Early Relational Health: Building the Foundations for Lifelong Health and Wellbeing

Early Relational Health (ERH) is that dynamic process of mutual, meaningful, and affirming moments of connection in the youngest relationships, and is foundation in shaping lifelong physical, behavioral and social-emotional wellbeing. ERH arises from the positive emotional connections that babies and toddlers and their parents/caregivers experience in everyday moments of caregiving and nurturing. Nurture Connection (NC), established in 2023, has become a national catalytic network to advance ERH for the flourishing of children, families and communities.  By partnering with families and communities, NC advances ERH within a transforming child health system, a growing relational health workforce in communities and intentional parent partnership and leadership. Building on the guidance from the recently released National Academies consensus report, this presentation will discuss early relational health, innovations in practices, transforming policies and practices, and early childhood system building with strategic messaging of relationships and belonging.

David W Willis, MD, FAAP is Professor of Pediatrics and Psychiatry at Georgetown University, within the new Thrive Center for Children, Families and Communities. There, he leads Nurture Connection, an impact network, to advance early relational health at the growing intersection of child health transformation and resilient community building in partnerships with families with a social justice commitment. He also is the current Co-Chair of National Academy of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine’s Forum on Children’s Wellbeing.  Dr. Willis was previously a Senior Fellow at the Center for the Study of Social Policies in Washington DC,  the Inaugural Executive Director of the Perigee Fund of Seattle, WA, the Division Director of Home Visiting and Early Childhood Systems at HRSA during the Obama Administration, and an early brain and child development clinician and leader in Oregon and the American Academy of Pediatrics. He currently lives in Alexandria, VA with his wife in close proximity to his oldest son’s family.