Fatima Kadik, M.A. is the Director of Early Childhood Mental Health Services at the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, one of the nation’s oldest public health departments.
Ms. Kadik leads efforts to strengthen early childhood systems and enhance access to specialized infant and early childhood mental health services for young children and families using a research-informed and equity-focused approach. Ms. Kadik oversees the NYC Early Childhood Mental Health Network (ECMH Network), publicly funded in 2016 to increase the availability of community-based early childhood mental health services. The ECMH Network’s seven specialized early childhood clinics serve children birth to five and their families using evidence-based trauma and resilience-informed relational models. Clinics are paired with a training and technical assistance center tasked with building the capacity of the NYC early childhood workforce. With Ms. Kadik’s leadership, the ECMH Network is incorporating a focus on perinatal mental health through service expansion, workforce development, and policy change in recognition that stable foundations start before birth.
Previously, Ms. Kadik worked for the Bureau of Early Intervention within the NYC Health Department, supporting providers that serve children from birth to three with developmental delays or disabilities. She was honored with a Distinguished Service Award in 2019 from the NYC Health Department for professional excellence. Ms. Kadik has published and presented on the topics of early childhood mental health services and workforce development, and she has also taught undergraduate courses at Brooklyn College, City University of New York, such as child development, family health and relationships, and personal and community health.
Ms. Kadik holds an MA in Developmental Psychology from Teachers College, Columbia University, and a BS from Brooklyn College, City University of New York. She is a lifelong Brooklynite.
