- Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University - https://developingchild.harvard.edu -

Community Leadership Council

Community leaders have been full partners in our pediatric work since the creation of the JPB Network [1] in 2015. Community co-ownership reflects a deep commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion as core values of the Pediatric Innovation Initiative [2]. It is also a reflection of our vigilant attention to both maximizing parent empowerment and preventing potential negative uses of new measures of stress effects in young children (such as inappropriate labeling of children or families), particularly in communities of color, where racism and other forms of discrimination have led to egregious misuse of biological information in the past. In short, the extent to which the use of new measures is ultimately beneficial for children and their parents will depend on how the development process itself is shaped collaboratively by community leaders, clinicians, and parents rather than driven by scientists alone.