Meet the Gerber early childhood nutrition experts
William J. Klish, MD
Professor Emeritus of Pediatrics
"Infant nutrition has fascinated me since the beginning of my career. Unique to infants, they typically get all of their nutrition from a sole food source: breastfeeding or formula when breastfeeding is not an option. Understanding the
reasons why infant formula or breastmilk alone meet the nutritional needs of a baby requires an understanding of the entire field of nutrition. As a pediatrician and gastroenterologist, I enjoy playing a role in moving nutrition knowledge
forward, while helping parents nourish a healthier generation. Take, for example, obesity and the fact that the roots of adult obesity lie in infancy and childhood. Changing the way healthcare practitioners and the food industry counsel
parents on healthy feeding practices is a key area of focus for me. If parents do not buy into the suggested changes for food or lifestyle, the obesity epidemic will continue.”
William J. Klish, MD, is Professor Emeritus of Pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas. He was the first person to be credentialed in pediatric gastroenterology by the American Board of Pediatrics and is credited with
helping develop pediatric gastroenterology as a field.
More about Dr. Klish
Anna Nowak, MD
Associate Professor of Pediatrics
“The quote “You are what you eat” has never been more relevant regarding nutrition for infants and children as it is today. It has become very clear that the healthy nutrition during the first 1000 days of life
provides the foundation of wellbeing for life. The quality, quantity and the timing of introducing foods to infants determine growth and development of all organ systems. This knowledge can be used to ensure normal nervous system development
and to prevent autoimmunity, allergy, inflammatory intestinal and cardiovascular diseases. However, this continues to be a work in progress because we need much more data to fully understand the effects of the specific dietary interventions.
For these very important reasons, I am excited and honored to join the Gerber Advisory Council and greatly appreciate the opportunity to learn from the other experts. Together we can provide the evidence-based recommendations to optimize the
quality of early life nutrition and wellbeing of children.”
Dr. Nowak is an Associate Professor of Pediatrics at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Jaffe Food Allergy Institute, Division t of Allergy & Immunology in New York, New York.
More about Dr. Nowak
David Hill, MD
Adjunct Assistant Professor of Pediatrics
“Parents and communities play a critical role in children's health. ” Dr. Hill understands that children and their families don't exist in isolation. Supportive, healthy communities; strong schools; and responsive industries all do their part to help children reach their full potential.
Dr. Hill works to engage each of these stakeholders in order to help them all work together to ensure the best possible future for our children.
Dr. Hill serves as a an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, taking an active role in teaching medical students and allied health professionals.
A passionate teacher, Dr. Hill is as comfortable working side-by-side with students as lecturing at the podium, such as when he servd as the 2014 Media Visiting Professor at Duke University's Pediatric Residency Program.
Dr. Hill is also Chair, American Academy of Pediatrics Council on Communications and Media. Dr. Hill's role as Chair of the AAP Council on Communications and Media places him at the nexus of national-level pediatric policy making and advocacy.
He works as an active participant in developing priorities for hte 65,000-member professional organization.
Philip M. Sherman, MD, FRCPC, FAAP
Professor of Pediatrics
Senior Scientist
“Patients, caretakers, health care providers and regulators all want to know more abou just how the gut microbiota promotes health and prevents a variety of disease conditions, including thos ethat impact on gut health and immune
health. Characterizing underlying mechanism(s) of action and safety of various probiotic, prebiotics, and humna milk
oligosaccharide formulations, either alone or in combinations, is one step towards enchancing such understanding. ”
Dr. Philip Sherman is a Senior Scientist in the Cell Biology Program at the Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) and Professor of Pediatrics, Microbiology (Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology), Nutritional Sciences & Dentistry athe
University of Toronto where he has been on faculty since 1984.
His research interests include understanding mechanisms by which probiotics, prebiotics and human milk oligosaccharides prevent injury and promote repair in experiemtnal models and human settings of intestinal inflammation. Dr. Sherman is the
recipiet of a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Gastrointestinal Diseases (2001 - 2022).
His laboratory reserach program is funded by support provided by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (1985 - present).
HONORABLE PAST ADVISORS
Lillian M. Beard, MD
Associate Clinical Professor of Pediatrics
George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Science
Washington, DC
Jatinder Bhatia, MD, FAAP
Associate Clinical Professor of Pediatrics
Augusta University
Atlanta, GA
Alan M. Lake, MD
Associate Professor of Pediatrics
John Hopkins University School of Medicine
Baltimore, Maryland
Michelle M. Pietzak, MD
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF CLINICAL PEDIATRICS
University of Southern California, Keck School of Medicine
Los Angeles, California
Jo Ann Hattner, MPH, RD
Nutrition Consultant
Stanford University School of Medicine
Palo Alto, California
Robert N. Hamburger, MD
Professor Emertius, of Pediatrics
University of California, San Diego
San Diego, CA