Sadiqa Kendi, MD, MPH, Named Chief Medical Officer for Safe Kids Worldwide

Renowned Injury Prevention Expert and Pediatric Emergency Physician Will Lead Multipronged Efforts to Prevent Childhood Injuries

WASHINGTON, Jan. 30, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The president of Safe Kids Worldwide, Torine Creppy, announced today that Sadiqa A.I. Kendi, MD, MPH, has been selected to serve as the organization's chief medical officer. Simultaneously, Dr. Kendi has also been tapped to be Associate Division Chief of Academic Affairs and Research for the Division of Emergency Medicine at Children's National Hospital in Washington, D.C. The hospital is the parent organization of Safe Kids Worldwide.

In her role at Safe Kids, Dr. Kendi will develop and lead the strategy on addressing unintentional injuries in D.C., Maryland, and Virginia, the catchment area of Children's National. In addition, she will partner with Safe Kids leaders on their mission to ensure all children have the equal opportunity to live long healthy lives, free of serious injury. She will bring her impressive unintentional injury prevention research and advocacy portfolio with a continued focus on their translation to impact in communities disproportionately affected by injuries.

"Dr. Kendi is a true visionary and renowned leader in the field of child injury prevention. She will strengthen our efforts to do impactful research into the leading causes of death of American children: motor vehicle crashes, drownings, and Sudden Unexplained Infant Death," said Safe Kids President Torine Creppy. "Dr. Kendi is a staunch advocate for lifesaving public policies and will work directly with families to protect children from preventable injuries. We are honored to have someone of such stature joining our team and I have no doubt that more children's lives will be saved as a result of her passion and commitment."

In her role at Children's National, Dr. Kendi will support the academic growth of pediatric emergency medicine faculty and lead the strategic growth of the research enterprise within the Division of Emergency Medicine.

"We are elated to welcome back Dr. Kendi to the Emergency Medicine and Trauma Center at Children's National Hospital," said Joelle Simpson, MD, MPH, Chief of Emergency Medicine at Children's National. "Along with her leadership in academics and research, her passion for advocacy aligns with our mission for the Emergency Department. This alignment with Safe Kids Worldwide will have a tremendous positive impact on the populations we serve and the future of pediatric emergency medicine."

"These new roles are a perfect blend of my dual passions: supporting other pediatric emergency physicians and keeping kids and their families healthy and safe," Dr. Kendi said. "I am proud to be part of a mission where there is universal agreement: All children deserve to be safe and healthy."

A graduate of Yale School of Medicine, Dr. Kendi received her pediatrics training from the Social Pediatrics Program at The Children's Hospital at Montefiore, where she spent an additional year as chief resident. She completed her fellowship training in pediatric emergency medicine at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and earned her Master of Public Health degree as a Bloomberg American Health Initiative Fellow at the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health. Additionally, Dr. Kendi is a certified child passenger safety technician and a member of the executive committee of the American Academy of Pediatrics Council on Injury Violence and Poison Prevention.

ABOUT SAFE KIDS WORLDWIDE
Safe Kids Worldwide is a nonprofit organization working to reduce unintentional injuries to children ages 0-19 and build equitable and sustained systems that support injury prevention. Learn more at safekids.org.

ABOUT CHILDREN'S NATIONAL HOSPITAL
Children's National Hospital, based in Washington, D.C., was established in 1870 to help every child grow up stronger. Today, it is one of the top 10 children's hospitals in the nation and ranked in all specialties evaluated by U.S. News & World Report. For more information, follow us on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.

SOURCE Safe Kids Worldwide