Dr. Jennifer Arnold

Dr. Jennifer Arnold (“Dr. Jen”) is a pediatrician, neonatologist, medical school professor, and global leader in healthcare simulation. She serves as Executive Director of Immersive Design Systems at Boston Children’s Hospital, a Harvard teaching hospital. A wife and devoted mother of two children with medical complexities, Dr. Jen has overcome extraordinary physical and health challenges herself. She is also a vibrant presence on social media (with over a million followers), the host for Boston Children’s Hospital’s Answers Parentcast, a Podcast focused on bringing important pediatric healthcare topics to light, a decade-long reality television veteran (TLC’s The Little Couple), a New York Times best-selling author (Life is Short, No Pun Intended and Think Big), and a sought-after motivational speaker who passionately shares her love of overcoming obstacles to achieve your goals in life.

As both a physician and lifelong patient—she has a rare form of dwarfism (spondyloepiphyseal Dysplasia Type Strudwick) that required more than 30 orthopedic surgeries and is a nine-year cancer survivor—Dr. Arnold connects deeply with audiences facing medical and personal challenges. She brings two decades of experience caring for at-risk infants in top-tier institutions and over 20 years in medical education, incorporating advanced technologies like 3D printing and virtual reality. Her personal and professional experiences, along with her natural ease on camera, have made her a frequent guest on shows such as Oprah, The Today Show, Good Morning America, Dr. Oz, and CNN. Above all, Dr. Arnold remains committed to empowering patients, families, and caregivers to become stronger advocates for their own healthcare.

Born in St. Petersburg, Florida, and raised in Orlando, Dr. Arnold earned dual Bachelor of Science degrees in Biology and Psychology from the University of Miami. She completed her medical degree at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in 2000, followed by a Pediatric Residency at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh and a Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine fellowship. During her fellowship, she obtained a Master of Science in Medical Education from the University of Pittsburgh. She is Board Certified in Neonatal Medicine and has spent the last 15 years advancing patient safety and healthcare simulation. Her work has been funded by the Laerdal Foundation for Acute Medicine, Cullen Trust, Texas Children’s Hospital, and the MD Anderson Foundation, and she has published over 20 peer-reviewed articles and numerous book chapters.

Dr. Arnold has received multiple honors, including the Ray E. Helfer Award for Innovation in Pediatric Education from the Academic Pediatric Association, Compassionate Doctor Recognition, Patients’ Choice Awards from Vitals.com, and the Norton, Rose, Fulbright excellence in Education Award from Baylor College of Medicine. She was also named a Distinguished Educator by the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. An active member of the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Society for Simulation in Healthcare, and the International Pediatric Simulation Society, Dr. Arnold sits on the executive boards for the Center for Medical Simulation in Boston, INSPIRE, OpHeart, and is a founding board member of Ready.Sim.Go. She is a national ambassador for Speak Now for Kids through the Children’s Hospital Association, and she led the launch of two pediatric simulation programs at Texas Children’s Hospital (2008–2017) and Johns Hopkins All Children’s
Hospital (2017–2021).