The Medical and Scientific Safety Council
Mattel is committed to building relationships with parents and earning their trust. Since our founding, safety has been our highest priority. As Mattel has grown, we have maintained an unrelenting focus on product safety, quality and compliance. In March 2021 we launched our Medical and Scientific Safety Council (MSSC), which plays an important role in our efforts. Comprised of leaders from their respective fields, the MSSC works closely with Mattel in providing professional opinions, advice and recommendations related to product safety, helping to inform our work and promote safe practices.
Founding members of the MSSC include:
Dr. Laura Jana
MD, FAAP Co-Chair of MSSC
Dr. Jana is a pediatrician, early educator and nationally acclaimed parenting and children’s book author of over 30 books. With a focus on early brain and child development, Dr. Jana has more than 20 years of experience as a trusted source of practical information for parents, the news media, academic and government organizations, nonprofits and corporations alike.
Dr. Michael Anderson
MD, MBA, FAAP, FCCM, FAARC Co-Chair of MSSC
Dr. Anderson is a Contracted Senior Advisor to the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response at the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services where he is responsible for assisting in several strategic and operational areas during the pandemic including crafting a pediatric-focused response agenda, helping lead the COVID therapeutics rollout and working with multiple federal agencies to help build bridges between the private health sector and the federal response. He is also a board certified Pediatric Critical Care specialist and former Chief Medical Officer (UH Cleveland) and Children’s Hospital President (UCSF).

Dr. Gavin Huntley-Fenner

PhD

Dr. Huntley-Fenner is a human factors and safety consultant with more than 25 years in the field as a researcher, author and educator. He received his doctorate in Brain and Cognitive Sciences from MIT in 1995. His firm, Huntley-Fenner Advisors, guides corporate and law firm clients on human factors, product hazard analyses, and risk-based decision-making. Dr. Huntley-Fenner’s early research and consulting focused on the development of language and numeracy in infancy and early childhood. He is also an appointed member of the Environmental Health Matters Initiative Steering Committee at The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.

Dr. Julie Kardos
MD, FAAP

Dr. Kardos is the Medical Director of the Newtown office of The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Primary Care Network. She has practiced pediatrics in Bucks County, PA since 1997 and is a career-long fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics. She cofounded and hosts the popular pediatric advice blog Two Peds in a Pod® and records continuing medical education podcasts for physicians and other healthcare professionals for Hippoed on topics such as “Pets and Children,” “How to transition from bottles to cups,” and “Update on Teen vaccines.” In addition to providing pediatric education to parents and fellow pediatricians, Dr. Kardos frequently speaks to audiences of early childhood educators, family physicians, and librarians.

Dr. Colleen Kraft
MD, MBA, FAAP
Dr. Kraft is an Attending Physician at the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and the 2018 Past President of the American Academy of Pediatrics. Her background includes work in primary care pediatrics, pediatric education, integration of behavioral health into primary care, early childhood development, and health care financing. Prior to coming to Los Angeles, Dr. Kraft was the Medical Director of the Health Network by Cincinnati Children's where she led family-centered design with team-based professionals in the care of medically complex children. Dr. Kraft was also the Founding Program Director of the Pediatric Residency at the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine in Roanoke, Virginia.

Dr. Katherine Partridge

PsyD

Dr. Partridge is a psychologist at Bradley Hospital, a children’s psychiatric hospital in Rhode Island. In this role, Dr. Partridge works with families of young children who are experiencing mental health crises. This often includes coordination with different systems of care such as daycares, schools, community providers, and the child protection system. As a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior in the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Dr. Partridge provides instruction and supervision regarding assessments and interventions for early childhood, family systems, and child protection populations. Dr. Partridge also completed the Harris Infant Mental Health Fellowship at the Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center.

Dr. Joelle Simpson
MD, FAAP
Dr. Simpson is an Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Emergency Medicine and Sciences at the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences and she is the Interim Chief of the Emergency Department at Children's National Hospital in Washington, DC. Dr. Simpson has served as a clinical advisor to the DC Hospital Association advising on topics pertaining to disaster preparedness and founded the Pediatric Medical Reserve Corp of DC, which provides specialized pediatric support services to the DC community in preparation for, response to, and recovery from disaster, pandemic, and mass-casualty events involving children and families. She is also an appointed member to the Executive Committee for the Council on Children and Disasters for the American Academy of Pediatrics.