National Scientific Council on the Developing Child
The National Scientific Council on the Developing Child (NSCDC) is a multidisciplinary group of leading researchers dedicated to closing the persistent gap between what we know and what we do to support young children’s healthy development.
The National Scientific Council is a multidisciplinary group of leading researchers dedicated to closing the persistent gap between what we know and what we do to support young children’s healthy development.
Established in 2003, the Council has established a distinctive niche in the early childhood field based on its globally recognized ability to synthesize and communicate advances in developmental science for change agents focused on reducing disparities in life outcomes related to early adversity. Its work provides a universal framework for understanding the interactive influences of families, communities, policies, and services on child well-being.
In the early years of the NSCDC’s 20-year history, it focused primarily on brain development. Working closely with the FrameWorks Institute, the Council coined terms such as “brain architecture,” “serve and return” interactions, and “toxic stress” to describe the critical influence of early experiences and exposures on the developing brain. Building on its long-standing credibility among early childhood policymakers, service providers, funders, and advocates, the Council now works closely with FirstPlace Partners to ensure that science-informed principles are communicated clearly and accurately for leaders, activists, and investors in the place-based world. More recently, the Council has formulated a set of core concepts at the leading edge of 21st-century biology to formulate an expanded science of early childhood development (named ECD 2.0) that is now guiding FirstPlace’s work with community revitalization partners.
For more on the history and previous work of the Council, read A Decade of Science Informing Policy.
Council Members
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Jack P. Shonkoff, MD
Founding Director
Former Council Members
The National Scientific Council has benefited greatly from the scholarly contributions of current and former members, many of whom continue to contribute to the field through their scholarship and outreach activities. For more on the Council’s history, see this 10-year anniversary report.
W. Thomas Boyce, MD
- Lisa and John Pritzker Distinguished Professor of Developmental and Behavioral Health, Departments of Pediatrics and Psychiatry, University of California, San Francisco
Silvia A. Bunge, PhD
- Professor, Department of Psychology and Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley
Damien Fair, PA-C, PhD
- Professor, Institute of Child Development, College of Education and Human Development | Professor, Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota Medical School
William T. Greenough, PhD
- Professor Emeritus, Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Read a tribute to Dr. Greenough from his home institution.
Eric I. Knudsen, PhD
- Edward C. and Amy H. Sewall Professor Emeritus, School of Medicine, Stanford University
Betsy Lozoff, MD
- Professor Emerita, Department of Pediatrics and Communicable Diseases, Medical School, University of Michigan
Bruce S. McEwen, PhD
It is with profound sadness that we share the news that Dr. Bruce McEwen, a longtime member of the National Scientific Council, died in January 2020. McEwen’s groundbreaking research and wide-ranging knowledge have contributed enormously to the work of the Council and to the broader understanding of the effects of stress on lifelong development. He will be greatly missed.
Read a tribute to Dr. McEwen from his home institution, Rockefeller University.
Charles A. Nelson III, PhD
- Richard David Scott Chair in Pediatric Developmental Medicine Research, Boston Children’s Hospital Laboratories of Cognitive Neuroscience
- Professor of Pediatrics and Neuroscience, Harvard Medical School
- Professor of Education, Harvard University
Deborah A. Phillips, PhD
- Professor, Department of Psychology, Georgetown University
Ross A. Thompson, PhD
- Distinguished Professor, Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis
Phil Fisher should be added: Diana Chen Professor of Early Childhood, Stanford Graduate School of Education, Director, Stanford Center on Early Childhood
Phil Fisher
- Diana Chen Professor of Early Childhood, Stanford Graduate School of Education, Director, Stanford Center on Early Childhood
Former Council Contributing Members
James J. Heckman, PhD
- The Henry Schultz Distinguished Service Professor in Economics and the College, University of Chicago
- Director, Center for the Economics of Human Development
- Co-Director, Human Capital and Economic Opportunity Global Working Group
Arthur J. Rolnick, PhD
- Senior Fellow, Humphrey School of Public Affairs, University of Minnesota
