For Krissy, working in global health has never simply been a career. It has been a calling.
Long before joining NeuroKids as Program Director, she spent years working alongside communities across Africa, witnessing both the resilience of families and the stark inequities that shape access to healthcare. Those experiences continue to guide her work today as she helps us expand access to life-saving care for children with hydrocephalus and spina bifida.
A Journey Shaped by Purpose
Krissy’s career began in the technology sector before she realized she wanted to dedicate her skills to improving the lives of others. She joined the Peace Corps, where she was posted to a rural health center in Benin.
Living and working in a community with limited resources gave her a firsthand understanding of the realities many families face.
“There was such a different outlook and outcome for children born in this small village compared to someone like me growing up in Minnesota,” she recalls. “The injustice of that was quite hard for me to accept.”
That experience sparked a career in global health that has taken her across multiple countries, working in surgical care, health systems, child protection, public health, and large-scale program development.
Today, those experiences come together in her leadership at NeuroKids.
Turning Vision Into Sustainable Programs
As Program Director, no two days look the same.
Krissy works closely with the NeuroKids team to transform ideas into sustainable programs that strengthen pediatric neurosurgical care across partner hospitals. She helps shape organizational strategy, supports country coordinators, develops training systems, measures program impact, and works alongside surgeons as NeuroKids expands into new countries.
One of the parts of her role she enjoys most is building programs that create lasting impact.
“I take ideas and make them into sustainable programs with measurable impact. I love that creative process.”
Behind every training, every partnership, and every new initiative is a simple goal: making sure more children receive timely, life-changing care.
Addressing an Unacceptable Inequity
For Krissy, NeuroKids exists to address a reality that should not exist.
“We’re working to address the inequity that causes children born with hydrocephalus and spina bifida in the countries we serve to have vastly different outcomes than children born with the same conditions elsewhere,” she explains.
“I find that injustice intolerable.”
That conviction drives NeuroKids’ approach.
Rather than providing temporary solutions, NeuroKids invests in local capacity by training neurosurgeons, mentoring surgical teams, equipping care coordinators, and strengthening hospitals so families can receive high-quality care closer to home.
It is a model designed to create lasting change.
Caring for the Whole Family
For NeuroKids, treatment is about much more than surgery.
Family-centered care means ensuring parents understand their child’s diagnosis, know what to expect during recovery, and have someone they can call when questions or concerns arise.
Krissy sees NeuroKids’ clinical coordinators playing an essential role in that journey.
“They’re able to spend significant time with parents to help them understand what the diagnosis means, what surgery means, what recovery looks like, and when to ask for help.”
She says the relief families experience when someone takes the time to answer their questions is one of the most meaningful parts of NeuroKids’ model.
Building Stronger Health Systems
The impact of NeuroKids reaches far beyond individual surgeries.
As local surgeons receive specialized training in procedures such as the Warf Procedure, hospitals become stronger, clinical teams gain confidence, and more children are able to receive treatment within their own countries.
Mentorship is another defining part of the NeuroKids model.
Surgeons continue learning alongside experienced mentors as they build confidence, creating a ripple effect that benefits future patients and strengthens pediatric neurosurgical care for years to come.
For Krissy, success ultimately means reaching a day when NeuroKids is no longer needed because every child, regardless of where they are born, has access to high-quality neurosurgical care.
Hope for Every Child
When asked what keeps her motivated, Krissy returns to the same belief that first inspired her years ago.
She has seen the disparities in healthcare firsthand, and she wants to use her skills to reduce them.
“I want to leave the world a little better than it was when I came into it. This is how I am doing it.”
That hope fuels NeuroKids every day.
By strengthening local surgical capacity, supporting families through every stage of care, and expanding access to life-changing treatment, NeuroKids is helping children with hydrocephalus and spina bifida not only survive but thrive.
Together, we can help more children and families access the care they deserve. Visit neurokids.org to learn more, support our work, or become part of a growing community committed to transforming children’s lives around the world.
