Our Clinical Advisory Board
Mary Coughlin
RN, MS, NNP
CEO and Founder
Caring Essentials Collaborative, LLC
MARY COUGHLIN NNP, MS, RNC-E
Mary Coughlin NNP, MS, RNC-E is an inspirational speaker, motivational coach, and transformational consultant with a clinical background that spans over 35 years.
A graduate from Northeastern University where she received her baccalaureate and master’s degrees in nursing, Ms. Coughlin served in the USAF Nurses Corps for seven years before transitioning to civilian practice.
A seasoned staff nurse, charge nurse and neonatal nurse practitioner, Ms. Coughlin is currently the President and Founder of Caring Essentials Collaborative.
As a global leader in neonatal nursing, Ms. Coughlin has published extensively on the topic of trauma-informed care for hospitalized infants, families and clinicians and is the internationally recognized expert in her field.
Ms. Coughlin has established quality measures and evidence-based best practice guidelines for trauma-informed care in the neonatal intensive care unit endorsed by the National Association of Neonatal Nurses, the Canadian Association of Neonatal Nurses, and the Council for International Neonatal Nurses.
Kati Knudsen
PT, MPT, CNT, PCS, DCS, CLE
Lead Therapist, In-Patient Pediatrics & NICU, Providence St Vincent Medical Center
KATI KNUDSEN, PT, MPT, CNT, PCS, DCS, CLE
Kati Knudsen has practiced as a pediatric physical therapist since 1996 and as a therapist in the NICU since 1999. Kati is lead therapist for two NICUs at sister hospitals in Portland, OR. She has obtained certifications in neonatal therapy, pediatric physical therapy, lactation education, neurodevelopmental treatment, infant massage, developmental care, and transportation of children with special needs in order to better support infants and families. Kati has published articles about support for preterm and medically fragile infants and has spoken nationally on support for infants in the NICU. Kati serves as the therapy representative on the Vermont Oxford Network Multidisciplinary Advisory Council and is a current member and past co-chair of the Neonatal Therapy Certification Board. Kati also sees patients in NICU follow-up clinic where she has helped to redesign care to make it more accessible for families.
John Chuo
MD
Researcher, Neonatologist
Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
JOHN CHUO, MD
Dr. John Chuo is an Associate Professor of Clinical Pediatrics at the Perelman School of Medicine, of the University of Pennsylvania, Masters in Biomedical Informatics at the Joint MIT-Harvard Program in Health Science and Technology and received his training as a Quality Improvement Advisor from the Institute for Healthcare Improvement. At the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Dr. Chuo serves as the Quality Officer for the CHOP Newborn care network, Co-Director of the Digital Health Innovation Core at the Center for Phenomic Sciences, CHOP, and a practicing Neonatologist at the Neonatal/Infant Intensive Care Unit.
His research and numerous publications are focused on Quality science and the implementation and evaluation of telemedicine. Cofounder of SPROUT (Supporting Pediatric Research in Outcomes and Utilization of Telehealth) and one of the CO-PIs in a 5 year NIH NCATS grant to partner with CTSAs to support Pediatric telehealth research. Dr. Chuo is focused on leveraging the synergistic power of healthcare and research collaboratives to “Bring high-value healthcare to the most people in the shortest time.”
Rachel Nauman
DNP, RN, NEA-BC
Director of Ambulatory Services
University of Virginia Health System
RACHEL NAUMAN, MSN, RN, NEA-BC
Rachel Nauman, MSN, RN, NEA-BC, earned a Bachelor of Science in nursing from the University of Virginia and Master of Science in nursing from the University of Colorado Denver. With nearly 20 years of neonatal, perinatal, and pediatric experience, Rachel currently serves as nurse manager in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at the University of Virginia Children’s Hospital, where she conducted her quality improvement project, “Remote Home Monitoring to Reduce 30-day Readmissions in the Post Discharge Care of Children with Medical Complexity.”
In addition, Rachel is recognized for extensive work in breast milk safety and for improving outcomes and enhancing team engagement through lean methodology and daily visual management systems. Rachel is a member of the Virginia Nurses Association, where she served as the 2017-2019 Piedmont Chapter president and of the American Organization of Nursing Leadership where she graduated as a 2018 Nurse Manager Fellow. Rachel was awarded the 2019 March of Dimes Excellence in NICU Leadership award. Next month, Rachel will graduate with a Doctor of Nursing Practice in Health Systems Leadership from the University of Colorado Denver. Her career goals include progressive leadership focusing on quality improvement, interprofessional collaboration, and advocacy with continued service to women and children.
Annie O’Connor
Patient Advocate/Family Advisor
Morgan Stanley Children’s of
NY Presbyterian
ANNIE O’CONNOR
Annie O’Connor has been an advocate for patient and family engagement in health care for over 15 years. She helped build the Family Advisory Council at Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital and served as Chair for 12 years. She was the first patient/family member invited onto the Quality and Patient Safety Council and has served on numerous other committees. Annie’s passion is fueled by her hospital experiences with her youngest son, a NICU graduate who has undergone multiple surgeries and hospitalizations. Annie has presented her work at several national conferences. She currently sits on the NYS Solutions for Patient Safety Family Engagement Task Force. In 2012, she was honored by the United Hospital Fund for providing exceptional volunteer service to a New York Metro hospital.
Annie began her career at Accenture, where she worked over ten years. She graduated with honors from Boston College (Mathematics), and resides in Larchmont, New York.
Robert White
MD
Director, Regional Newborn Program
Mednax
ROBERT WHITE, MD
Robert White, MD is a graduate of the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and has been Director of the Regional Newborn Program at Beacon Children’s Hospital since 1981. His primary interest has been in advancing structural and operational strategies to provide the optimal NICU environment of care for babies, families, and caregivers. To this end, he has written many papers and co-founded the Consensus Committee to Establish Recommended Standards for Newborn ICU Design, the Gravens Conference on the Physical and Developmental Environment of the Newborn, and the International Newborn Brain Conference.