Trauma-Informed Care Champions

Allison N. J. Lyle is a neonatologist and Clinical Bioethicist at the University of Louisville/Norton Children’s Hospital, where she is Director of the Pediatric Bioethics Elective and Distinction Track. She obtained her Master’s degree in Bioethics and Medical Humanities and her medical degree at the University of Louisville. She completed pediatrics residency at Indiana University/Riley Hospital for Children and fellowships in Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine and Pediatric Bioethics at the University of Washington/Seattle Children’s Hospital. Her scholarly work encompasses neonatal bioethics, ethics education, and perinatal palliative care.

Alicia Pointer is a general pediatrician and the former Health Commissioner for the Orange County NY Department of Health. She created and continues to be involved with the Orange County Family Center, a community space for families and children aged 0-5. She was previously Chief of Pediatrics at Cornerstone Family Healthcare, an FQHC. There, she founded and directed the STAR program, a pediatric medical home for children in foster care. She serves on the Advisory Board of the Adoptive and Foster Family Coalition of NY, the Orange County Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Coalition, and the Parenting Coalition.

“Bird” Gilmartin is a general pediatrician and an Associate Clinical Professor of Pediatrics with a dual appointment in general pediatrics at the Kempe Center. She served as the Founding Medical Director for the new Children’s Hospital Colorado specialty primary care clinic in affiliation with the Kempe Center, the Kids In Care Settings (KICS) clinic. Prior to Colorado, she worked at Evanston Regional Hospital in Evanston, Wyoming where she served as the Medical Director of Pediatrics and Chief of Medical Staff.  She currently serve as a Co-Investigator for the Pediatric Integrated Post-trauma Services SAMHSA grant working to disseminate the pediatric traumatic stress care process model and to develop enhanced implementation strategies for trauma screening and treatment referral in rural settings and adaptations for the unique needs of children in foster care. She served on the executive committee for the AAP Council on Child Abuse and Neglect (COCAN) from 2018 - 2024. In 2019, Bird was the recipient of the AAP COCAN award for Outstanding Service to Maltreated Children. Her professional areas of interest are foster care health, health disparities, cross sector collaboration, systems level innovations, infants prenatally substance exposed, and trauma informed care.

Amy Shoptaugh is board certified a board-certified pediatrician and graduated from University of Colorado School of Medicine, and continued to complete residency at Phoenix Children’s Hospital. She founded All About Kids Pediatrics in 1998 and practiced there until joining Phoenix Children's in 2020. Amy believes it's important to address the whole person - mind, body, and spirit -along with the social, environmental, and biological factors that affect health and well-being. Her specialty areas include adverse childhood experiences, integrative health, and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Avi Kopstick is an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics and pediatric intensivist at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso. His work focuses on advancing TIC principles in pediatric critical care and medical education, promoting resilience, and equipping providers with tools to improve patient outcomes through personalized and compassionate evidence-based practice.

COL (ret) Kimball-Eayrs is a pediatrician who started her military career at the Uniformed Services University School of Medicine and graduated in 1999. She did her pediatric training in San Antonio as part of the San Antonio Uniformed Services Health Education Consortium and transitioned to her first assignment at Darnall Army Community Hospital in Ft. Hood, TX where she served as a general pediatrician and resident rotation coordinator. In 2004, she joined the pediatrics team at Madigan Army Medical Center where she served in various roles culminating as the General Pediatrics Clinic Chief. During her time at Madigan, she deployed with the 4/25 Airborne Infantry Brigade. She spent 14 months at FOB Kalsu, Iraq serving as the Battalion Surgeon for the Brigade Support Battalion and the Officer in Charge of the FOB level II clinic, and again in 2015 with the 3/4 Armored Infantry Brigade as a Battalion Surgeon in Camp Buehring, Kuwait. Upon her return, she took on the role of Deputy Director for Medical Services at WRNMMC. In June 2019, she took on the role of Commandant for the School of Medicine at USU and was selected as the Army General Pediatrics Consultant to OTSG and served in both of these roles until her retirement from the Army in 2022. In parallel, she worked with the AAP as a member of the Executive Committee for the Section on Uniformed Services to better the lives of military connected children and provide support to those who care for them. She currently serves as volunteer civilian faculty at USU while maintaining her clinical skills in the civilian urgent care realm.

Cheryl DuMond-Martinez is a board certified pediatrician and breastfeeding medicine physician, who currently serves as a Clinical Assistant Professor in Breastfeeding Medicine at Upstate Medical University and as  the Clinical Director for Rural Health at the Le Moyne College Department of PA Studies. She previously served in the National Health Service Corps. Student to Service program. She has long been passionate about providing high-quality, compassionate care to populations with challenging access to care both in the US and internationally. She attended Cornell University, studying Nutritional Sciences, followed by Boston University, where she completed her MPH in International Health. She attended medical school at Upstate Medical University in Syracuse, NY and completed pediatric residency with a focus on Global Health at UH Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital in Cleveland, OH.

Dena Hubbard is a neonatologist and Director of NICU Quality Improvement at Cottage Children’s Medical Center in Santa Barbara, CA. She completed her Doctor of Medicine and Residency in Child Health at the University of Missouri-Columbia and her fellowship in Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine at Children's Mercy and University of Missouri-Kansas City. In addition to her clinical practice, her passions include advocacy and child health policy, leadership development, physician and healthcare professional health and wellness, and medical education.  Dena is a fierce activist for system changes to decrease waste and increase joy in medicine through trauma-informed care, lean processes, and continuous quality improvement.

“Hayes” Bakken is a general pediatrician and board-certified lactation consultant who provides primary care for children from birth through adolescence. She has worked to build interdisciplinary teams to support integrated behavior health in primary care in a variety of settings. She is passionate about prevention and ensuring trauma informed transformation also meets the needs of children 0-5 years old and their parents.

"Beth" Grady MD FAAP is a pediatrician with 30 years' experience caring for low income children and teens in San Mateo County, California. Starting in 2015, Dr. Grady led the San Mateo Medical Center’s effort to implement Trauma Informed Care, including participating in the Center for Care Innovation’s Resilient Beginnings Collaborative. In 2025, she retired from full time clinical practice to focus on advocacy and education. She co-chairs the AAP California Chapter 1 Mental Health Committee and is a chapter champion for Healthy Mental Development and a member of the UCSF Department of Pediatrics Volunteer Clinical Faculty.  She is especially interested in the intersection between trauma and neurodiversity and has been a member of the Stanford Neurodiversity Project since 2022.

Emily Hogeland is a pediatric hospitalist in the Division of Hospital Medicine at Connecticut Children’s and a Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at UConn School of Medicine. She attended Harvard College for undergraduate studies, and spent a year in Bolivia learning about healthcare delivery for indigenous populations. She attended medical school at University of California - San Francisco and completed her pediatrics residency at the University of Washington/Seattle Children’s - Alaska Track. After residency, she worked as a pediatric hospitalist at Alaska Native Medical Center in Anchorage for 6 years, where she had the privilege of caring for Alaska Native children and their families. She transitioned to Connecticut Children’s in 2022, where she is now involved in both graduate medical education as Associate Program Director for the UConn Pediatric Residency, as well as undergraduate medical education as Assistant Clerkship Director of the UConn inpatient pediatrics clerkship. She is passionate about advocacy, healthcare for underserved populations, trauma-informed care, and cultural humility.

Emily Spengler is an academic pediatrician with a deep commitment to advancing medical education and delivering compassionate, patient-centered care to marginalized populations. She is an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Drexel University College of Medicine and currently serves as Site Director for the Pediatrics Clerkship at St. Christopher’s and Assistant Course Director for Foundations of Patient Care I at Drexel. Dr. Spengler is Acting Medical Director of the Collaborative Primary Care Clinic, which serves over 800 patients facing social adversity such as child welfare involvement. 

Gretchen Pianka is a pediatrician who received her Doctor of Medicine from the University of Vermont and her Master of Public Health from the University of New England. She completed her pediatric residency at the University of Virginia and has worked in pediatrics for over 20 years. Gretchen developed Resilience University to foster resilience in primary care using evidence-informed strategies to support positive childhood experiences. She is passionate about equitable access to proven protective factors that support child and family health. Her book, Coaching Families for Resilience: How Pediatricians Can Support Caregivers and Prevent Burnout, was recently published by the AAP. 

Heather Champney is a board certified pediatrician and obesity medicine specialist who spent the first 16 years of her career serving her community as an Emergency Medicine physician in a busy tertiary care center. She is now Professor of Pediatrics and Director of Community Newborn Nurseries at East Tennessee State University, where she works with the region's perinatal centers to bring a cohesive approach to newborn medicine. She has long had a passion for helping her patients develop a more thorough understanding of their health and nutrition, which led her to pursue board certification in Obesity Medicine.  Heather has a deep interest in the way trauma impacts our health and well-being and uses the skills she obtained and continues to cultivate alongside her colleagues in the AAP Trauma Informed Care Champion Network. In her spare time, she enjoys gardening, exercising, and spending time on her farm with her husband and four children.

Joyce Gilbert is the Medical Director of the Providence Abuse Intervention Center in Lacey, WA. Dr. Gilbert has over 40 years of experience practicing primary care pediatrics and working as a Child Abuse Pediatrician. Dr. Gilbert is active in the 5 MDT’s for Thurston, Mason, Lewis, Grays Harbor and Pacific Counties. Dr. Gilbert is also employed by Seattle Children’s Hospital as a pediatric hospital-based physician and provides medical consultation for potential abuse throughout the state of WA. Her passion is education about preventing child abuse, the effects of trauma on the child’s brain and body, and how to recognize and intervene in cases of Child Torture. Dr. Gilbert has presented at conferences locally, statewide and nationally.

“Katy” Carlsen is a board certified general pediatrician who has worked in primary care pediatrics as well as a medical consultant for California Childrens Services program for 20 years. She is an Associate Clinical Professor for Pediatrics at UC Davis as a Volunteer clinical faculty during this time as well. She grew very interested in managing health care needs within the dysfunctional system of care, specifically for children and youth in foster care. Katy is a passionate child advocate, especially in the field of foster care and integrated health to include medical and mental health care in a setting. This setting includes intensive care coordination and family navigation services to help build upon existing strengths and increase resilience within the children and youth and their families. Over past 10 years, she worked to establish this integrated care model in partnership with UC Davis Pediatrics and Sacramento County Health Center to where the CIRCLE clinic opened in 2020.

Katie Donnelly is an associate professor of pediatrics and emergency medicine at The George Washington University in Washington DC and an attending physician in the Emergency Department at Children’s National Hospital. She is the medical director for Safe Kids DC, an organization dedicated to preventing accidental injuries in children in Washington DC and the medical director of the Youth Violence Intervention Program at Children’s National.  Her personal interest is pediatric firearm injury prevention. 

Kayce Morton is a community pediatric hospitalist who earned her Bachelor of Arts degree at Drury University. She attended Kansas City University of Biosciences and Osteopathic Medicine and completed her residency at University of Missouri-Columbia(Mizzou) in 2008. She joined a community hospital CoxHealth, in her hometown, and was the section director for 6 years. Kayce stepped down from that position to work in a hybrid model as a Pediatric Hospitalist and Pediatric Medical Director of Jordan Valley Community Health Center. She is the site leader for QI projects and an assistant professor for Mizzou. Kayce is very involved in multiple ways in the above organizations. She has been an active member of SHM, initially on the executive committee, and as a representative was on the planning committees for PHM and is currently participating in the pediatric special interest group on the education subcommittee. 

Malathi Balasundaram is a neonataologist and Clinical Professor at Stanford and the founder and co-chair of the International Family-Centered Care Taskforce. She formed the International FCC Taskforce by recruiting passionate trainees, neonatologists, staff, and family partners. The FCC Taskforce stands as a pioneering force, an international, multicenter, collaborative initiative solely dedicated to quality improvement in family-centered care. Our mission is to support NICUs in implementing FCC in their units. She has received a few educational grants and a research study to optimize the delivery of FCC by creating a pilot benchmarking FCC measures.  

Marie Ilarraza-Lugo is an early career pediatrician in San Juan, Puerto Rico. She completed medical school in Ponce Health and Science University in 2017. She then completed her pediatric residency in Saint Luke's Episcopal Hospital in Ponce, Puerto Rico in 2020. Marie currently works as an attending physician in the San Juan City Hospital, caring for admitted pediatric patients. She is also a part of the faculty of the pediatric residency in that same hospital, working with residents and medical students.

Melanie Jungblut is a general pediatrician who has completed 2 fellowships in Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, most recently in 2023-2024.  She has practiced in a rural setting during her entire career, bringing a passion for developmental and behavioral pediatrics services to underserved areas.  She is a co-leader in the development of an intergency collaborative action group in Ohio looking to identify and address care gaps for children with disabilities.  She has a very strong interest in Early Relational Health and Trauma-Informed Care and is an early provider of these services in her rural community.

Meredith Fishbane-Gordon is a board-certified pediatrician and Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the Stead Family Children’s Hospital at the University of Iowa.  She graduated from the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine and completed her residency at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.  She currently practices in an outpatient primary care clinic and serves as Treasurer/Secretary on the Board of Directors for the Iowa Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics.  

Natalie Mathurin is a board-certified pediatrician, and the Medical Director of the Center for the Urban Child at St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children. Prior to joining St. Christopher’s, Dr. Mathurin served as Associate Medical Director of Greater Philadelphia Health Action (GPHA), Inc. She received her medical degree from the State University of New York Downstate College of Medicine. Dr. Mathurin completed a postdoctoral research fellowship in Academic Pediatrics and Urban Community Health and earned a Master of Public Health from Columbia University. Dr. Mathurin’s career has included positions in medical education, ambulatory administration, health program development and school-based health. She served as the first Supervising Physician for the Vulnerable Populations Program in the New York City Office of School Health and subsequently became the first Medical Director for the School District of Philadelphia. She has also served as a pediatrician at the Hunting Park Health Center and provided care for the children at GPHA’s partnering public and charter schools. Throughout her career, she has been an ardent proponent of community pediatrics, and child and family-centered advocacy.

Prachi Shah is a pediatrician and Professor of Pediatrics and Psychiatry, currently working at the University of Michigan. She obtained her medical degree and residency training in Pediatrics from Baylor College of Medicine and completed fellowship training in Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics at Boston Medical Center, and in Infant Psychiatry at Tulane University School of Medicine. She was on the faculty of the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor where she served as the associate program director of their Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics fellowship and was the medical director of the Neonatal Followup Clinic and Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders Clinic. In July 2025, she transitioned from her faculty position to begin a Post Pediatric Portal Program in Psychiatry where she is currently a Child-Fellow-1 (in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry). Dr. Shah’s research focuses on the role of parenting and early relational health on the developmental outcomes of preterm infants, and the role of curiosity on early child development. She has served on the Research Council of the Society for Pediatric Research and is a member of the sub-board of Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics of the American Board of Pediatrics. Within the AAP, she is active in the Society of Developmental Behavioral Pediatrics, serves on the Executive Committee of the COEC (Council on Early Childhood) and is an advisor on the PMHCA National Advisory Group.    

"Pratima Shanbhag is a board-certified pediatrician in both General Pediatrics and Child Abuse Pediatrics. She graduated from the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine with a Doctor of Medicine, and completed her General Pediatrics training at the Orlando Health Pediatric Residency Program at Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children. She completed a fellowship in Child Abuse Pediatrics at the Mayerson Center for Safe and Healthy Children at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, where she now practices as an attending physician with an appointment as an Assistant Professor at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. She obtained a Master of Public Health in Health Education and Promotion from the University of Cincinnati, with a capstone in Trauma-Informed Care. Pratima is passionate about translating trauma-informed care into clinical practice in the healthcare setting. 
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Rachel Gilgoff is a board-certified general pediatrician, child abuse pediatrician, and integrative medicine specialist, who brings a multidisciplinary approach to ACEs, toxic stress, healing, and well-being. Over the course of her career, she has been the Medical Director of the Clinical Innovations and Research Team within Center for Youth Wellness, and co-founder of the National Committee on Asthma and Toxic Stress. She is currently a clinician at StressWell clinic in San Francisco, and Adjunct Clinical Professor at Stanford University Medical Center. Rachel is dedicated to addressing health issues resulting from child abuse and toxic stress. 

Rita Nathawad is a social pediatrician and an Associate Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Community and Societal Pediatrics at the University of Florida, College of Medicine-Jacksonville. She completed her Pediatric residency training and Pediatric Infectious Disease fellowship training at SUNY Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn, NY. She currently serves as the medical director for the Bower Lyman Center for the Medically Complex Child and the Jacksonville Health and Transition Services (JaxHATS) programs. Her clinical area of focus is in caring for youth and young adults with special health care needs with a specific focus on the transition from pediatric to adult based care. Rita is also an Associate Program Director for the Pediatric Residency Program, and is responsible for curriculum development and training in Advocacy, Community and Societal Pediatrics and Global Health. Having completed a fellowship in Community and Societal Pediatrics at UF, and Master’s degree in Global Health Policy at the University of London, School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, she possesses a unique background and skill set relevant to training in these areas. Her clinical, education, research and advocacy work are all grounded in the principles of child rights, health equity and social justice and she has given multiple workshops, presentations and developed curricula on these topics. 

Rosemary Martoma is a board-certified pediatrician and pediatric academic clinical fellow at Boston Children’s Hospital. She is also President of KidsMates Inc., a national nonprofit focused on advancing childhood equity. Rosemary completed medical school at Auckland University in New Zealand and residency at Tufts Children’s Hospital in Boston. She is a nationally recognized expert in trauma-informed care, a peer-reviewed author, and a pioneer of health equity advocacy for children of incarcerated parents. Her research interests center around a range of health equity issues. Rosemary is a recipient of the AAP Community Access to Child Health, a contributor to the AAP’s official parenting website, and an inaugural member of the AAP’s Child Welfare Learning Collaborative. 

Salimah Dhanani is a pediatrician and an Associate Professor of Pediatrics at Albany Medical Center. Her many roles include Director of Outpatient Lactation Services and Medical Director of an all-girls boarding school. She is also the Chair of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee for AAP NY Chapter1. Salimah has been involved in DEI initiatives in the capital district and is one of the trainers for Advancing Equity in Pediatrics training. Her passion is surrounding stigmatizing language in health care and in recognizing and teaching health literacy.

Shanice Latham is a board-certified pediatrician at CommuniCare Health Centers in San Antonio, Texas. She completed her pediatric residency at Baylor College of Medicine and pursued additional fellowship training in Adolescent Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, where she deepened her focus on mental health and trauma-informed care. Dr. Latham holds dual degrees in Medicine and Public Health from Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center.  She is passionate about promoting trauma-informed, equitable, and compassionate care for children and adolescents, particularly those from underserved and marginalized backgrounds. Her professional interests include adolescent and behavioral health, mental health advocacy, social justice,  and community-based approaches to resilience and wellness. Dr. Latham integrates a holistic, strengths-based, and trauma-informed lens into every patient interaction, emphasizing empathy, empowerment, and cultural sensitivity.  Outside of medicine, she enjoys reading, baking, exploring creative arts, and connecting with her family and friends often. 

Shannon Thompson is a board-certified pediatrician and child abuse subspecialist, licensed in Indiana. She is an Associate Professor of Clinical Pediatrics at Indiana University, School of Medicine, Riley Hospital for Children and Division Chief of the Child Protection Program in Indianapolis. Shannon received her Bachelor of Arts in pre-medicine from Hofstra University in Hempstead, NY and her Doctor of Medicine from The Ohio State University School of Medicine and Public Health in Columbus, Ohio. She completed her pediatric residency training at Georgetown School of Medicine in Washington, D.C. Prior to her current position, she practiced general pediatrics in Kokomo, Indiana for 3 years. She later practiced as a pediatric hospitalist for 8 years and served as Medical Director of the Child Protection Team at Peyton Manning Children’s Hospital at St. Vincent in Indianapolis, IN for 5 years. In her current position, she also serves as Medical Director of the Child Protection physical abuse clinic and the Foster Care Bridge Clinic. Shannon is committed to providing trauma-informed care to children and their caregivers in effort to help promote and build resilience.

"Mona" Puri is a board-certified pediatrican who has worked in community clinics throughout Southern California for over 20 years and is committed to the care of under-served communities.  She received her Doctorate in Osteopathy (D.O.) from the Chicago College of Osteopathy. Dr. Puri completed her Pediatric residency at Children's Hospital Orange County and did a one-year clinical fellowship in Adolescent Medicine at Children's Hospital Los Angeles. She also is a LEND (Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and related Disabilities) graduate from Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. In addition to treating patients and families, Dr. Puri focuses on advocating for equality for all children in society by strengthening systems of care. She currently is Clinical Educator at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, University of Southern California. Here, she works with children with complex needs. Her areas of focus include care of the immigrant child, prevention of childhood-trauma and care of the adolescent. She participated in the American Academy of Pediatrics State Legislative Day in 2016 and Federal Legislative Conference in 2017 & 2018, which involved going to the capital and advocating for the rights of children with state and federal legislatures. She continues to expand her impact by doing clinical research in hopes of guiding policy change through advocacy in the future. Current topics of interest include: looking at birth control practices in mothers with young children and impact and outcomes of survivors of childhood sexual abuse.  

Zia Gajary is a pediatrician who completed her medical degree at the University of Pennsylvania and went on to complete her residency at Johns Hopkins Children's Hospital. She is an attending physician at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, and an Associate Professor at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. Zia practices at a large Primary Care teaching practice in West Philadelphia, where she has served as the office's mental health champion.