Laura Jana

Summary

Dr. Jana is an Omaha-based pediatrician, international speaker/health communicator, social entrepreneur and award-winning parenting and children's books author who most recently served as Chief Innovation Officer at Penn State University's Evidence to Impact Collaborative. Having co-founded The Dr. Spock Company – one of the first online health sites - in the late 1990’s, and subsequently her own consulting company and served as advisor/consultant to dozens of companies. Nationally recognized initially for her efforts to promote healthy lifestyles for children and offer credible practical advice to new and expectant parents, Dr. Jana's work has expanded to include efforts around transformative change across sectors ranging from workforce to brain science to climate change and sustainability. She serves as consultant to academic and government organizations, non-profits and corporations alike. In addition to providing more than a decade's worth of her reality-style professional insights to media outlets nationwide, including The Today Show, CNN, GMA, Parents magazine, NPR, Time, People, NYT and USAToday, Dr. Jana serves as a media spokesperson for the American Academy of Pediatrics, and has served on the national Executive Committee for Early Education and Child Care. Her efforts now focus on issues that extend beyond the four walls of a pediatric office and the traditional health care system - increasingly dedicated to innovatively addressing the earliest and most urgent needs of children, families and communities locally, nationally, and globally – from poverty and access to care/education to sustainability and meeting the SDGs. Dr. Jana is particularly focused on collective impact, technology-driven innovations in health and education, the future of work and 21st C skill development, social impact finance, social determinants of health, and fostering cross-collaborations to improve the wellbeing of children, families and communities. Dr. Jana served as founder and 9-year owner/operator of Primrose School of Legacy - a premier 200-student educational child care center in Omaha. She is also well recognized for her many years as parenting expert for Omaha’s NBC affiliate, the Omaha World Herald, and Omaha’s top-rated drive-time morning talk radio program. Specialties: Pediatrics/Parenting, Early Childhood, Brain Science, Public Speaking, Health Communication & Innovation, Future of Work/21st C Skill Development, Collective Impact & Cross Collaboration, Media, Writing/Editing Content.