What is The National Perinatal Foundation? Our Mission To raise, manage, and provide funds that are dedicated to supporting perinatal and family health through appropriate, high quality, culturally sensitive research, clinical services, and educational programs. Our Vision To advocate for improved perinatal health for all families, to influence perinatal health policy, and to provide a healthy future for our children. What is it that energizes those of us who are enthusiastic about NPF?  What is the unique feature of NPF that distinguishes it from other organizations or foundations with our shared interest in perinatal health?  We believe that optimal, or better, or improved perinatal outcome can only result from multidisciplinary collaboration, communication, respect and cooperation.  Regardless of how well each of us may function in our health professional role, success from the patient's standpoint will require a functioning partnershiop with the family, obstetrician and/or midwife, nurses, social workers, nutritionists, other physicians, and the community.  For the health care system as a whole to function, a supportive interaction with other elements in society is needed. The National Perinatal Foundation was founded by a group of individuals who share experience among the multitude of disciplines, working and advocating for optimal health outcomes.  We came together because we realize the power of collaboration.  Whether it is in caring for the individual patient, stucturing a system of care, advocating for change, or studying the effectiveness or efficiency of interventions, thorough understanding has been better achieved with input form a wide spectrum of individual perspectives.  The NPF solicits support from those who share a vision of healthy families in healthy communities and who see innovation as a cooperative venture. The NPF will sponsor and support initiatives involving multidisciplinary efforts to improve the care and outcomes for pregnant women, infants, parents, families, and the communities in which they live and grow.  Such initiatives must have promise to perpetuate change after the initial project is completed. Stan Graven, M.D. The Lawton and Rhea Chiles Center for Healthy Mothers and Babies University of South Florida Health Sciences Center