NICHQ Welcomes Three New Board Members
BOSTON – Three experts in health care transformation have been elected to the National Institute for Children’s Healthy Quality (NICHQ) Board of Directors. LaToshia Rouse, CD (DONA) joined the NICHQ board in March 2022, and Jeanette Betancourt, Ed. D., and Laurie Doran, MPH, joined in August 2022.
They all bring unique experiences and skills in improving maternal and child health, including expertise in patient and family engagement, research-based social impact initiatives, social determinants of health, and the rapidly changing healthcare marketplace.
“The depth of expertise supporting the National Institute for Children’s Health Quality continues to broaden with the presence of LaToshia, Jeanette, and Laurie on our board of directors,” said NICHQ CEO Scott D. Berns, MD, MPH, FAAP. “From bringing a firsthand understanding of the impact of doula care to improving patient and provider engagement, we are delighted to welcome such proven health leaders to our board.”
LaToshia Rouse, CD/PCD(DONA)
LaToshia Rouse, CD/PCD(DONA), is a birth and postpartum doula, a patient and family engagement consultant, and owner of Birth Sisters Doula Services. She contracts with several organizations such as PFCCpartners to offer her expertise in patient engagement and DEI. Her journey began as a patient partner 9 years ago, after having triplets at 26 weeks’ gestation via an emergency vaginal delivery. Early on, Rouse’s work was focused on bringing the parent perspective to the newborn intensive care unit (NICU) and antepartum improvement committees at WakeMed Health and Hospitals, including serving as a member of the NICU’s Vermont Oxford Network (VON) team.
Rouse has served as a subject matter expert and expert team member for the National Network of Perinatal Quality Collaboratives (NNPQC), American Board of Pediatrics (ABP), American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), and Cynosure Hospital Quality Improvement Collaborative (HQIC). She is faculty at the Institute of Patient and Family Centered Care (IPFCC) and a member of the board of directors with the American Board of Pediatrics (ABP). She worked on policy with the North Carolina Institute of Medicine’s (NCIOM) Maternal Health Taskforce and worked on policy as Co-Chair of the NCIOM’s Taskforce on the Perinatal System of Care in 2019. She also completed her Diversity and Inclusion Certification at Cornell University to make more of an impact on equity for families, moms, and babies. In reflecting on the work, she’s engaged in over the last number of years, Rouse’s passion is finding ways for clinicians and patients to have a true partnership and improve outcomes.
Jeanette Betancourt, Ed. D.
Jeanette Betancourt, Ed. D. is the Senior Vice President for U.S. Social Impact at Sesame Workshop, the global nonprofit educational organization whose mission is to help all children become smarter, stronger, and kinder. Dr. Betancourt directs the development and implementation of Sesame Street social impact initiatives meeting the needs of children and families, especially those most marginalized. These research-based initiatives impact children’s social and emotional well-being, early learning, and address the long-term effects of trauma, systemic racism, and inequities. Each initiative offers strategies and resources to foster nurturing connections with the key adults in children’s lives while developing circles of care for their equitable and long-term well-being.
Prior to joining Sesame Workshop, Dr. Betancourt created programs in adult learning and early childhood education at Teachers College, Columbia University. She is a licensed bilingual speech and language pathologist and educational therapist, participates on several national and local boards, and has contributed to the start of charter schools. Dr. Betancourt has a BA and MA in Speech and Language Pathology; an MS in Bilingual Reading/Special Education, and an Ed.D. in Special Education.
Laurie Doran, MPH
Laurie Doran, MPH, has more than 20 years of experience developing strategies and programs to capitalize on the changing requirements of a rapidly evolving healthcare marketplace. She partners with health plans, providers, and government programs on initiatives focused on operations, policy, and finance. She currently leads corporate strategy and network services for a regional health plan and serves as consulting partner for the Association for Community Affiliated Health Plans (ACAP).
Doran has a deep interest in social determinants of health and patient and provider engagement and has served as lead consultant for the Payment Reform Council for the Connecticut State Innovations (SIM) primary care modernization project and supported Kresge-sponsored research led by Boston Medical Center to evaluate use of insurance reserves to invest in low-income housing. She is also a member of the board for Domestic Violence Ended (DOVE). She has served as the Chief Financial Officer for health plans in New England and the Midwest. She has significant government program experience and has held P&L responsibility for a Medicaid plan. Doran is a graduate of the University of New Hampshire and holds a Master of Public Health degree from Yale University.
Read more about all the members of NICHQ’s Board of Directors.
