Editorial Process

All original content on the First 1,000 Days Knowledge Center, as well as the selection of module items, is developed by pediatricians. A dedicated group of doctors (listed below) serve as main editors, overseeing the entire editorial process, as well as directing the addition of new content to the site.

Modules are written and developed by practicing pediatricians. The module authors select which articles, book chapters, and other resources will be included in the module. These authors also write text directing users to key points, guidance, or recommendations contained within the module items.

All modules undergo peer review by relevant AAP committees, sections, and councils, to ensure accuracy and compliance with AAP policies and guidelines.

Editors

Jillian Connors, MD, FAAP, is an Attending Physician at Children’s Hospital at Montefiore, specializing in neonatal-perinatal medicine and the evaluation and management of neonates with critical, acute, and chronic care needs. She is also an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Albert Einstein College of Medicine.

In 2007, Dr. Connors received her Bachelor of Science in Biology from Canisius College. Following this, she received her Doctor of Medicine in 2011 from the State University of New York at Buffalo School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. Dr. Connors completed her pediatrics residency training at The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and served an additional year as chief resident. She went on to complete fellowship training in Neonatal-Perinatal medicine at The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in 2018.

Dr. Connors is dedicated to researching neonatal nutrition and breastfeeding, quality improvement and patient safety, and neonatal resuscitation and simulation. She has shared her work in numerous publications, posters, and presentations.

Dr. Connors is board certified by the American Board of Pediatrics and is a fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Jessica Weisz, MD, FAAP, is a board-certified general outpatient pediatrician at Children’s National Hospital and an assistant professor at The George Washington School of Medicine. Her career focuses on effectively addressing social influences of health and promoting equity and is an affiliate faculty member of the Child Health Advocacy Institute.

She completed her residency training at Children’s National Hospital in the primary care track with a certificate in global health. She graduated from University of Pennsylvania with a major in Health and Societies and graduated from State University of New York Upstate Medical University for medical school.

As part of her work with the Child Health Advocacy Institute, Dr. Weisz developed, assessed, and implemented a multimodal curriculum for residents and medical students to learn how to screen for social needs during preventative care visits. She also completed Children’s National’s Quality Improvement Leadership course (QuILT) in 2020. Since then, she has led several QI projects including leading implementation of a community-health worker role to improve patient access to preventative oral health appointments.

Dr. Weisz is currently Vice President of the DC Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics and will be President of the chapter starting in July 2024. Dr. Weisz is also a part-time MBA student at The George Washington University.

Former Editor

Claire Boogaard, MD, MPH, FAAP, is a board-certified clinical pediatrician at Children’s Health Center at THEARC and a medical director of the Pediatric Health Network at Children’s National Hospital.  She holds appointments as an affiliate faculty member of the Child Health Advocacy Institute at Children’s National and an assistant professor of Pediatrics at George Washington University’s School of Medicine and Health Sciences.

After graduating magnum cum laude from Boston College with a Bachelor of Arts in sociology, she pursued her Doctor of Medicine and Master’s in Public Health at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, graduating Alpha Omega Alpha in 2011. She went on to complete her pediatric internship, residency and chief residency at Children’s National and joined the Children’s Health Center at THEARC as a clinical attending and assistant professor of Pediatrics in 2015. 

Along with providing preventive and urgent care in the clinical setting, Dr. Boogaard has held a variety of leadership roles in resident and fellow education, clinical management and public health program development.  As interim medical director for the Children’s Health Center at THEARC, she helped lead the team through an expansion in 2018, quadrupling space and adding onsite dental and specialty care for the community of Ward 8. 

As medical director for the hospital’s COVID-19 vaccine program, she partnered with multidisciplinary leaders and regional stakeholders to coordinate an effective, equitable, and patient-centered COVID-19 vaccine distribution and administration strategy. She helped expand the mass vaccine model to clinic-based distributive model to ensure equitable uptake, successfully administering >27,000 doses to >16,000 individuals, 67% of whom were living in high-risk neighborhoods and >60% identifying as Black/African American and 14.5% identifying as Hispanic. Her most recent leadership role as medical director of the Pediatric Health Network allows her to provide clinical expertise and oversight to quality improvement initiatives and value-based care contract negotiations for the Children’s National Pediatric Health Network. 

Dr. Boogaard is passionate about delivering high quality and equitable health care, focusing on prevention and strength-based interventions. She actively enjoys engaging with community members and multidisciplinary health care teams to enhance programmatic development and provide education to improve individual and community health outcomes.

Advisory Editor

Deborah Campbell, MD, FAAP is a professor of clinical pediatrics and associate professor of clinical obstetrics and gynecology and women’s health at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, program director for the fellowship in neonatal-perinatal medicine, and director of the division of neonatology at the Children’s Hospital at Montefiore. She conducts the Low Birth Weight Infant Evaluation and Assessment Program (LEAP) and has served various leadership roles at the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), New York State Association of Regional Perinatal Programs and Networks, New York City Local Early Intervention Coordinating Council, and Greater New York March of Dimes Health Professionals Advisory Board and National March of Dimes.

Dr Campbell is a member of the Greater New York Hospital Association Perinatal Safety Collaborative Advisory Group, the National Quality Forum Perinatal Collaborative, and the New York State Perinatal Quality Collaborative Neonatology Expert Workgroup. She also serves on the New York State Palliative Care Education and Training Council, an expert panel that developed guidance and advice for the New York State Department of Health on best practices in pain management and end-of-life care. She served as a member on the AAP Taskforce on Implementation of Newborn Hearing Screening and the Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) program. She is currently co-chair of the Bright Futures Guidelines, 4th edition Infancy Expert Panel.

Module Authors

• Danna Biala, MD, FAAP: Well Care for Formerly Preterm Infants
• Claire Boogaard, MD, MPH, FAAP: First Visits (0- to 6-Month Care); 12 Month Well Visit; Vaccinations
• Christine Briccetti, MD, MPH: Early Childhood Development
• Binny Chokshi, MD, MEd: Trauma-Informed Care
• Maria Camila Espinal, MD: Lead Exposure
• Jillian Connors, MD, FAAP: Delivery and Care of the Newborn; Post-discharge Care of the NICU Graduate / Late Preterm and Early Term Infant; 9 Month Well Visit; 2 Year (24 Month) Well Visit
• Emma Frost, MD, MPH: 15 Month Well Visit
• Lynn Gardner, MD, MBA, FAAP: 3 Year Well Visit
• Emily Groopman, MD, PhD: Food Allergies; Chromosomal Anomalies (Trisomies 13, 18, and 21)
• Deborah V. Hall, MD: 2 Month Well Visit
• Alexandra K. Martinson, MD:  Cow's Milk Protein Allergy
• Nicole Mathis, MD:  Constipation
• Barbara Menchan, MD, FAAP: 4 Month Well Visit
• Anita Moton, MD, MS: Autism Spectrum Disorder
• Jason Payne, MD, MSPH: Iron Deficiency and Iron Deficiency Anemiar
• Debra Regier, MD: Chromosomal Anomalies (Trisomies 13, 18, and 21)
• Sarah Elizabeth Schaffer DeRoo, MD, FAAP: 4 Year Well Visit
• Keila Simmons, MD: 30 Month Well Visit
• Lori M. Singleton, MD, FAAP:  Sudden Unexpected Infant Death (SUID)
• Ariella Slovin, MD: 6 Month Well Visit
• David Sullivan, MD, FAAP: 18 Month Well Visit
• Jessica Weisz, MD: Sleep Training; Social Determinants of Health, Oral Health