Betsy Pilon
Chair of Communication and Networking Committee
Betsy Pilon is the Executive Director of Hope for HIE, a global nonprofit dedicated to improving the quality of life for children and families impacted by HIE through awareness, education and support for neonatal and pediatric acquired hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy. Hope for HIE serves over 6,000 families worldwide, through a comprehensive network.
After her own son, Max, was born in 2012 with HIE, it was difficult to find any resources or connections. Eventually, she found a small group of families gathering on social media. Working with the existing group, she led the efforts to start the grassroots nonprofit foundation in 2013 to ensure no family faces HIE alone. As a result, Facebook recognized her in 2019 for building community with Hope for HIE.
She is passionate about neurodevelopment, early intervention, parent education, and building patient and family-centered care and partnerships. She advocates for improving care, communication, and connection among providers, patients, and families, positively impacting outcomes in healthcare and education.
Her background is in marketing and communication in automotive, healthcare and education, bringing community building skills to broaden the reach and make meaningful connections for the organizations she has worked with. She serves on the Board of Directors for the Newborn Brain Society, co-chairing the Communication & Networking Committee.