5 questions with the Perigee Fund’s Dr. David Willis

"All parents want the best for their children, often worry about the future for their children and welcome parenting information and support. Thus, the time is now for advancing the wellbeing of the next generation of young children with targeted and state of the art efforts. Hence, this is space where the Perigee Fund seeks to have influence."

David Willis, M.D. is the Executive Director of the Perigee Fund, a new philanthropic endeavor based in Seattle, promoting early relational health, improving young children’s social emotional development and advancing infant early childhood mental health in Washington State, the northwest and nationally. Prior to joining Perigee, David served as the Director of the Division of Home Visiting and Early Childhood Services within the Health Resources and Services Administration, within the Obama Administration. Boarded in Pediatrics and Behavioral and Developmental Pediatrics, Dr. Willis was a clinician for 30 years in Portland, Oregon and long-standing early childhood leader in Oregon and nationally. Dr. Willis was a Harris Mid-Career Fellow with ZERO TO THREE, past President of the Oregon Pediatric Society, an executive member of the American Academy of Pediatrics Section on Early Education and Child Care, the first Chair the AAP’s Board’s Early Brain & Child Development Strategic Initiative and a previous member of Dr. Jack Shonkoff’s Frontiers for Innovation at Harvard’s Center for the Developing Child.

A great friend of Capita’s, Dave shared his thoughts on his new role, the importance of early relational health, and why he remains optimistic about our country’s — and our children’s — future with us last week.

Hilary Rikard