Staff

Staff

Trude Haecker, M.D.
Medical Director

Dr. Trude Haecker has been the Medical Director of Reach Out and Read Greater Philadelphia since the Coalition’s establishment in October 2002. A general pediatrician well versed in the developmental issues of young children, Dr. Haecker first brought Reach Out and Read to The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) in 1996.

Under her leadership, CHOP’s Reach Out and Read Program has given out 269,494 brand-new books to children ages 6 months through 5 years at well visits (and 282,320 gently-used books at well and sick visits) through six of CHOP’s Care Network Pediatric & Adolescent Care practices  - four in West Philadelphia, one in South Philadelphia, and one in Burlington Township, New Jersey. In 2000, Dr. Haecker was instrumental in obtaining funding from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation to expand Reach Out and Read to the eight health care centers of the City of Philadelphia’s Department of Public Health. This expansion laid the groundwork for the creation of the Reach Out and Read Greater Philadelphia Coalition.

Dr. Haecker’s outpatient practice focuses on resident education and the comprehensive care of children born prematurely. She has vast experience with chronic medical conditions, developmental delays and care coordination and has written extensively in the area of medical and developmental care of young children in foster care.

Kristen L. Kucharczuk, M.D., Ph.D.
Associate Medical Director

A pediatrician and mother of two young children, Dr. Kristen Kucharczuk firmly believes that all children deserve the chance to grow up with books. Dr. Kucharczuk’s roles at Reach Out and Read Greater Philadelphia include program oversight, fundraising and development, along with training of the Coalition’s medical providers. Dr. Kucharczuk has chaired the Friends of Reach Out and Read Greater Philadelphia’s family event, Read and Romp, since its inception in 2005.

A graduate of Princeton University, Dr. Kucharczuk received both a Ph.D. in Cell and Molecular Biology and an M.D. from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. She completed her residency in pediatrics at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia where she remains on staff today. Dr. Kucharczuk’s professional interests also include scientific and medical editing.

Jenny Parker McCloskey
Public Relations Consultant

Jenny Parker McCloskey handles the publicity and public relations for Reach Out and Read Greater Philadelphia and serves as the PR Chair for the Read and Romp fundraiser.  Ms. McCloskey has secured profile stories about Reach Out and Read Greater Philadelphia in top-tier regional publications including Main Line Today magazine and the Main Line Times.  Ms. McCloskey is generously donating her services to Reach Out and Read Greater Philadelphia.

Ms. McCloskey’s public relations and communications experience includes ABC News, New York Magazine, Fortune magazine and Life magazine.  She first served Reach Out and Read Greater Philadelphia as a volunteer for the Read and Romp 2007 event.

Ms. McCloskey received her M.A. from the Graduate Faculty of New School University.

Kirsten Rogers
Coalition Coordinator

As Coalition Coordinator, Kirsten Rogers plans and implements the fundraising, budgeting, quality assurance, outreach, advocacy, and community-relations initiatives of the Reach Out and Read Greater Philadelphia Coalition. She coordinates medical provider trainings and provides technical assistance to all 49 Reach Out and Read Greater Philadelphia Programs. Ms. Rogers also serves as Coordinator of The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia’s Reach Out and Read Program.

Prior to joining Reach Out and Read Greater Philadelphia, Ms. Rogers worked as a certified child life specialist at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and The Mount Sinai Medical Center and as a project assistant in venture capital and merchant banking at Morgan Stanley in Manhattan.