We are thrilled to welcome Erin Pryor, MPH, RDN, LD, who will serve as the NEC Society’s Research Coordinator. Erin is a Registered Dietitian with a Master of Public Health degree from the University of Texas, Houston Health Sciences Center. Erin comes to us with extensive knowledge from her clinical work as a neonatal nutritionist in a Level IIIB NICU in Ohio. As a clinician, she has seen the devastating effects of NEC on patient-families and the entire care team. Erin also brings a personal perspective to this role as her oldest son was born 2 months prematurely and spent five weeks in intensive care.

Erin shares, “I am honored to join the NEC Society team in a collaborative effort to advance NEC research, education, and advocacy. It is truly a personal and professional passion of mine to advocate for improving the health outcomes of neonates. I look forward to fostering a community of diverse stakeholders including clinicians, researchers, and patient-families dedicated to building a world without NEC.”

As our Research Coordinator, Erin will facilitate the NEC Society’s commitment to advancing research that is meaningful to patient-families. She will help us launch the expansion of the NEC Research Collaborative and NEC Registry, as well as lead efforts to engage an active community of diverse stakeholders.

Erin also served as Board President for the Ohio Neonatal Nutritionists group and has been an active participant in the Vermont Oxford Network and Ohio Perinatal Quality Collaborative. Her research interests include feeding progression protocols, exclusive human milk diets, macronutrient composition of parenteral and enteral nutrition regimens, and patient-centered care initiatives providing long-term follow-up after discharge.

Jennifer Canvasser, Founder and Executive Director, shares, “With Erin Pryor joining our team, the NEC Society’s capacity to advance research will be greater than it has ever been. There are so many unanswered questions and urgent research needs. Erin Pryor will accelerate our pace and ability to address priorities so we can prevent NEC and improve outcomes for the most vulnerable babies and their families. We are grateful to the CZI Rare As One Network for making this growth possible!”

Necrotizing enterocolitis is a devastating intestinal disease that affects vulnerable infants during their first weeks and months of life. The NEC Society was established in 2014 and brings together patient-families, clinicians, scientists, and other diverse stakeholders to build a world without NEC. To learn more and get involved visit NECsociety.org