Pediatrician Dr. Laura Jana is a leading national expert on child safety and development. As a media spokesperson for the AAP and a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics’ Section on Injury, Violence and Poison Prevention she regularly reviews the latest scientific research and current developments on safety issues. Dr. Jana has been a certified child passenger safety (CPS) technician for more than seven years. She is one of only a handful of pediatricians in the country to have achieved certification as a CPS instructor as well, making her an authority on proper installation and use of child safety seats. Dr. Jana is also a member of the Nebraska Child Passenger Safety Board and has testified for stronger child passenger safety laws in Nebraska and Colorado.
As a passionate advocate for child safety and a media spokesperson for child safety seats, Dr. Jana has worked to help parents learn to use child safety seats consistently and properly. She has recently focused her attention on raising awareness of the danger of side impact crashes. One in four of all motor vehicle crashes involving children up to 12 years old is from the side, and these crashes result in a significantly higher fatality rate than front or rear crashes.
Dr. Jana attended medical school at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, completed her pediatrics internship at the University of California, San Francisco, and finished her residency training in pediatrics at Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital in Cleveland. In 1996 she became a consultant for Dr. Benjamin Spock and was a co-founder of his national parenting media company, The Dr. Spock Company, in 1999. In 2005 Dr. Jana released her first book, Heading Home with Your Newborn; From Birth to Reality, co-authored with Dr. Jennifer Shu. Child passenger safety advocates praised her “Car Safety” chapter and Dr. Jana solidified her position as a parenting expert and proponent of “practical parenting.”
Dr. Jana and her husband of 13 years, Ajoy, live with their three young children in Omaha, Neb. Learn more about Dr. Laura Jana at her website www.DrLauraJana.com.