Elizabeth Erickson, M.D.

Over the last 10 years, Dr. Erickson has focused her career on clinical care and the promotion of Early Relational Health in clinical spaces, with a focus on how literacy and reading with young children can promote healthy attachment and development. In her roles as a primary care pediatrician in clinic and the newborn nursery, she has the opportunity to impact children starting at the very beginning of their lives. Evaluation and support of children’s holistic development is a passion of hers and she has actively sought out opportunities to center this in her research, clinical care, community partnerships, and education of future physicians. As we learn more about the neurological impact and sociodemographic effects of early childhood experiences, we have a responsibility to our patients to promote and encourage healthy home environments that foster positive development and nurturing relationships. Her work has focused on finding ways to support these interactions through sharing books and enhancing the home literacy environment. She has served as the medical director for Duke’s Reach Out and Read program for the last 8 years and has had successful grant applications to support research on literacy interventions in the newborn period. As the inaugural Early Relational Health Fellow for Reach Out and Read, she has solidified a position at the center of national conversations on this topic. Finally, she was elected to serve as the co-lead for the Carolinas Collaborative, a cohort of academic pediatric residency programs in North and South Carolina dedicated to promoting advocacy education in pediatric residency programs. Overall, her career has been dedicated to supporting and evaluating interventions that allow children and families to thrive.