Scott D. Berns Appointed New President and CEO of NICHQ

After an extensive national search, NICHQ is pleased to announce the appointment of Scott D. Berns, MD, MPH, FAAP, as its new President and CEO. Berns will assume the position October 5.

Berns joins NICHQ from the March of Dimes National Office, where he was the Senior Vice President of Chapter Programs and Deputy Medical Officer.

“Scott is the ideal candidate to lead NICHQ into its future,” said NICHQ Board Chair Fay Donohue. “His extensive experience in both clinical and administrative roles, along with his passion for children’s health and focus on vulnerable children, make him a perfect fit for this role.”

Berns said he was lured to the role by NICHQ’s impressive history of helping children and families live healthier lives and through his participation in the NICHQ-led Collaborative Improvement and Innovation Network to Reduce Infant Mortality (Infant Mortality CoIIN).

“I am thrilled to have the opportunity to join this outstanding team and to help carry its great work forward,” said Berns. “As I’ve gotten to know the organization better through my participation in the infant mortality CoIIN project, I’ve been continually impressed with the talent of the staff and their commitment to NICHQ’s vision of all children achieving their optimal health.”

NICHQ has been dedicated to the mission of improving children’s health for nearly two decades. The organization will now enter a new era under Berns’ leadership. NICHQ began searching for a new CEO earlier this year when co-founder and President and CEO Charlie Homer, MD, MPH, stepped down to accept a position in the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services.

“Having Scott join the NICHQ team is the next major step in the evolution of NICHQ,” said NICHQ interim CEO and board member Scott O’Gorman. “Among a host of great candidates, Scott stood alone because of his passion for NICHQ’s mission, strong leadership, directly applicable experience, and terrific track record of successes in the children’s health field. We could not be happier with our choice and have complete confidence that he will lead NICHQ to more important successes in the future.”

In addition to his work at March of Dimes, Berns is a Clinical Professor of Pediatrics at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University and Clinical Professor of Health Services, Policy and Practice at the Brown School of Public Health in Providence, RI. He is a co-founder of The Progeria Research Foundation, Inc., and serves as its Chairman of the Board. Berns received his bachelor’s and medical degrees from Boston University. He completed his residency in pediatrics at Rhode Island Hospital and completed a fellowship in pediatric emergency medicine at Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, DC. Berns earned a masters of public health from the Harvard School of Public Health and served as a White House Fellow.