On September 15, 2025, the NIH Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Program hosted its inaugural ECHO Symposium: Translating Science to Action on the NIH campus in Bethesda, Maryland, and online. This free, one-day event brought together more than 1,000 researchers, clinicians, policymakers, advocates, community leaders, and families to explore how early environmental factors influence child health—and how to translate science into meaningful action.
The symposium featured a keynote address by Dr. Susan Kressly, President of the American Academy of Pediatrics; opening remarks by Dr. Matt Gillman, Director of the NIH ECHO Program, and former ECHO Cohort participant Jadine Benjamin; and a closing address by Dr. Michael Warren, Chief Medical and Health Officer of the March of Dimes.
Across three sessions—Chemical Exposures, Social and Neighborhood Factors, and Community Experiences—speakers highlighted research and perspectives on topics such as replacement chemicals and child health, environmental exposures in pregnancy, childhood trauma and toxic stress, neighborhood opportunity, media use, Indigenous community health, rural pediatric research, and parent experiences in pediatric studies.
Watch the videocast and view the slides
Missed the event or want to revisit a session? The full videocast and presentation slides are now available: