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This Research Speaker Series event will feature Marcus Mosley, MD, MS, a pediatric physician-scientist and current fellow of the Center for Research on People of Color at Columbia University Irving Medical Center. The title of his talk is "Determinants of Skin-to-Skin Care in the NICU: Clinical, Social, and Structural Factors."
Dr. Mosley is a pediatric physician–scientist whose work sits at the intersection of health equity, neighborhood environments, and early-life neurodevelopment. Trained in both clinical pediatrics and narrative medicine, Dr. Mosley’s scholarship centers on how structural conditions—including neighborhood opportunity, environmental exposures, and institutional practices—shape outcomes for high-risk infants and their families.
This presentation will examine the historical evolution of maternal–infant separation and the emergence of skin-to-skin care (SSC) as a foundational practice in neonatal care. We will review the physiologic and neurodevelopmental benefits of SSC, highlighting its role in stress regulation and early brain development. The second half will present original research on parent engagement in the NICU, focusing on clinical and social factors that influence SSC participation. Particular attention will be given to racial and insurance-related disparities, and the distinction between access to the bedside and uptake of skin-to-skin care.
This event is free and open to the public.
