Presented by Cyndie Hatcher, MD

This webinar was presented live on Wednesday February 7th, 2024 at 4pm US Eastern time. Through the kindness of the presenter, a recording of the webinar is available here.

In their 2021 policy statement, the American Academy of Pediatrics promoted a paradigm shift in pediatric care, noting the important role of early relational health in supporting safe, stable, and nurturing relationships (SSNRs) that buffer adversity and build resilience for our patients and their families. However, many pediatricians have been challenged by the lack of strategies to implement this new focus from only infant physical health to an emphasis on the parent-child relationship— relational health.  Relational health is made possible through a strong pediatrician- parent relationship, one that involves shared understanding of a parents’ feelings and life circumstances. This therapeutic alliance is the key to both guiding families in methods to promote the health of their infant and in supporting the development of SSNRs within the family unit.

Small Moments Big Impact (SMBI) is a FREE online relational health tool designed to help stimulate the special and important conversations necessary for pediatricians to develop the best relationship possible with parents. In addition, SMBI can be used directly by parents to promote improved parent wellness and self-understanding.  In a recently published study of SMBI, 85% of mothers rated the content of SMBI high or very high.  After use, they also reported lower stress, more growth mindset and great understanding of their baby’s feelings compared to a matched control group. In addition, over 195,000 users engaged with our social media sites within just one month.  We encourage you to explore the videos on the site, share it with families and experience the impact of this online relational health tool in your clinical practice. As we are in the process of disseminating this tool nationally, we look forward to hearing from early adopters interested in joining this paradigm shift.

Cyndie Hatcher, MD is an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics in Ambulatory Care Services at the Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine. She completed her undergraduate degree in Chemistry at Duke University and her medical degree at Harvard Medical School. Her interests in maternal and child health led her to obtain a Masters in Public Health with a focus on strategies to improve health outcomes for the vulnerable children of Boston and their families.  After completing her MPH, she did her residency at University of Massachusetts Memorial Children’s Medical Center, a safety-net hospital in central Massachusetts. 

She is currently an attending physician at Boston Medical Center, where she runs a team-based care clinical innovation pilot program of over one thousand patients. She has also collaborated with Dr. Barry Zuckerman and WGBH, on the creation of a phone application and novel online tool that helps improve empathy and attachment within mother-baby dyad, called "Small Moments, Big Impact". This next generation tool also brings back the heart of patient care and improves the provider-patient encounter by promoting the conversations necessary for true relationship building and creating trusted connections.

A recording of the webinar is available here.