In Washington many of us know Dr. Jill Sells as executive director of Reach Out and Read Washington State, which she co-founded with Dr. MaryAnn Woodruff, and as a leader on statewide early childhood efforts. Dr. Sells has recently stepped into a new role at the National Institute for Children’s Health Quality (NICHQ), as Clinical Director of Early Childhood Initiatives. You can learn more about NICHQ initiatives on their website. Dr. Sells’ goal: “To use cross-systems partnerships to create change. And create change quickly.” She envisions interdisciplinary approaches that put children and families at the center, creating linkages between early childhood and health systems. “This is part of the reason I am excited to be at NICHQ. It’s already built a foundation of partnerships across multiple sectors within different systems. And it’s doing this with others on a national scale. My goal is to work with our partners and build on this foundation to have national impact on early childhood health and development. Every child deserves a fair chance.”
We wish Dr. Sells the best of luck in her new role and look forward to seeing the fruits of her labor at NICHQ.