Edwin C. "Ned" Holstein is an American

physician A physician (American English), medical practitioner (Commonwealth English), medical doctor, or simply doctor, is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through th ...

and

children's rights Children's rights are a subset of human rights with particular attention to the rights of special protection and care afforded to minors.

advocate. He is a founder and chairman of the

National Parents Organization The National Parents Organization (NPO) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit charitable and educational organization in the United States that promotes shared parenting. The organization focuses on family court reform, research, and public education with ...

, and an advocate for

shared parenting Shared parenting, shared residence, joint residence, shared custody, joint physical custody, equal parenting time (EPT) is a child custody arrangement after divorce or separation, in which both parents share the responsibility of raising their ...

as being in the best interest of most children after separation or divorce.

Education and medical career

Holstein holds a bachelor's degree from

Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate college of Harvard University, an Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636, Harvard College is the original school of Harvard University, the oldest institution of higher lea ...

, a master's degree in psychology from the

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the ...

and an M.D. degree from

Mount Sinai School of Medicine The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (ISMMS or Mount Sinai), formerly the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, is a private medical school in New York City. It is the academic teaching arm of the Mount Sinai Health System, which manages eigh ...

(1971). He did his residency in internal medicine at

Boston City Hospital The Boston City Hospital (1864–1996), in Boston, Massachusetts, was a public hospital, located in the South End. It was "intended for the use and comfort of poor patients, to whom medical care will be provided at the expense of the city, and . ...

and a fellowship in

preventive medicine Preventive healthcare, or prophylaxis, consists of measures taken for the purposes of disease prevention.Hugh R. Leavell and E. Gurney Clark as "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life, and promoting physical and mental hea ...

at Mt Sinai School of Medicine from 1976 to 1978. Holstein is board certified in internal medicine, preventive medicine and occupational medicine. He practices occupational medicine in

Newton, Massachusetts Newton is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is approximately west of downtown Boston. Newton resembles a patchwork of thirteen villages, without a city center. According to the 2020 U.S. Census, the population of Ne ...

. In addition to his clinical work, he has conducted environmental health research, studying e.g. the carcinogenic effects of

asbestos Asbestos () is a naturally occurring fibrous silicate mineral. There are six types, all of which are composed of long and thin fibrous crystals, each fibre being composed of many microscopic "fibrils" that can be released into the atmosphere b ...

, public health responses to asbestos exposure, liver function among dairy farmers, and techniques for measuring

polybrominated biphenyl Polybrominated biphenyls (PBBs), also called brominated biphenyls or polybromobiphenyls, are a group of manufactured chemicals that consist of polyhalogenated derivatives of a biphenyl core. Their chlorine analogs are the PCBs. While once widely ...

exposure.

Organizational service

In 1998, Holstein founded the

, an organization that promotes

after separation or divorce He is the chairman of the board and he has at times also served as the national executive director. He also serves on the board of directors for the International Council on Shared Parenting. In May 2017, he organized and hosted the ''Third International Conference on Shared Parenting'' in Boston.

Shared parenting advocacy

Holstein bases his advocacy for shared parenting on scientific studies from around the world. This research has shown that children with a shared parenting arrangement perform better on a variety of physical health, mental health and social relationship metrics, compared to children in sole custody.Ned Holstein
Joint custody should be the rule, not the exception

The Baltimore Sun ''The Baltimore Sun'' is the largest general-circulation daily newspaper based in the U.S. state of Maryland and provides coverage of local and regional news, events, issues, people, and industries. Founded in 1837, it is currently owned by Tr ...

, October 8, 2014.

Media coverage

Holstein has been interviewed and quoted by various media outlets, including: * Marilyn Gardner
When equal custody is law, who gains?

Christian Science Monitor Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι� ...

, June 24, 2004. * Susanna Schrobsdorff
Divorce: The New Rules of Child Custody

Newsweek ''Newsweek'' is an American weekly online news magazine co-owned 50 percent each by Dev Pragad, its president and CEO, and Johnathan Davis (businessman), Johnathan Davis, who has no operational role at ''Newsweek''. Founded as a weekly print m ...

, December 14, 2008. * Jennifer Ludden
Push To Change Custody Laws: What's Best For Kids?

Morning Edition ''Morning Edition'' is an American radio news program produced and distributed by NPR. It airs weekday mornings (Monday through Friday) and runs for two hours, and many stations repeat one or both hours. The show feeds live from 5:00 to 9:00 AM ...

National Public Radio National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other n ...

, February 26, 2014. * Mandy Oaklander
This Divorce Arrangement Stresses Kids Out Most

Time Magazine ''Time'' (stylized in all caps) is an American news magazine based in New York City. For nearly a century, it was published weekly, but starting in March 2020 it transitioned to every other week. It was first published in New York City on Mar ...

, April 27, 2015. * Dugan Arnett
In Massachusetts and elsewhere, a push for custody reform

Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe'' is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes, and has a total circulation of close to 300,000 print and digital subscribers. ''The Boston Glob ...

, August 1, 2015. * Gail Rosenblum
New research supports shared custody for children in divorce

Minnesota Star Tribune The ''Star Tribune'' is the largest newspaper in Minnesota. It originated as the ''Minneapolis Tribune'' in 1867 and the competing ''Minneapolis Daily Star'' in 1920. During the 1930s and 1940s, Minneapolis's competing newspapers were consolida ...

, September 3, 2017. * Jayne O'Donnell, Sierra Lewter
Fatherlessness is harder on Father's Day, but 'father figures,' other role models fill in

USA Today ''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgini ...

, June 15, 2018.
s of children of divorce
Maryland Reporter, January 18, 2018.

References

External links