidly change and improve the way children with PFD are cared for.

About Scott D. Berns, MD, MPH, FAAP
Berns has served as President and CEO at the National Institute for Children’s Health Quality (NICHQ) since 2015, where he applies his extensive experience working across academic, clinical, nonprofit, community, and public health settings to lead initiatives aimed at driving change to improve children’s health. Berns is a nationally recognized expert in quality improvement science in maternal and child health and has published extensively.

Berns is also Co-Founder and Board Chair of The Progeria Research Foundation (PRF). He ensured PRF was a key force behind the Progeria gene discovery and has developed impactful international programs for Progeria families and researchers. In addition, he currently serves on the Executive Committee of the American Academy of Pediatrics’ Council on Quality Improvement and Patient Safety, American Academy of Pediatrics. Prior to joining NICHQ, Berns spent 14 years at the March of Dimes National Office serving as the Senior Vice President of Chapter Programs and the Deputy Medical Officer. He provided direction in education and community services to all March of Dimes state-based chapters, including DC and Puerto Rico.

Berns is a board-certified pediatrician and pediatric emergency physician. He is a Clinical Professor of Pediatrics at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University and Clinical Professor of Health Services, Policy and Practice at the Brown School of Public Health. Berns also completed a one-year White House Fellowship where he served as a Senior Advisor to the U.S. Secretary of Transportation.