Rita Visconti

Rita Visconti is the Program Coordinator, Patient and Family Experience. In her role, she helps embed patient and family voices into hospital planning, education, and care. She brings over a decade of experience as the inaugural Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Family Liaison, a role inspired by her own journey as a mom of premature triplets—one of whom, Mark, passed away at SickKids. In her current role, Visconti partners closely with staff and family advisors to co-design meaningful improvements across the hospital. She has led family engagement efforts, co-developed initiatives across departments, and shared insights through national and international presentations. She serves on multiple hospital and community committees, helping to shape more compassionate and inclusive care.
Visconti is the proud mother of two incredible teens and honours Mark's memory by building a culture of empathy, partnership, and understanding in everything she does.

Education and experience

1. 2013 - 2024: Family Liaison, Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
2. 2016: TCPS 2: CORE (Course on Research Ethics) Family Liaison, Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada

1. Cheng, C., Franck, L. S., Ye, X. Y., Hutchinson, S. A., Lee, S. K., & O’Brien, K. (2021). Evaluating the effect of Family Integrated Care on maternal stress and anxiety in neonatal intensive care units. Journal of reproductive and infant psychology, 39(2), 166-179. 
2. O'Brien, K., Robson, K., Bracht, M., Cruz, M., Lui, K., Alvaro, R., ... & Hales, D. (2018). Effectiveness of family integrated care in neonatal intensive care units on infant and parent outcomes: a multicentre, multinational, cluster-randomised controlled trial. The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health, 2(4), 245-254.