Ellen Perrin, MD
Professor, Division of Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics, Tufts Medical Center, Tufts University School of Medicine
Dr. Perrin’s career has blended her background and interest in developmental psychology with her passion to improve the lives of children and their parents. As President of the Society for Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics, she was instrumental in gaining formal subspecialty status for Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics through the American Board of Medical Specialties and was the first Chair of the American Board of Pediatrics’ sub-board on Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics. She is committed to helping primary care pediatricians to address children’s optimal development and behavior most effectively. In her clinical work and research, she has worked with pediatricians in the care of children with chronic physical health conditions and a wide range of developmental-behavioral difficulties. In addition, she has been committed to advocacy for teens and parents who are gay or lesbian, and gender nonconforming young children. Recognizing the importance of early identification and intervention in developmental-behavioral problems and a need for a different kind of screening strategy, she worked with Dr. Chris Sheldrick to develop the Survey of Well-being of Young Children (SWYC). Dr. Perrin has been awarded the American Academy of Pediatrics’ Lifetime Achievement in LGBT Health and Wellness Award and the Massachusetts Medical Society 2024 Society’s LGBTQ Health Award.
Chris Sheldrick, PhD
Co-Director, Research & Evaluation, TEAM UP Scaling and Sustainability Center, Professor, Department of Psychiatry, UMass Chan Medical School
Chris Sheldrick, PhD is a research psychologist, a Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at UMass Chan Medical School, and the Co-Director, Research & Evaluation of the TEAM UP Scaling and Sustainability Center. Dr. Sheldrick’s research focuses on the mental health of parents and children with a particular emphasis on optimizing community-based screening and interventions. Collaborating with Dr. Ellen Perrin, Dr. Sheldrick helped to create the Survey of Wellbeing of Young Children, a freely available comprehensive screening instrument for young children. His current research is directed toward improving systems of care through pragmatic research on real-world interventions, including perinatal psychiatry access programs, integrated behavioral healthcare in pediatrics, and parent-mediated interventions in early intervention settings. Dr. Sheldrick’s contributions include methodological innovations in community engagement, decision-making, and systems science to optimize and promote equity in the delivery of mental health services.