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NFI committees assist the Board of Directors in activities supportive of the organization’s Mission and Vision.
Committee membership is open to all NFI members.
If interested in joining a committee please contact the Committee Chair.

Executive Council

Chair:
Deborah Buehler, PhD
dmb@dmbuehler.com

The Executive Council includes the NFI Officers as follows: President, Vice-President, Treasurer, and Secretary. It will also include the Executive Director when the position is filled. The Executive Director will be a non-voting member of the Executive Committee.

Executive Council Role
The primary role of the Executive Council is advisory and includes the following:

  1. Support the president in planning and preparing for Board meetings and in setting priorities
  2. Support the Board in transitioning to new organizational structure
  3. Help structure guidance for Board activities, especially as it relates to transition to the new organizational structure and implementation of the Strategic Plan
  4. Act on behalf of the Board only when authorized and delegated to do so by the Board as authorized by the full vote of the Board to the Executive Committee.

Governance Committee

Co-Chairs:
Jean Powlesland, RN, MS
JPowlesl@uic.edu

Dalia Silberstein, RN, PhD
daliasil1960@gmail.com

Co-Chairs, Jean Powlesland, RN, MS, JPowlesl@uic.edu and Dalia Silberstein, RN, PhD, daliasil1960@gmail.com

The Governance Committee Chair is a Director of the Board and the Committee includes at least two other Directors of the Board.

Governance Committee Role
The primary role of the Governance Committee is to advise and oversee the Board activities and policies.

Activities include leadership in:

  1. Board development (Recruitment; Nominations; Appointments; Elections; & Orientation, mentorship, and support for new directors
  2. Management and eventually oversight of Member Services
  3. Advice and support related to By-laws, Conflict of Interest and Governance Policies
  4. Organization and management of the Financial Oversight Committee
  5. The protection of the NFI’s intellectual property, including registration and copyrighting of training and education materials, trademarks and logos, certification marks and the protection of the NFI’s image and message to the world

Program Committee

Chair:
Dorothy Vittner, PhD, RN, FAAN
dvitt8@gmail.com

The Program Committee is chaired by a Director of the NFI Board. Its members include other Directors of the NFI Board as well as NFI Professional Members, who are dedicated to the programmatic mission of the NFI. These include NIDCAP and APIB Trainers, Master Trainers and Center Directors, scientists and educators as well as professionals skilled in the area of quality assurance and intellectual property protection. For specific tasks, additional NFI members may be called upon to support certain activities and tasks of the Program Committee.

Program Committee Role
The primary role of the Program Committee is to ensure the quality and further development and growth of all programmatic aspects of the NFI, as the key professional training, certification, education and scientific advancement organization that works on behalf of the best development of all newborns and their families in hospital settings and the professionals engaged in their care. The primary stakeholders in the work of the Program Committee are the NFI’s Professional Members.

Activities include:

  1. The quality assurance, development, refinement and growth of all NIDCAP and APIB training activities and certifications as well as of nursery-wide systems implementation and certification.
  2. The quality assurance, development, refinement and growth of all educational efforts that improve short and long-term NIDCAP, APIB and nursery training, implementation and certification activities, geared to lead to enhanced care for newborns and their families, as well as the professionals and systems that care for them. These efforts include the NIDCAP Trainers Meetings as well as professional meetings at the local, regional, national, and international level; undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate programs for various professional credits, degrees and certifications; course syllabi and curricula, as well as teaching and training modules.
  3. The development of, support to and quality assurance of scientific endeavors and their dissemination focused on the enhanced understanding and fostering of the development of newborns and their families as well as of those professionals and systems caring for them, especially those related to NIDCAP, APIB and Nursery wide systems training, implementation and certification.

Aspects in Support of the Above Activities

These, among others, include the following:

  1. Training and education quality assurance policy development, implementation and monitoring, in support of program development
  2. Standardization and registration of training materials, curricula, and certification criteria
  3. Review, approval and endorsement of materials and activities that promote the NFI’s programmatic goals and activities
  4. Standardization of criteria for certification for all levels of NFI professional accomplishments.
  5. Assurance of quality and content equivalency of translations into various languages of all key documents and products necessary for the accomplishments of the NFI’s Programmatic goals.

Sub-Committee on NIDCAP and Science

Chairs:
Ita Litmanovitz, MD and
Dalia Silberstein, RN PhD

The Sub-Committee on NIDCAP and Science reports to the NFI Program Committee and is chaired by a Member of the NFI. The Sub-Committee comprises NFI members committed to participating in the discussion and dissemination of scientific knowledge pertinent to NIDCAP practice as well as of empirical data from NIDCAP-related investigations.

Sub-Committee on NIDCAP and Science Role
As part of its mission to facilitate scientific knowledge around NIDCAP, designated members of the Sub-Committee serve as advisors to NFI members, who request support in the formulation of research designs and/or proposals for planned research projects as well as abstracts for planned research projects and/or presentations.

Activities include:

  1. Identification of recently published articles that may be of interest to NFI members and sharing of pertinent information, with critical commentary as appropriate.
  2. Active exchange of information with and provision of support to NFI members engaged in NIDCAP relevant research.
  3. Provision of early feedback and specific editing of NFI members’ abstracts, posters and other scientific documents that feature NIDCAP-related work.
  4. Leadership including arbitration and decision making for the Annual NIDCAP Trainers Meetings (NTM) Abstract submission, review and research presentation sessions.
  5. Leadership in readying for submission to and eventual publication in the Developmental Observer of those abstracts that are accepted annually for the NIDCAP Trainers Meeting research presentation and/or poster sessions, and collaboration with the Editors of the Developmental Observer in assuring abstract registration with the University of Indiana publication registry.
  6. Provision of research mentorship for NFI members.

As such the Sub-Committee on NIDCAP and Science serves an integral role responsive to the NFI’s Board of Directors and an important service to the entire NFI community. The Sub-Committee Chair(s) submit a semi-annual Report in update of the Sub- Committee’s activities to the Chair of the NFI Program Committee as requested prior to the annual NFI Midyear and End-of-Year NFI Board of Directors Meetings.

Finance Committee

Chair:
Gloria McAnulty, PhD
gloria.mcanulty@childrens.harvard.edu

The Finance Committee will include the Treasurer (Chair) and Assistant Treasurer as well as the Finance Manager and Executive Director who will function in a consulting capacity and act as non-voting members when the committee is authorized by the Board to act on its behalf. Other members can be included.

Finance Committee Role
The primary role or the Finance Committee is to advise and oversee the overall financial operation of the NFI. In the eventuality of an NFI staff Finance Manager, the Finance Committee will delegate responsibilities and oversee the financial operations of the organization with the assistance of the Finance Manager.

Activities include:

  1. Implementation of the finance strategy action plan
  2. Development and maintenance of a model to ensure that the Committee, Treasurers, and Finance Manager partner with the Board and Executive Director on finance matters
  3. Development of an annual operating budget to be presented to the Board for approval
  4. Oversight of the management of the operating budget including but not limited to: accounts payable; accounts receivable; and bank relates issues
  5. Drafting, approving and monitoring budget requests to funding agencies and donors
  6. Working with accountants to assure compliance with the organization’s non-profit status requirements including: required annual reports; returns for tax exempt organizations; and public charity filings.
  7. Supporting other committees and task groups in planning and preparing financial plans required for committee or group functions
  8. Working in conjunction with the Financial Oversight Committee to insure transparent accounting procedures with checks and balances in place

Advancement Committee

Chair:
Deborah Buehler, PhD
dmb@dmbuehler.com

Co-Chair:
Jennifer Degl, MS
jenniferdegl@gmail.com

The Chair of the Advancement Committee is a Director of the Board. Committee members include Board representation from the Family designees and at least two other Directors of the Board. Others, including NFI members or interested non-members, may be called upon to support specific activities and tasks of the Advancement Committee.

Advancement Committee Role
The primary role of the Advancement Committee is to develop strategies and activities to gain resources and publicity that support the mission, goals, and work of the NFI.

Activities include leadership in:

  1. Increasing Public Awareness and Information
    1. Development and implementation of marketing strategies
    2. Development of email campaigns
    3. Development of website
  2. Increasing Member and General Public Engagement
    1. Development and implementation of social media platforms (e.g., Facebook, Twitter, You Tube Channel)
    2. Development and use of website interaction capabilities (e.g., “Share your Story”)
  3. Implementing Fundraising through Multiple Channels (e.g. Foundations; Grants; Individuals; Corporations)

Activities include support to the Governance Committee for:

  1. Seeking funding for NFI organizational staff (Executive Director, Finance Manager, and Program Manager
  2. Seeking funding for organizational infrastructure costs

Activities include support to the Program Committee for:

  1. The development and distribution of educational materials (i.e. film, print, electronic)
  2. The development, display and distribution of NFI informational materials in many languages (i.e. print handouts, conference exhibitions)
  3. The development of training documents and materials in multiple languages
  4. The development, consistency and use of NFI branding/design on NFI products and materials (e.g., NIDCAP, APIB, and Center Development Training Binders, NNCP materials, Developmental Observer, materials generated by NFI Chapters and members)
  5. The development of NFI workshops, presentations, courses, training sessions and meetings, etc. and including on-line preparatory teaching and self testing modules
  6. The development of platforms for dissemination of scientific findings and translation into practice, and the promulgation of scientific endeavors

Activities include support for and collaboration with the Finance Committee to:

  1. Set organizational advancement priorities
  2. Apply for funding
  3. Manage funding received

Activities include support for the Executive Committee to:

  1. Generate funding to support requested initiatives
  2. Set organizational advancement priorities

Family Advisory Council

Co-Chairs:
Mandy Daly, Dip. H Diet & Nutrition,
Dip. Ki Massage, ACII, DLDU
mandy.daly@yahoo.co.uk 

Samantha Butler, PhD
samantha.butler@childrens.harvard.edu 

The Council is overseen by the NFI Advancement Committee and the Co-Chairs act as liaisons between the Council and the Advancement Committee. The Council includes  NFI Board appointed individuals who have had a prematurely born or ill newborn in their family (i.e. child, grandchild) and individuals who represent parent organizations around the world.

Family Advisory Council Role

The Family Advisory Council seeks to build international alliances and support the growth of the NFI. Its primary role is to build relationships with parent organizations that support families in newborn intensive care units and special care nurseries and advise on ways to integrate NIDCAP into hospital settings for newborns and their families.

The council advises on expansions and advancements for NIDCAP’s model of care, its reach, education and training.

Activities include:

  1. To participate in regular Council conference calls
  2. To offer advice and facilitate relationships with like-minded parents and professionals
  3. To foster partnerships between the NFI and families, parent organizations and NICUs around the world
  4. To connect the NFI with other newborn stakeholders (industry partners, political decision makers, educators) around the world
  5. To support the growth of the NIF (e.g. membership, outreach)
  6. To be ambassadors for the NFI
  7. To leverage networks to campaign for the introduction of NIDCAP care in all NICUs
  8. To introduce and disseminate NIDCAP information and educational materials of NIDCAP to NICUs in those countries who currently do not have NIDCAP
  9. To introduce and disseminate NIDCAP Family Educational Material in NICUs
  10. To advise the NFI on suitable NIDCAP Family Educational Materials