Trude Haecker

Bio

Dr. Trude Haecker has been the Medical Director of Reach Out and Read Greater Philadelphia since the Affiliate’s establishment in October 2002. A general pediatrician well versed in the developmental issues of young children, Dr. Haecker first brought Reach Out and Read to Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) in 1996.Under her leadership, CHOP’s Reach Out and Read program has given out more than 1 million brand-new and gently-used books at well and sick visits through 20 of CHOP’s Primary Care practices located in West and Northwest Philadelphia, South Philadelphia, the suburbs of Pennsylvania (Broomall, Coatesville, Drexel Hill, Kennett Square, Media, Norristown, Pottstown, Souderton, Springfield, West Chester and West Grove), and Burlington Township, New Jersey. In 2000, Dr. Haecker was instrumental in obtaining funding from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation to expand Reach Out and Read to the eight health care centers of the City of Philadelphia’s Department of Public Health. This expansion laid the groundwork for the creation of Reach Out and Read Greater Philadelphia.Dr. Haecker’s outpatient practice focuses on the comprehensive care of children born prematurely. She has vast experience with chronic medical conditions, developmental delays and care coordination and has written extensively in the area of medical and developmental care of young children in foster care.Dr. Haecker is also Medical Director of Global Patient Services at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. In 2018, Dr. Haecker was elected as the Vice President of the Pennsylvania Chapter, American Academy of Pediatrics.