Reflections on NICHQ’s Decade of Transformation

Not pride in myself and what I’ve accomplished but pride in the NICHQ team, the organization’s laser focus, the robust partnerships, and the sustained changes we’ve made with and for the people we’ve served: the public health and clinical professionals, the community leaders, and the children and families who are the true motivation for this important work.

When I joined NICHQ ten years ago, it was abundantly clear that there was a strong foundation to build upon: a clear and compelling mission, solid and fundamental quality improvement methodologies, a team commitment to the health and well-being of the nation’s children, and sound partnerships with clinical, public health, and quality improvement professionals. From my first days, my hat was off to my predecessor, Dr. Charlie Homer, a NICHQ founder who served and led the organization for 16 years.

I came to lead NICHQ because I saw then what is even clearer now: that the 2015 NICHQ had the reputation and the foundation to transform into this mature 2025 version of itself and its work.

And so NICHQ has evolved over the past decade, while staying deeply rooted in our mission. Our story is one of intentional growth, guided by both opportunity and the needs of the children, families, and communities we serve.

Four themes have consistently guided our transformation here at NICHQ, shaping not only what we do, but how we think about our future.

#1 We remain unwavering in our mission: to improve children’s health. While the mission’s core has endured, our pathways to achieving change have expanded, reflecting a readiness to evolve as the landscape of pediatric health grows more complex.

#2 We have intentionally broadened our methods. Where we once focused primarily on traditional quality improvement, our work now encompasses systems change, embraces the amplification of community voices, is fueled by data-informed strategies, and is focused on impact. This evolution allows us to tackle systemic barriers to change at their root.

#3 We are responsive to emerging needs. We have demonstrated the agility to pivot in response to emerging needs—whether in the face of COVID-19 or the emergent focus on maternal mortality. Our commitment to adaptability ensures that we remain relevant and effective for the families and communities we serve.

#4 We leverage and lean into our strengths. We draw strength from our deep well of experience, trusted relationships, and a reputation for collaborative leadership. Since 2015 when I came on board, our foundation in clinical quality improvement—built through multi-state initiatives in sickle cell disease and infant mortality, in partnership with the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) and states like New York, Texas, and Massachusetts—has provided both credibility and expertise for our growth. This strong foundation has become the springboard for our ongoing transformation.

In 2016, we launched our first strategic plan with a comprehensive, inclusive process. We sought input from staff, board members and partners, and conducted a deep environmental scan, culminating in a five-year strategic direction that sought to transform NICHQ from a clinically focused quality improvement approach to one that is more holistically focused on the population health of children.

Our approach centered on the following tenets:

• Maintain NICHQ’s high-quality program delivery.
• Improve on our efforts and impact by developing and growing our portfolio of initiatives specifically focused on population health.
• Innovate by developing and refining our methods and tools in order to expand beyond clinical care and improve population health.
• Strengthen collaboration by leveraging our partnerships—with community-based organizations (CBOs), providers, payers, public health officials, and families—to advance our mission.

Over the next several years, we secured significant federal awards from HRSA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to promote safe sleep and breastfeeding, reduce infant mortality, improve perinatal health, and enhance early childhood systems. Each new project marked a step forward in our transformation to tackle our population health goal.

Through this work, we deepened our expertise in infant mortality prevention and evidence-based methodologies, cultivated new partnerships, and explored new areas of content.

During this period, we also achieved unprecedented philanthropic support that empowered us to innovate at a deeper level. Through new initiatives, we bridged healthcare and public health and forged connections across sectors that had previously operated in silos. We championed the use of common metrics, prioritized caregiver-child dyads, and worked to optimize the pediatric medical home—all essential elements of sustainable, systems-level change.

Like many organizations, in 2020, NICHQ transitioned entirely to virtual operations in response to COVID-19. But we didn’t just move our work online—we adapted our programming to ensure it continued to meet the evolving needs of participants, partners, and families during an unprecedented time. This brought us to our next five-year strategic plan in 2022, which strengthened our strategic direction by emphasizing our efforts to boldly lead improvements in children’s health. That year, we experienced a return to in-person engagement and were proud to kick off a new five-year award with a visit to the CDC. It was a powerful moment of reconnection, collaboration, and momentum-building. All of this was rewarded later that year with a large unrestricted gift from MacKenzie Scott in recognition of our impactful work to drive meaningful improvements in children’s health.

In the last couple of years, we have focused more intently on dissemination, increasing our publication of peer-reviewed articles, presenting at national conferences, and launching our first-ever podcast. These efforts amplified our voice and allowed us to share insights from our work with a broader, more influential audience. We have solidified our position for the future with the award of the next iteration of the five-year Supporting Healthy Start Performance Project and as the Coordinating Center for the National Network of Perinatal Quality Collaboratives. We were also awarded the five-year Maternal Health Action and Resource Center by HRSA, a major federal investment that significantly expands our maternal health portfolio.

This past decade of transformation brought new visibility to our leadership of catalyzing change in communities, resulting in a ground-breaking opportunity: In 2024, NICHQ was selected by The Studio@Blue Meridian to create a three-year Action Plan to scale and spread the Community-Centered Hospital Initiative. This investment clearly reflects NICHQ’s transformation from an organization initially focused on clinical quality improvement to one that is boldly tackling population health by concentrating on community-led efforts.

I am convinced that NICHQ’s clear and intentional focus on our anchoring themes of staying true to our mission, evolving our methods, addressing emerging needs, and leveraging our strengths will serve the organization well in its next decade. And I am gratified to know that NICHQ’s continuing evolution will be rooted in its firm foundation of:

• Commitment to centering families and communities as co-creators and co-leaders—not just participants or stakeholders. I am inspired by the NICHQ team’s deep understanding that people’s lived expertise is essential to shaping solutions that work.
• Focus on influencing systems, not just programs. The aim to shift structures, policies, and practices in ways that are sustainable and scalable remains fundamental to continued improvement.
• Concentration on advancing data-informed innovation—making sure NICHQ’s strategies are grounded in and thoughtfully designed by the data.
• Enduring attention to sustainability, national dissemination, and measurable impact—ensuring that NICHQ’s work not only continues but informs and inspires others across the country.

NICHQ’s journey has been and will continue to be one of continuous learning, adaptation, and unwavering commitment to children’s health. Thank you all for being part of this transformative journey – and for allowing me to come with you this far.

It’s been wonderful to see NICHQ’s growth and transformation over the last decade. The entire board is grateful to Dr. Berns for his vision and leadership that brought us to this point. Thanks to Scott, we are confident that NICHQ is ready for its next chapter.

Scott O’Gorman, NICHQ Board Chair

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