Dr. Cheatham, RN, MS, DNP serves as the Director of the Early Childhood Developmental Health Systems (ECDHS): Evidence to Impact Center, funded by the Health Resources and Services Administration. The Center is a partnership led by ZERO TO THREE with several leading early childhood and health organizations. As Director, Debbie leads the Center team to strengthen the evidence base related to state early childhood developmental health systems, provide technical assistance to accelerate systems development, and advance the delivery of high-quality early childhood developmental promotion and support services in pediatric settings.
Dr. Cheatham previously served as a Senior Technical Assistance (TA) Specialist in ZERO TO THREE’s Policy Center, providing TA through the Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Technical Assistance Center at the Georgetown University Center for Child and Human Development. She also provided TA and resources for the Early Childhood Comprehensive Systems Collaborative Improvement and Innovation Network (ECCS CoIIN) and for Project LAUNCH. Debbie provided TA and resources via thematic webinars, communities of practice, written materials, and in-person and virtual meetings of the grantees. She also provided TA and support to state and territorial grantees and served as the subject matter expert on developmental screening and assessment.
Prior to joining ZERO TO THREE, Dr. Cheatham served as the Clinical Director of the Office of Child Health at the Georgia Department of Public Health and the Director of the Title V-funded Children with Special Health Care Needs (CSHCN) program. Before moving to Georgia, Dr. Cheatham served as a Health Planning Administrator for the Ohio Department of Health, Bureau of Early Intervention Services, where she managed many early childhood programs including the Part C early intervention program of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Dr. Cheatham received her BSN and DNP from Vanderbilt University and her MS in Nursing from The Ohio State University. She has over 40 years of nursing experience.
