Baltimore, MD — September 26, 2025 — The Johns Hopkins School of Nursing’s Center for Equity in Aging and Center for Equity in Child and Youth Health and Well-Being recently featured Dr. Connie Siskowski, RN, PhD, founder and president of the American Association of Caregiving Youth (AACY), in a keynote and panel discussion on “Caregiving Youth: A Call to Action for Research, Education and Policy.”

The Johns Hopkins article “Shining a Light on Caregiving Youth” recaps Dr. Siskowski’s address and a panel of national experts examining the hidden world of youth caregiving, its impact on education and health equity, and opportunities for research and policy change.

This feature underscores the national momentum to recognize, support, and stand alongside the more than six million caregiving youth in the U.S. – and the importance of AACY’s work in driving systemic change.

Read the full article here: https://nursing.jhu.edu/magazine/articles/2025/09/shining-a-light-on-caregiving-youth/

The Panel Members Included:

Eliana Perrin, MD, MPH – Bloomberg Distinguished Professor of Primary Care, Johns Hopkins University

Catherine Ling, PhD, MN, BSN, RN, CNE, FNP-BC, FAAN, FAANP – Associate Professor and Chief Nursing Officer, Center for Community Programs, Innovation & Scholarship (COMPASS), Johns Hopkins School of Nursing

Katherine Miller, PhD – Assistant Professor, Health Policy and Management; Center for Health Services and Outcomes Research, The Roger and Flo Lipitz Center to Advance Policy in Aging and Disability, Hopkins Business of Health Initiative

Katherine Ornstein, PhD, MPH, BA – Professor, Director, Center for Equity in Aging

Debbie Gross, DNSC, MS, BSN, RN – Professor, Leonard and Helen R. Stulman Endowed Professor in Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing

Charlie Poole, a longtime youth ambassador for AACY, attended the event as an audience member and was invited by the panel to join the discussion, sharing his perspective as a former Caregiving Youth and providing a personal voice for the more than six million young caregivers in the United States.