We’re kicking off Season 2 by spotlighting parent-innovators who turned lived experience into action. This episode brings together founders who are reshaping pediatric mental health, literacy, and NICU care through empathy, technology, and perseverance.

Hafeezah Muhammad, founder and CEO of Backpack Healthcare, shares how her son’s mental health crisis led her to build a technology-enabled, family-centered mental health platform that serves children as young as four and supports parents, caregivers, and clinicians together. Carla Small, founder of Sprout Labs, explains how science-backed literacy tools and AI can identify dyslexia early, personalize instruction, and prevent years of academic struggle and declining self-esteem. Phil Martie, founder of Nicolette, reflects on his NICU journey as a parent of premature twins and how it inspired him to build tools that turn complex hospital data into clear, empowering insights for families navigating neonatal intensive care.

Together, these conversations highlight the power of early intervention, empathetic design, and technology that meets families where they are, before crises deepen and systems fail them.

Episode Resources:

Medicaid

Orton-Gillingham Approach

Learn more from the previous ‘’parentrepreneurs’’ episodes:

The Mighty Parentrepreneurs

Autism: Tools to help doctors and parents

Connect with Hafeezah Muhammad:

Backpack Healthcare Website

Backpack Healthcare Facebook

Backpack Healthcare Twitter

Backpack Healthcare Instagram

Backpack Healthcare LinkedIn

Backpack Healthcare TikTok

Hafeezah Muhammad LinkedIn

Connect with Carla Small:

Sprout Labs Website

Sprout Labs LinkedIn

Sprout Labs Instagram

Carla Small LinkedIn

Connect with Phil Martie:

Nicolette Website

Nicolette LinkedIn

Nicolette Instagram

Phil Martie LinkedIn

Connect with us:

KidsX Website

KidsX LinkedIn

Children's Hospital L.A. Website

Children's Hospital L.A. Instagram

Children's Hospital L.A. LinkedIn

Pediatric healthcare is shaped by systems that are often invisible to patients and families, yet deeply influential in how care is delivered. In this episode of A Dose of Optimism, Omkar Kulkarni is joined by three leaders working at the intersection of pediatrics, informatics, and digital transformation.

Rod Tarrago, CMIO Pediatrics at Amazon Web Services, and Troy McGuire, CHIO at CHLA, share how informatics and data-driven design can reduce friction in pediatric care. Together, they discuss interoperability, clinician workflows, and the importance of building systems that support care teams without adding unnecessary burden.

Shaun Miller, CHIO at Cedars-Sinai, brings a health system perspective on clinical decision support, physician wellness, and the responsible use of digital tools. He explains how thoughtful technology implementation can improve efficiency while keeping clinicians focused on patient care.

This conversation highlights how careful system design, collaboration, and practical innovation can make pediatric healthcare more connected, more humane, and more sustainable for the people delivering and receiving care.

Episode Resources:

TEFCA - Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement

CDEC - California Data Exchange Center

RHIO - Regional Health Information Organization

LANES - Los Angeles Network for Enhanced Services

K Health: 24/7 Access to High-Quality Medicine

Cedars-Sinai Connect - 24/7 world-class care without the wait

RPM - Remote Patient Monitoring - example 1 example 2

Connect with Rod Tarrago:

Amazon Web Services (AWS) Website

Amazon Web Services (AWS) LinkedIn

Amazon Web Services (AWS) Instagram

Rod Tarrago LinkedIn

Connect with Troy McGuire:

Troy McGuire LinkedIn

Children's Hospital L.A. Troy McGuire

Connect with Shaun Miller:

Cedars-Sinai Website

Cedars-Sinai LinkedIn

Cedars-Sinai Instagram

Shaun Miller LinkedIn

Connect with us:

KidsX Website

KidsX LinkedIn

Children's Hospital L.A. Website

Children's Hospital L.A. Instagram

Children's Hospital L.A. LinkedIn

Improving children’s health requires more than medical care alone. It depends on access to nutritious food, early learning support, trusted information, and healthcare systems designed around families.

In this episode of A Dose of Optimism, Omkar Kulkarni speaks with three leaders working across different parts of the pediatric ecosystem. Sam Polk, CEO of Everytable, shares how food access and affordability shape health outcomes and why he believes nutritious meals should be available in every community. Patti Miller, Director of Too Small to Fail (Clinton Foundation), discusses the role of early childhood development, media, and caregiver support in building lifelong health and learning foundations. Laura Wood, EVP, Patient Care Operations and System Chief Nurse Executive at Boston Children's Hospital brings the perspective of a nurse leader, highlighting how care delivery models, professional practice environments, and digital tools can better support children and families.

Together, they explore how cross sector collaboration can help address complex challenges in children’s health and why optimism comes from practical, people centered solutions already taking shape.

Episode Resources:

Compton Unified School District

CLA, The Laundry Association

American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP)

California Department of Social Services

Read: Early Literacy Policy Statement

Read: Univision Communications, Inc. and Too Small to Fail

Read: Spotify launches a new Kids category with a focus on learning activities, language development

Epic Corporation

American Academy of Nursing (AAN)

Read: The CAMEO tool: Capturing the complex nature of pediatric nursing

Connect with Sam Polk:

Everytable Website

Everytable LinkedIn

Everytable Instagram

Feast Website

Feast LinkedIn

Sam Polk LinkedIn

Sam Polk Instagram

Connect with Patti Miller:

Clinton Foundation Website

Clinton Foundation LinkedIn

Clinton Foundation Instagram

Too Small to Fail

Too Small to Fail Instagram

Patti Miller LinkedIn

Connect with Laura Wood:

Boston Children's Hospital Website