As we continue to share the important work we and others are doing for neonatal health justice, we urged us to consider, “Are we delivering messages to the choir or the congregation?” Do we need to appeal to the audience’s heart and empathy, their numerically inclined minds, or their bottom dollar and discuss value proposition, and adjust the focus of our talk accordingly. While neonatal justice advocates can understand and appreciate the overlap of all these values in the work we do, Dr. Wright encouraged us to “be aware of where the polarization is, how it impacts how we’re messaging and who’s listening.” He encouraged us to reflect on “What is going to keep the message in the room?”

Dr. Wright encouraged attendees, “In order to stay in it we have to exercise self care… Now more than ever you ‘ve got to have a safe space posse.” Time will tell what implementation of these orders looks like. After pausing for a moment to center yourself, Dr. Wright encourage us to get back to the work. He reminded us, “The unique high ground we own is the unique (beneficial) health components of equitable care”

Prior to his role in AAP that began last year, Joseph L. Wright, MD, MPH most recently served as inaugural Chief Health Equity Officer of the University of Maryland Medical System and prior to that was tenured Professor and Chair of Pediatrics at the Howard University College of Medicine. He spent more than two decades in leadership at Children's National Hospital in Washington, DC where he provided strategic direction for the organization’s advocacy mission, public policy positions, and community partnership initiatives while also serving 17 years as the inaugural State Pediatric Medical Director within the Maryland Institute for Emergency Medical Services Systems. Dr. Wright maintains appointments as adjunct professor of emergency medicine and health policy at George Washington University, and teaches as professor of health policy and management at the University of Maryland School of Public Health. We greatly appreciate him sharing his knowledge and insights with the NJC!