Board of Directors of the NIDCAP Federation International

Heidelise AlsHeidelise Als, PhD, President
National NIDCAP Training Center
Boston, MA


Directors

gretchen Lawhon, RN, PhD, Vice President
Mid-Atlantic NIDCAP Center
Camden, NJ

Gloria McAnulty, PhD, Treasurer
National NIDCAP Training Center
Boston, MA

Deborah Buehler, PhD, Secretary
West Coast NIDCAP & APIB Training Center
San Francisco, CA

Sandra Kosta, BA, Assistant Secretary
National NIDCAP Training Center
Boston, MA

James M. Helm, PhD
Carolina NIDCAP Training Center
Raleigh, NC

Silke Mader
Family Representative
Karlsfeld, Germany

Roger E. Sheldon, MD, MPH
Sooner NIDCAP Training Center
Oklahoma City, OK

Jacques Sizun, MD
French NIDCAP Center
Brest, France

Karen Smith, RN, MEd
St. Luke's NIDCAP Center
Boise, ID

Kathleen VandenBerg, PhD
West Coast NIDCAP & APIB Training Center
San Francisco, CA

Victoria Youcha, EdD
Family Representative
Alexandria, VA

Challenge and Opportunity

The incidence of preterm birth, worldwide, is rapidly increasing. In the US, the incidence of prematurity currently stands at 12.7%. Over 25% of all preterm infants are also born too small for their gestational age. These infants present immediate and significant challenges to their parents and to their caregivers in Newborn Intensive Care Units. They are hypersensitive, difficult to feed, and difficult to calm. More than 50% will go on to develop learning and emotional disabilities, requiring special education and mental health services. The challenge is even greater in developing countries.

Research has documented the beneficial effect of NIDCAP in terms of shorter intensive care and overall hospital stay, better weight gain and improved behavioral outcomes that endure beyond infancy. Studies have also documented that the NIDCAP approach enhances brain structure and function when measured by sophisticated medical techniques such as EEG and MRI.