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In this special episode of The Incubator Podcast, Ben and Daphna welcome Dr. Malathi Balasundaram and Morgan Kowalski, key members of the Family-Centered Care (FCC) Task Force, to discuss the growing movement towards integrating families as active partners in neonatal care.

Dr. Balasundaram, a neonatologist and chair of the FCC Task Force, explains that family-centered care goes beyond simple parental involvement—it requires caregivers to be equal members of the NICU team, engaged in every stage from antenatal care to discharge and beyond. Despite decades of evidence proving its benefits, family-centered care is still inconsistently implemented in many NICUs. The FCC Task Force was created to bridge this gap, providing hospitals with the resources, mentorship, and support needed to build or strengthen their programs.

Morgan Kowalski, a former NICU parent turned program manager, shares her powerful personal experiences that shaped her advocacy. She describes how her active participation in her son’s care directly impacted his outcomes, underscoring the life-saving role of informed and engaged parents. She also highlights the Task Force’s rapid global growth, now spanning over 1,400 members across 46 countries, and the impact of its webinars, mentorship programs, and policy initiatives.

This episode sheds light on the urgent need for cultural and systemic change in neonatal care. As more hospitals recognize that parents are not visitors, but essential caregivers, the FCC Task Force continues to push for widespread adoption of family-centered policies that improve both infant and family outcomes.

Tune in to learn how this movement is revolutionizing NICU care and how you can be part of the change! 

As always, feel free to send us questions, comments, or suggestions to our email: [email protected]. You can also contact the show through Instagram or Twitter, @nicupodcast. Or contact Ben and Daphna directly via their Twitter profiles: @drnicu and @doctordaphnamd. The papers discussed in today's episode are listed and timestamped on the webpage linked below.

Enjoy!