Recognized as a national thought leader in early language development, Dr. Dana Suskind has dedicated her research and clinical life to optimizing foundational brain development and preventing early cognitive disparities and their lifelong impact. 

She is founder and co-director of the TMW Center for Early Learning + Public Health, which aims to create a population-level shift in the knowledge and behavior of parents and caregivers to optimize the foundational brain development in children from birth to five years of age, particularly those born into poverty.

Dana is a pediatric otolaryngologist who specializes in hearing loss and cochlear implantation. She currently directs the University of Chicago Medicine's Pediatric Hearing Loss and Cochlear Implant program and is an author of a couple books as well , including “Parent Nation: Unlocking Every Child's Potential Fulfilling Societies Promise,” and the controversial “Thirty Million Words: Building a Child’s Brain.”

Dana joins Greg on this episode of unSILOed to talk about how we view parenting in the west, societal support, SIDS, how child rearing tips spread, and good vs. bad early childcare and education.

Episode Quotes:

How can companies make it easier for people to be both parents and employees?

35:53: The first step is understanding that employees are also parents, and supporting them in both roles is actually good for the bottom line. And in terms of how to support parents, there are many different ways. In general, I think of them as flexibility, reliability, help with childcare, and just an acknowledgment that they are also parents.

Parents and caregivers are the guardians of our society’s future

13:49: One of the most important jobs is raising the next generation. Parents and caregivers, as I say, are the guardians of our society's future. 

The impact of poverty on children's development

16:09: All children are born with their own individual promise. But for so many, that promise is ripped away because of the vacuum of support for families, et cetera. And one of the most insidious impacts of poverty is on the developing child.

Show Links:Recommended Resources:

•  Joan Luby, who wrote an article actually, who stated poverty's most insidious impact is on the developing brain

Guest Profile:

• Professional Profile at The University of Chicago
• Speaker’s Profile at Penguin Random House Speakers Bureau
• Dana Suskind on LinkedIn
• Dana Suskind on Twitter
• Dana Suskind on Instagram

Her Work:

• Dana Suskind on Google Scholar
• Parent Nation: Unlocking Every Child's Potential, Fulfilling Society's Promise
• Thirty Million Words: Building a Child's Brain