Dr. Nimali Fernando will discuss feeding development is key in raising a healthy, happy eater. When parents and teachers understand how to proactively foster good feeding development they may be helping to prevent some of the common ways that kids can become picky eaters later. Dr. Fernando will share some of the free resources that help families and teachers overcome the barriers to eating well, and will how family meals shared in parallel with infants can help foster good feeding and provide a foundation of healthy eating habits.

Speaker: Nimali Fernando, MD, MPH

Dr. Nimali Fernando (aka “Dr. Yum“) is a pediatrician practicing in Fredericksburg, VA, and a founder of the website doctoryum.org and The Dr. Yum Project. She graduated from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and School of Public Health with an M.D. and Masters in Public Health. She completed residency and chief residency in Pediatrics at The University of Texas Health Sciences Center Houston and served there for two years as a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Pediatrics. She is the owner of Yum Pediatrics, a full-service general pediatrics practice with a focus on wellness and prevention through a healthy diet. Yum Pediatrics shares a large teaching kitchen and teaching garden with The Dr. Yum Project. She is also co-author of, ”Raising a Healthy Happy Eater” and “Dr. Yum’s Preschool Food Adventure.” She is a fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics. She is a proud mother of two boys and enjoys cooking with her family, running, and skiing.