2023 Featured Speaker |
A Toledo, Ohio native, Stacy Scott, Ph.D., MPA, Executive Director, Baby 1st Network, and founder of the Global Infant Safe Sleep Center, is a 30-year public health advocate and infant safe sleep expert who’s worked from the government agency level to ground zero spearheading numerous community outreach programs nationwide to end health disparities and reduce the risk of sudden unexpected infant deaths.
Scott serves as the executive director for Baby 1st Network. Baby 1st Network is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to uniting families, caregivers, and researchers with government, business, and community service groups to reduce infant mortality to the lowest level possible in Ohio and support families who have lost a child from sudden unexpected infant death. In her role, she has facilitated a series of community forums and implemented a community-based mini-grant program designed to fund outreach activities promoting safe infant sleep messaging and practices in urban and rural areas. Scott also serves as a state of Ohio spokesperson for the “ABC of Safe Sleep” campaign.
In July 2018, Scott was elected to co-chair the Ohio Collaborative to Prevent Infant Mortality (OCPIM), a statewide partnership formed to eliminate infant mortality and advocate for equity in birth outcomes. OCPIM’s mission is to eliminate preventable infant mortality and improve the health of all women of childbearing years throughout Ohio by sharing data and best practices, community engagement, and advocacy.
Caring about families around the country, over the years, Scott has leveraged her expertise in developing culturally appropriate materials, programming, and campaigns to eliminate health disparities and achieve health equity for all communities. As a project manager for the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Scott was instrumental in establishing the Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Incorporated’s Infant Safe to Sleep Initiative with NICHD.
Scott has worked collaboratively with the fraternity’s Health and Wellness Committee and sub-committees sponsoring activities in every country region. An African American fraternity with 125,000 members worldwide, this national initiative engages men of all ages, trains them to become infant safe sleep advocates, and spreads the message to communities nationwide, including Ohio, through workshops, forums, and other events. Since its inception, more than 5,000 men have been trained in infant-safe sleep practices.
After 20 years of working with NICHD, Scott ended her federal government consulting career in October 2017; Scott founded the Global Infant Safe Sleep (GISS) Center in 2016, an organization with a mission to support vulnerable and marginalized global communities to reduce sudden unexpected infant death (SUID). Its latest campaign, “Changing a Tradition, Changing a Position,” targets grandparents and other caregivers, and the Community of Committed Men offers events and forums for men in the community. Working with various companies and nonprofit organizations, including Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, nearly 1,000 people have received training, and more than 500 cribs have been distributed to families in need. In 2017, Scott also spearheaded Kappa and NICHD’s first Safe Sleep Mini-grant program, providing mini-grants to fraternity chapters to arrange community infant-safe sleep events around the country.
In January 2018, Scott was appointed chairman of the Wisdom Council of the National Action Partnership to Promote Safe Sleep serving as faculty for the National Institute for Children’s Health Quality (NICHQ), a nonprofit dedicated to driving dramatic and sustainable improvements in the complex issues facing children’s health. Dr. Scott has since the organization and now serves as the vice president of Health Equity Innovation.
Scott is a member International Society for the Study and Prevention of Perinatal and Infant Death. She received her undergraduate degree from Spelman College, a master’s degree in Public Administration at Bowling Green State University, and a doctoral degree in Urban Higher Education from Jackson State University. She also holds a certificate in Social Justice from Harvard University.
Scott serves as the executive director for Baby 1st Network. Baby 1st Network is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to uniting families, caregivers, and researchers with government, business, and community service groups to reduce infant mortality to the lowest level possible in Ohio and support families who have lost a child from sudden unexpected infant death. In her role, she has facilitated a series of community forums and implemented a community-based mini-grant program designed to fund outreach activities promoting safe infant sleep messaging and practices in urban and rural areas. Scott also serves as a state of Ohio spokesperson for the “ABC of Safe Sleep” campaign.
In July 2018, Scott was elected to co-chair the Ohio Collaborative to Prevent Infant Mortality (OCPIM), a statewide partnership formed to eliminate infant mortality and advocate for equity in birth outcomes. OCPIM’s mission is to eliminate preventable infant mortality and improve the health of all women of childbearing years throughout Ohio by sharing data and best practices, community engagement, and advocacy.
Caring about families around the country, over the years, Scott has leveraged her expertise in developing culturally appropriate materials, programming, and campaigns to eliminate health disparities and achieve health equity for all communities. As a project manager for the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Scott was instrumental in establishing the Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Incorporated’s Infant Safe to Sleep Initiative with NICHD.
Scott has worked collaboratively with the fraternity’s Health and Wellness Committee and sub-committees sponsoring activities in every country region. An African American fraternity with 125,000 members worldwide, this national initiative engages men of all ages, trains them to become infant safe sleep advocates, and spreads the message to communities nationwide, including Ohio, through workshops, forums, and other events. Since its inception, more than 5,000 men have been trained in infant-safe sleep practices.
After 20 years of working with NICHD, Scott ended her federal government consulting career in October 2017; Scott founded the Global Infant Safe Sleep (GISS) Center in 2016, an organization with a mission to support vulnerable and marginalized global communities to reduce sudden unexpected infant death (SUID). Its latest campaign, “Changing a Tradition, Changing a Position,” targets grandparents and other caregivers, and the Community of Committed Men offers events and forums for men in the community. Working with various companies and nonprofit organizations, including Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, nearly 1,000 people have received training, and more than 500 cribs have been distributed to families in need. In 2017, Scott also spearheaded Kappa and NICHD’s first Safe Sleep Mini-grant program, providing mini-grants to fraternity chapters to arrange community infant-safe sleep events around the country.
In January 2018, Scott was appointed chairman of the Wisdom Council of the National Action Partnership to Promote Safe Sleep serving as faculty for the National Institute for Children’s Health Quality (NICHQ), a nonprofit dedicated to driving dramatic and sustainable improvements in the complex issues facing children’s health. Dr. Scott has since the organization and now serves as the vice president of Health Equity Innovation.
Scott is a member International Society for the Study and Prevention of Perinatal and Infant Death. She received her undergraduate degree from Spelman College, a master’s degree in Public Administration at Bowling Green State University, and a doctoral degree in Urban Higher Education from Jackson State University. She also holds a certificate in Social Justice from Harvard University.