Mary Eming Young is the Lead Early Child Development Specialist in the Human Development Network. She oversees and coordinates the World Bank's work and projects on Early Child Development (EDC). She is a Pediatrician and Public Health Specialist.

She received her B.S. and M.D. from the University of Wisconsin and her DrPH from Johns Hopkins University.  Dr. Young is Board Certified by the American Academy of Pediatrics and by the American Academy of Preventive Medicine.  She was in clinical practice prior to joining the World Bank full time in 1989.  Her operational experience includes Health Service Reform, Maternal Child Health and Child Development projects in all regions, including Asia (China), Africa (Ghana, Kenya, Uganda), Eastern Europe and Central Asia (Poland, Hungary, Georgia, Macedonia), Middle East (Jordan, Iran, Iraq, Egypt), and South America and the Caribbeans (Brazil, Colombia, Bolivia, Jamaica).  She is the Bank's primary advocate for young children's well-being and development. 

Dr. Young's recent publications and edited works include:  Investing in Young Children, Early Child Development:  Investing in the Future, From Early Child Development to Human Development.