National Network of
NICU Psychologists
ADVOCATE
for SERVICES and SUPPORT
in YOUR NICU
The National Network of NICU Psychologists (NNNP)
is an initiative of the National Perinatal Association.
MISSION.
VISION.
VALUES and
CORE BELIEFS.
GOALS and
OBJECTIVES.
We will always work to optimize care for all infants and their families in NICU settings through direct family involvement, staff support, research, and education.
We strive to be the leading voice and resource for mental health services in NICU settings.
Psychologists have unique training and skills to optimize medical, socioemotional, and neurodevelopmental outcomes for NICU infants and families. Psychology services should be integrated into every NICU in the United States.
Implementation of evidence-based, targeted interventions to improve parental, familial and infant mental health is critical to the long-term health and well-being of each child and family.
National collaboration among NICU psychologists is essential to state-of-the art education, clinical research, and advocacy for policy development and change.
As a group we will provide mentorship to those entering our profession and advocate for the role of psychologists and other mental health providers in the NICU setting. We shall facilitate collaboration between members of our organization and other medical and mental health advocacy organizations in the field of postpartum and perinatal mental health.
An Essential Tool for Providers
Behavioral Health Services with
High-Risk Infants and Families
Meeting the Needs of Patients, Families, and Providers in Fetal, Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, and Neonatal Follow-Up Settings
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Provides a comprehensive, practical resource for behavioral health clinicians for multiple settings related to care of high-risk infants
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Presents a foundation for best practices to improve behavioral health care
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Includes a broad range of experts who work with this population, including psychologists, physicians, nurses, social workers, and parents
EXECUTIVE
COUNCIL.
NPA is the home for innovative programs and practitioners.
What began as an idea at a NICU psychologists' retreat has become a professional organization.
The National Network of NICU Psychologists (NNNP) is a critical next step to improving perinatal care
as it coordinates, connects, and educates psychologists around the country who work in the NICU setting.
Co-chairs Drs. LaTrice L. Dowtin and Celeste Poe are leading the development of advocacy, research, and professional training committees that will transform and elevate the role of mental health care providers in the support of fragile NICU families.
LaTrice L. Dowtin, PhD, LCPC, NCSP, RPT
Executive Council Co-Chair
LaTrice L. Dowtin, PhD, LCPC, NCSP, RPT, (she/her/Dr.) Executive Director of PlayfulLeigh Psyched, a playful center for social and emotional wellness.
I have the honor of serving as the Co-Chair of the National Network of NICU Psychologists as a Black hearing cisgender woman, along with Dr. Poe.
Previously, I served a 3-year term as co-chair for the Training & Education committee, and I am currently a member of NPA’s Perinatal Mental Health Workgroup. Clinically, I am trained as an identity affirming trauma interventionist with focus on NICU follow-up, infant and early childhood mental health, perinatal mental health across genders, and transgenerational trauma with hearing and Deaf populations. I am natively fluent in AAVE and English, and proficient in American Sign Language (ASL). I am a published researcher and author with several book chapters and peer-reviewed journal articles on topics related to NICU, parental mental health, and social justice for preschool aged children. My research interests include NICU follow-up care, social justice for racially and linguistically marginalized young children and their families, and equitable social justice training for developing providers.
Celeste Poe, PhD, LMFT
Executive Council Co-Chair
Dr. Celeste Poe is honored to serve as Co-chair of the National Network of NICU Psychologists (NNNP) after serving as an active member on the NNNP Advocacy committee. Dr. Poe is a licensed clinical psychologist and perinatal mental health specialist with expertise in supporting families through high-risk pregnancies, Antepartum and NICU hospitalizations, and early childhood development. She serves as Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University School of Medicine, where she directs the NICU Psychology Program at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital. Dr. Poe’s clinical practice and research explore family-centered care and early interventions, the mental health needs of both birthing and non-birthing parents, and Black perinatal mental health and wellness. Dr. Poe also serves as Assistant Clinical Professor at the Yale Child Study Center as community faculty and works on the Grief Sensitive Healthcare Project, an initiative aimed to increase grief-sensitive care in healthcare providers.
Brenda Papierniak, PsyD, PMH-C
Executive Council Secretary
Brenda Papierniak, PsyD, PMH-C is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in the Neonatal Psychosocial Services Department and a Clinical Assistant Professor at The Ohio State University in the Department of Pediatrics. My passion and clinical focus is on supporting families during the perinatal and postpartum period, particularly with supporting families who have experienced NICU stays, pregnancy related complications and perinatal mood and anxiety disorders. I have contributed to the field of perinatal mental health through hospital based program development, being an internship and fellowship supervisor, speaking at conferences, co-authoring book chapters and serving on a variety of advisory committees and boards including the National Network of NICU Psychologists and Postpartum Support International. I have also served on various hospital committees in order to assist in bridging the gap between medical and behavioral health teams. I am honored to serve NNNP and to continue contributing to the field of NICU psychology.
Pamela A. Geller, PhD
NPA Board Liaison / Co-Chair of Research Committee
Pamela A. Geller, Ph.D., Professor of Psychology and Director of Clinical Training/Clinical Psychology PhD program at Drexel University, and Research Associate Professor of Obstetrics/Gynecology at Drexel's College of Medicine. I am honored to serve on the Executive Council of the National Network of NICU Psychologists (NNNP) and to chair the NNNP Research committee. For over 25 years, my research has focused on psychological aspects of adverse events surrounding pregnancy and childbirth, such as infertility, pregnancy loss, and NICU hospitalization. At Drexel, I am a founder and co-director of Mother Baby Connections, an interdisciplinary, intensive outpatient mental health program for pregnant and postpartum women experiencing anxiety and depression and their infants. With a Visiting Professorship in Neonatology at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, I collaborate with colleagues on addressing the experiences of NICU parents with projects relevant to parental distress and adjustment, and nurse education. I also am proud to serve as the founding faculty supervisor for the recently formed Drexel chapter of the National Perinatal Association Student Society (NPASS).
Stefanie Poehacker, PhD
Executive Council / Sig Liaison YPP
Lacy Chavis, PsyD, PMH-C
Executive Council / Member-at-Large / Co-Chair of Advocacy Committee
Lacy Chavis, PsyD, PMH-C is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at the University of South Florida, Director of Psychology & Neuropsychology department and Vice Chief of the psychology section at Tampa General Hospital. I have spent over a decade developing integrated NICU psychological C/L programs, NICU Neurodevelopmental follow-up, and perinatal mental health programs in fetal care in academic medical centers. My research contributions include work on neonatal and perinatal mental health, neurodevelopmental outcomes of high-risk infants, and the psychological impact of NICU hospitalization on families. I have co-authored nationally recognized publications on NICU psychology competencies, perinatal mood disorders, and trauma-informed care in neonatal settings.
Michael T. Hynan, PhD
Executive Council Advisor
Emeritus Professor of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
