Dr. Richard Baxter is a board-certified pediatric dentist and board-certified laser surgeon. He is a nationally recognized speaker on tongue-ties, and author of the bestselling book Tongue-Tied: How a Tiny String Under the Tongue Impacts Nursing, Speech, Feeding, and More. He is passionate about educating parents and healthcare practitioners about the effects a tongue-tie can have throughout the lifespan. He lives in Birmingham, AL with his wife, Tara, their five-year-old old girls, Hannah and Noelle, and infant Molly. He is the founder and owner of the Alabama Tongue-Tie Center where he uses the CO2 laser to release oral restrictions that are causing nursing, speech, dental, sleep and feeding issues. He had a tongue-tie himself, and all three of his girls were treated for tongue and lip-tie at birth, so for him, this field is a personal one. In his free time, he enjoys spending time with his family and outdoor activities. He serves as an elder at his church and is on the board of Reach the Rest, a global missions organization. Dr. Baxter also participates in many overseas dental mission trips. He is currently working on several research and educational projects related to tongue-ties.

A graduate of the London Film School, Toni Harman has produced and directed a number of internationally distributed documentary films including MICROBIRTH, about the origins of the human microbiome, FREEDOM FOR BIRTH, about the struggle for women's rights in childbirth and DOULA!, about the work of birth and postnatal doulas. Toni’s extensive research for MICROBIRTH led to her co-authoring the books THE MICROBIRTH EFFECT and YOUR BABY’s MICROBIOME. Toni is also a professional speaker at international conferences about the science of the microbiome and epigenetics. As Educational Leader of the MICROBIOME COURSES online school, with over 37,000 enrolled students, Toni combines knowledge gained from researching the subject for ten years with her extensive experience of running educational one-day and multiple-day workshops for adult learners. 

Dr. Gerner has been a Maternity and Pediatric Specialist in private practice for over 17 years with an additional focus on functional infant cranial work. She teaches other professionals to support breastfeeding across the USA and internationally. She is a wife, mother of 3 grown children, and lives in Northern CA with her husband and their 2 rescued dogs.

Catherine Watson Genna BS, IBCLC is an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant in private practice in New York City. Certified in 1992, Catherine is particularly interested in helping moms and babies breastfeed when they have medical challenges and is an active clinical mentor. She speaks to healthcare professionals around the world on assisting breastfeeding babies with anatomical, genetic or neurological problems. Her presentations and her writing are enriched by her clinical photographs and videos. Catherine collaborates with Columbia University and Tel Aviv University Departments of Biomedical Engineering on research projects investigating the biomechanics of the lactating nipple and various aspects of sucking and swallowing in breastfeeding infants. She is the author of Selecting and Using Breastfeeding Tools: Improving Care and Outcomes (Praeclarus Press 2009) and Supporting Sucking Skills in Breastfeeding Infants (Jones and Bartlett Learning 2008, 2013, 2017) as well as professional journal articles and chapters in the Core Curriculum for Lactation Consultant Practice and Breastfeeding and Human Lactation. Catherine served as Associate Editor of the United States Lactation Consultant Association’s official journal Clinical Lactation for its first seven years.

Aunchalee Palmquist is a medical anthropologist and International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC). She completed postdoctoral studies at the National Institutes of Health and in the Global Health Initiative at Yale University. Palmquist is Assistant Professor of Anthropology and Director of the Program for Ethnographic Research and Community Studies at Elon University. Her recent research focuses on critical biocultural contexts of breastfeeding, human milk sharing, and infant and young child feeding in emergencies. She blogs at anthrolactology.com.

Allison Tolman has experience as an LPN, CLC, Certified Birth Doula, Certified Childbirth Educator, and IBCLC. She has found a passion for breast pumps and now works exclusively with mothers who are combining breastfeeding and pumping while returning to work after maternity leave. She (along with an engineer) developed a device used to test breast pumps and has enjoyed sharing her data and findings with her online community and helping mothers choose and use the best breast pump for them. Her husband is active duty military in the US Army and together they have 3 little boys. They have lived all over the US and spent 3 wonderful years in Belgium. She is also pursuing a bachelors in Maternal Child Health: Human Lactation at Union Institute & University.

Wilai Rojjanasrirat, PhD, RN, IBCLC, FILCA, FAAN is a Professor and Director of Research and Scholarship at Graceland University’s School of Nursing in Independence, Missouri. Her background is in midwifery and maternal and child health nursing.

She is an international board certified lactation consultant. She earned her Bachelor’s in Nursing and Midwifery from Thailand and Master’s and Doctorate and Post-Doctorate in Nursing from the University of Kansas. She teaches in graduate nursing program. Her research focuses on promoting and supporting breastfeeding, psychometric development, and educational outcome evaluation.

Using telehealth in providing lactation support, evaluation of the breastfeeding outcomes among late-preterm, near term, and term infants, and evaluation of the Business Case for Breastfeeding Program’s impact among employed breastfeeding mothers in Kansas are among some of the research projects.

Dr. Rojjanasrirat has multiple publications and recently contributed to a book chapter on Employment and Breastfeeding in Wambach & Spencer, Breastfeeding and Human Lactation, 6th edition in 2021. She served as a former president of the Pi Eta Chapter of the Nursing Honor Society, a board member of the KC Board of Directors of Kansas City, Kansas, and a former president of the Greater Kansas City Lactation Consultant Association for several years.

Dr. Sayida Peprah is both a licensed clinical psychologist and birth doula, with over 10 years of experience in both fields. She specializes in multicultural psychology, trauma, suicide prevention and maternal mental health. Dr. Sayida has a multi-faced career as a psychologist, diversity and cross-cultural educator, and community-based doula program director. Dr. Sayida is also the Founder and Executive Director of the non-profit organization Diversity Uplifts, Inc., who's mission is “fostering diversity and supporting communities and the providers who serve them.
An advocate for human rights in childbirth, Dr. Sayida is a member of the Black Women Birthing Justice Collective and a Collaborator with the Black Mamas Matter Alliance, promoting research, education and community-based services to positively transform the birthing experiences of black families. Dr. Sayida has served and continues to serve on advisory committees including Perinatal Equity Initiative Committees, and formerly the California Maternal Suicide Review Committee and others aimed at identifying key risks and opportunities for quality improvement and prevention around disparities.

Dr. Gina Weissman began her career as a dentist, receiving her training at The Hebrew University Hadassah Medical School, Jerusalem. She is also a RN nurse and has been working as an IBCLC, Certified Lactation Consultant, since 1999. She teaches courses in human lactation for both medical professionals and future lactation consultants, mentoring them in preparation for the international exam of the IBCLC. Dr. Weissman councils mothers and releases tongue ties at her private breastfeeding clinic, HalavM. She is an expert in teaching mothers Instinctive Breastfeeding and the author of Mother's Milk, a Video Guide to Breastfeeding (Hebrew/Arabic/English).Dr. Weissman is an international lecturer and the president of the Israeli Association of Certified Lactation Consultants.She lives in Israel with her husband Amir and four sons.

Robyn Merkel-Walsh, M.A., CCC-SLP/COM® is a Licensed Speech Pathologist with over 25 years of experience. She is employed full time by the Ridgefield Board of Education and runs a private practice in Ridgefield, NJ. She is also an author, lecturer, and consultant for TalkTools® . Robyn specializes in Oral-Placement, feeding, and orofacial myofunctional disorders in the pediatric population. Her publications include, SMILE (Systematic Intervention for Lingual Elevation), Art Talk, Handy Handouts, OPT-S Kit, and she co-authored Sensory Stix, A Sensory-Motor Approach to Feeding, Functional Assessment and Remediation of Tethered Oral Tissues and Oral Placement Therapy Goals for Speech Clarity. She has also written several articles for the TalkTools® website, The ASHA Leader, and Advance Magazine for Speech Pathologists. She has been published five consecutive years at the annual convention of the American Speech-Language and Hearing Association. Robyn received both her undergraduate and graduate degrees from Montclair State University, where she was later invited to be an adjunct/clinical supervisor. She has also taught classes and/or as a clinical supervisor for: Bergen Community College, Seton Hall University and Malloy College. She is a member of American Speech-Language and Hearing Association, American Academy of Private Practice in Speech Pathology and Audiology, New Jersey Education Association, International Association of Orofacial Myology, Oral Motor Institute, Ankyloglossia Bodyworkers , International Consortium of Ankylofrenula Professionals and The Bergen County Apraxia Association. She served a term on the New Jersey Speech and Hearing Association Board of Directors and was the private practice co-chair. She is also the Board Chair of the Oral Motor Institute and the Associate Editor of the International Journal of Orofacial Myology.