GOLD Learning Speakers

M. Petrea Cober, PharmD, BCNSP, BCPPS, attended the University of Tennessee, College of Pharmacy in Memphis, Tennessee. She completed her PGY1 Pharmacy Residency at Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center in Hershey, Pennsylvania, and her PGY2 Pharmacy Residency in Pediatrics at the University of Michigan Hospitals and Health System in Ann Arbor, Michigan. She is currently the Clinical Coordinator - Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and PGY1 Residency Program Director at Akron Children's Hospital where she provides clinical services and precepts pharmacy students, PGY1 pharmacy residents, and PGY3 medical pediatric residents. She is also the Section Lead for Specialty Care and an Associate Professor in the Department of Pharmacy Practice at Northeast Ohio Medical University (NEOMED). Her didactic teaching is in the areas of pediatrics, women’s health, and nutrition. Dr. Cober's expertise is in pediatric pharmacotherapy, nutrition, ethanol lock therapy, and management of patients with intestinal failure. She is active in local, state, and national pharmacy organizations.

Madeline Murray is a homebirth baby, homebirth turned hospital-transfer mom, midwife on a mission to make more midwives and bring the midwives model of care to more American families. Madeline’s passion project, Believe in Midwifery is designed to raise awareness among midwives and mothers about the perils of the on-call lifestyle and the changes in practice necessary for making midwifery careers more attainable for students and more sustainable for practicing midwives. Through writing, speaking engagements and personalized consultations Madeline hopes to encourage midwives to begin working with one another to reduce burnout and to become aware of their own unique needs to make their midwifery careers long lasting.

Madge E. Buus-Frank DNP, APRN-BC, FAAN is a nurse practitioner, healthcare improvement scientists and scholar who has been actively engaged in both providing and improving healthcare for nearly 4 decades. Dr. Buus-Frank joined Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center in 1990 as one of the first acute care nurse practitioners in the Intensive Care Nursery where she played a pivotal role in building a team of NNPs to serve the Intensive Care Nursery in Lebanon, Nashua, and Manchester. Madge continues to serve as a clinical faculty member in the Department of Pediatrics at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth and remains invigorated by her clinical practice at the Children’s Hospital at Dartmouth (CHaD) where she has practiced for 30+ years.

Dr. Buus-Frank has been an early innovator on the front lines of developing and testing Learning Health Systems focused on coproducing care with patients and families. as well as improving education and research along the way. In 2019 Dr. Buus-Frank joined The Dartmouth Institute as a Senior Scientist. Her implementation science work currently focuses on a partnership between Dartmouth Hitchcock Health and The Dartmouth Institute, to deliver on the DHH strategic plan, called “The Promise.” She is a co-primary investigator leading a team that is testing the impact of a Learning Health System approach to accelerate co-production of care, to improve the experience of care for our patients and our people and our system. The LHS testing is currently underway in the oncology setting and we will be using whole system measures to evaluate the impact of the Learning health system on patient and family outcomes, cost and value, and research, scholarship and education. Additionally Dr. Buus-Frank serves on a TDI team supporting the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation’s growing quality improvement collaborative (Qorus) serving as a ead curriculum consultant.

Dr. Buus-Frank is the immediate past Executive Vice President of the Vermont Oxford Network (VON), one of the world’s largest healthcare data and improvement networks in the world. At VON she collaborated with international faculty to conceptualize, design and executed large-scale multi-center quality improvement collaboratives, and massive on-line courses (MOOCs) , bringing >700 hospitals, states and health systems together to learn, share, measure and improve the quality, safety and value of care. Additionally, Dr. Buus-Frank championed and led the development of partnerships with state perinatal quality improvement collaboratives where she built both the common will and capacity to conduct audits and embrace e-based educational implementation packages allowing VON to scale the learning from center level improvement to achieve population-wide results using robust on-line educational technology and learning programs.

Dr. Buus-Frank was the Founding Editor-in-Chief for Advances in Neonatal Care: The Official Journal of the National Association of Neonatal Nurses, a peer-reviewed publication dedicated to advancing the art and science of neonatal care, serving for 5 years in this capacity. She was honored by NANN with a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2021. She is the author of numerous peer-reviewed publications and has been inducted as a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing (FAAN) for her pioneering work in the field of neonatal care and improvement science.

The only active LLL Leader in Poland, first after 20 years. Monthly has about 400 contacts from mothers who she helps via phone, mail, skype or in personal meetings. She helps mothers  not only in Poland but also Polish mothers abroad.  Author of many popular articles about breastfeeding.  She also leads breastfeeding workshops for doulas and meets with parents in childbirth classes. She supports mothers since 2008 and as a LLL Leader since 2011. She's a passionate with what she's doing. Personally, happy wife to Rafał and mother of 3 smiled children who she homeschools.

Maggie is a nurse, educator, and writer.
She began her nursing career in 2009 and has since practiced in hospitals and communities nationwide, primarily in labor and birth environments. Maggie maintains a bedside practice at a community hospital in Pennsylvania, in addition to her non-profit work as Founding Executive Director of Your BIRTH Partners.
Maggie is currently pursuing her PhD in Nursing and loves educating, mentoring, and learning alongside other nurses. Her research interests are trauma-informed care, secondary traumatic stress, trauma-responsive work environments, and nurse identity. She has always enjoyed writing, both through blogs and in scholarly environments. Much of her recent pursuits have focused on authoring a transformational memoir and contributing to academic journals.
Her advocacy focuses on improving perinatal care in hospital environments through trauma-informed care and community collaboration. When she's not dreaming up good trouble with other changemakers, she's doing yoga, reading a book, traveling, indulging in delicious food, soaking in fresh air outside, or hanging with her awesome partner and kids.

Mandy Irby, pronouns are she/her, is a board certified labor nurse with 13 years of experience supporting survivors of assault and trauma through pregnancy, birth planning, and at their bedside during childbirth and pregnancy loss. After experiencing her own birth trauma, she quickly learned that the birth care system is NOT centered on human rights, patient choice, and the individual experience. In 2020, Mandy made education a full-time career. She now teaches and supports parents and nurses how to better center voice, choice, and physiology in birth. It's Mandy’s mission to change birth culture so that it's parent-centered, trauma-informed, and safe for all.
Mandy enjoys teaching in-person, in whole-team learning: Peanut Ball, Labor Support Skills and Trauma-Informed Care At the Bedside workshops. She also supports local parents with small-group Spinning Babies® Parent Classes when in-person learning is safest. Mandy is also an international educator through her online, on-demand childbirth ed classes and she supports anxious parents-to-be with virtual, one-on-one trauma-informed birth strategy sessions. She’s the co-founder of Fearless Birth, Delivered, founder and owner of The Birth Nurse®, and a proud co-creator of the BRAND NEW Trauma-Informed Birth Nurse Program. As a creative educator, Mandy is also the co-author of an Amazon best-seller, Baby Got VBAC, and reaches millions of viewers each month through her engaging, tongue-in-cheek social media platforms.
When she’s not working from home, Mandy might be found at any local plant nursery adding to her, some may say, out-of-control house plant collection. She’s a serial craft starter and non-finisher, loves walking her doodle puppy, and playing in the creek with her 2 kids.

Manuela Filippa is researcher at the Geneva University. She received her PhD in Developmental Psychology at the University of Paris Ouest Nanterre, she studies the effects of the Early Vocal Contact - maternal direct speech and songs - on premature infant’s development in collaboration with international research centers. She is a Musician by training, she teaches Psychology of Music and Music Education at the University of Valle d'Aosta, Italy. She became an expert in the field of early interventions in at-risk populations. Her scientific works were published in a number of international journals, in a dedicated book on Early Vocal Contact and, lastly, in a Special Issue of National Geographic, January 2019.

Marcda Hilaire immigrated from Haiti to the United States in 1995. At a very young age, she served as a trainee in the biomedical program now known as the STEM PREP program. She received a Bachelor’s in Biology from Temple University and a Master’s in Public Health with a concentration in Maternal & Child Health from University of South Florida. Having worked in breastfeeding since 2012, Ms. Hilaire recently earned her IBCLC in June 2017. Ms. Hilaire currently serves as a breastfeeding coordinator in Palm Beach County, is a member of the Palm Beach County Breastfeeding Coalition and corresponding secretary for the Florida Breastfeeding Coalition. She serves as a member of the Health Ministry at Philadelphia Church of the Newborns. Ms. Hilaire and her husband have two children, one of whom is a currently breastfeeding 9 month old. She enjoys poetry, singing, and writing.

Margreet co-Founded the Healthy Mom and Baby Clinic in Jeffrey’s Bay, South Africa (www.hmbc.co.za). This is a non-profit organization committed to delivering professional private care to the most vulnerable and underprivileged women of their community. She also works as a private midwife and is known as ‘The Surfing Midwife’ (www.thesurfingmidwife.com). She is currently the managing director at Sister Lilian Centre (www.sisterlilian.co.za) and Sensitive Midwifery (www.senstivemidwifery.co.za) a national education platform for midwives and parents. She finds herself in a transitioning stage where her local, small scale operations, are developing into a national and international platform to be a voice and champion the midwifery profession as a whole. This is in line with her PhD, which is looking at strategies to scale-up clinical midwifery practices in South Africa. She can call herself a pro-surfer as she has placed herself twice at the WSL World Longboarding Championship and still compete in various surfing competitions in South Africa.

She obtained her Bachelors degree in Midwifery from the Artevelde Hogeschool in Gent, Belgium (2002). She furthered her studies with a BcurHons in Advanced Midwifery and Neonatal Nursing Science (2012), a Master’s Research in Midwifery (2014) and a Doctorate in Philosophy (PhD) in Midwifery, all at the Nelson Mandela University in Port Elizabeth, South Africa.

Mari is currently a clinical academic working at Evelina London Children's Hospital in the UK. She is a Clinical Specialist Speech Language Therapist with various international peer reviewed articles on neonatal feeding assessment building on the body of research presented in her PhD. She has presented at various international conferences in the USA, Africa and Europe. Her experience entails paediatric dysphagia in the acute setting with specialization in critical care and neonatal care. In her previous position as an associate professor at a university in South Africa she invested in student clinician training in the NICU setting and access to evidence based treatment for feeding disorders in infancy. Her current research interest is in mobile health application development for the Neonatal Feeding Assessment Scale for international access to a validated neonatal feeding assessment tool to identify oropharyngeal dysphagia in neonates and young infants. In addition her second tier research path is looking at the role of the speech language therapist in PICU. To support the wider clinical and scientific community she is a member of the European Society for Swallowing Disorders as well as an international affiliate member of the Royal College of Speech Language Therapists.

Maria Caterina Cattaneo is a psychotherapist with a psychodynamic orientation and EMDR practitioner. In the 90s she accumulated a large experience in the field of the clinical psychology of the developmental age, both in public hospitals (Child and Adolescent Neuropsychiatry department in Lecco, and a collaboration with the department of Neonatal Pathology in Monza), and in the Scientific Institute Eugenio Medea in Bosisio Parini, where she has also done research on depression in children and adolescents, giving an important contribution to the Italian version of the Achenbach CBCL (4-18) . For several years she worked on the protection of minors (at the department of Social Services of the city of Monza) , conducting diagnosis and microanalysis of highly conflictual couples, and support groups for parents. Besides her free practice, since 2006 she has been coordinating the project on “When birth becomes crisis”, a collaborative project between the departments of Neonatology and Neonatal Pathology of the Maternity Hospital Mangiagalli in Milan and the Consultorio Familiare “Genitori Oggi”and , since the last year, in the Humanitas Hospital PioX. The clinical activity consists of psychological work in the maternity wards, inside the Hospital, and, when needed, therapeutic intervention with mothers or fathers , couples or mother - infant bonding at the Perinatal Psychology Unit, founded in 2006 at the same hospital. Since 2008 she has started the research activity of the Unit on the prevention of post-partum depression; some results of this research have been published in international journals, and have been presented at several AISMI conferences, while others are in the process of publication. In the last years she has started, with her collaborators, a new research project based on the use of EMDR in perinatal psychology, implying the preparation of two new protocols on delivery trauma and problems concerning breastfeeding.

Dr. Maria Enrica Bettinelli is Lecturer of Pediatrics, University of Milan, Italy School of Medicine. As IBCLC since 2003, her research focuses on how overcoming barriers to implement breastfeeding support in the community and to promote mother and babies well-being in the perinatal period and the first years of life, adopting nurturing care approach. She has authored peer-reviewed publications on baby friendly community, breastfeeding rates in Lombardy, and the maternal and child health effects of lactation.
Her current research includes the clinical management of breastfeeding difficulties and how emotional experiences impact on breastfeeding decision. As Director of Milan Breastfeeding Network in Milan, Dr. Bettinelli leads an interdisciplinary team of clinicians, nurses and midwives that is developing new approaches to management of breastfeeding difficulties and to sharing breastfeeding education. Dr. Bettinelli is a member of the Italian Society of Pediatrics and Italian Society of Neonatology, chairs the Task Group of Education and Conference 2020 of ELACTA Board 2018-2020 and is a member of the ELACTA Board 2018-2020, and since 2012 is a member of the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine.
Dr. Bettinelli attended University of Milan School of Medicine where she graduated with her M.D. in 1986. She completed her Residency in Pediatrics in 1989 and in Neonatology in 1991 at University of Milan and went on to complete her medical experience at Mangiagalli Hospital in Milan. Dr. Bettinelli obtained her MSc in Perinatal Mental Health in 2019.
She lives in Milan, Italy with her husband and her daughter.

Maria Milton is a midwife from the state of Florida. She holds a Bachelor's of Science in biology/PreMed from Florida A&M University and she is a licensed laboratory technician. Maria has been practicing as a midwife since 1984. She is the current owner/operator of Milton Memorial Birthing Center, a facility founded by her late mother/ colleague, Gladys Milton. She is also a stronge advocate of natural childbirth and the midwifery model of care. And, for over twenty years, Maria has been a speaker / presentor of various midwifery topics at midwifery conferences, midwifery retreats and community health programs.

I am a medical doctor, with a specialization in pediatrics, a Masters degree in Public Health and Nutrition from the University of California in Berkeley, and a PhD from the University of Valencia, Spain. I have devoted more than 20 years now to breastfeeding Medicine and I am a member of ILCA and the ABM for many years now. I have been member of the Breastfeeding Committe of the Spanish Pediatric Association and its national coordinator from 2009 to 2012. In 2013, I became the National Coordinator of IHAN (the association for the Humanization of Birth Assistance and Breastfeeding Protection) which is the Association that runs the Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative and the Baby Friendly Community Initiative in Spain. I have represented Spain in the BFHI Network and I am currently a member of the Coordinating Committee, External Relations and Internal Relations Committee of this Network. All these being voluntary work, my present job is as the Director of the first Breastfeeding Clinic in the Spanish National Health care service, which is located in Valencia. I am the proud mother of two breastfed children and one breastfed granddaughter.

Mariana Colmenares Castano was born in Mexico City, and from an early age she was fascinated by animals and nature.She studied medicine at the National University of Mexico (UNAM), and foundher passion as a pediatrician doing her residency at the National Pediatric Institute. When her first child was born she witnessed the lack of knowledge and commitment to breastfeeding within the medical profession, and so she decided to specialize in breastfeeding medicine. She certified as a Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) in 2011.Mariana is a member of the International Lactation Consultant Association, the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine, and a proud founding member of the National Lactation Consultant Association of Mexico (ACCLAM), where she served on the Board of Directors as Education Coordinator (2014-2019). She is part of board director for the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine for a 3 year period (2019-2022) and recently named as secretary for the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine. Mariana is a member of the team for Breastfeeding Country Index BFCI, a project from Yale University and Universidad Iberoamericana. She is consultant for the National Health Institute in Mexico and has collaborated with UNICEF in breastfeeding projects and part of the steering committee for the WHO. She has spoken at national and international conferences, co-published numerous articles and co-authored a chapter for the National Academy of Medicine. At the moment she is a Clinical Fellow in Community Paediatrics in London.

Marianne is a mother of four grown-up, home-birthed and breastfed daughters and granny of five beautiful home-birthed, breastfed grandchildren. After a personal experience with breastfeeding practices in a hospital, she became a volunteer for the Dutch breastfeeding association in 1994 and for many years, she led big groups for pregnant and breastfeeding mothers in her home town.

She became an IBCLC in 2008 and launched her private practice, from which she does consultations, book translations (such as James McKenna’s book ‘Sleeping With Your Baby’ and recently ‘Safe Infant Sleep’, and Jill and Nils Bergman’s book ‘Hold Your Prem’), blogging and writing on youth healthcare, advocating for policies that generously take neurophysiological and sociocultural convictions into account. Translating and avid reading widened Marianne’s insights and field of interest, leading her her to Cultural Anthropology & Development Sociology at the University of Amsterdam and subsequently a master’s degree in Medical Anthropology & Sociology.

Combining several fields, she co-founded the initiative ACE Aware NL early 2020, chiming in with similar movements in Scotland and California, US. The aim is to increase awareness around Adverse Childhood Experiences and their impact on adult health and wellbeing. Now that science abundantly shows the importance of sensitive and responsive parenting for overall health and wellbeing, all sectors in society deserve to know what a world of difference they can make in a child's life if they succeed in incorporating trauma-sensitive approaches . Marianne expects to remain strongly tied to this field for the rest of her life.

Marie Zahorick, MS, APRN, FNP-C, IBCLC became a La Leche League Leader in 1999 and an IBCLC in 2005. After several years of working as a hospital-based bilingual Spanish-speaking IBCLC, she attended nursing school and eventually became a board-certified Family Nurse Practitioner. In the meantime, she continued working as a hospital-based lactation consultant doing inpatient, outpatient, and Level III NICU lactation. She did not get much sleep.

After graduate school, Marie was recruited to work as a nurse practitioner in psychiatry. She was fellowship-trained to manage patients in the acute inpatient setting, partial hospitalization, outpatient office, and OB patients in the general hospital setting.

She specializes in women’s psychiatry, especially medical management of women who are pregnant or lactating. Her expertise also includes general psychopharmacology. She is experienced at diagnosing and treating mental conditions such as bipolar disorder, perinatal/postpartum mood and anxiety disorders, postpartum psychosis, obsessive-compulsive disorder, premenstrual and perimenopausal mood disorders, and personality disorders.

She lives in the Chicago area with her husband and three adult children in the transient stage of life. Her children all breastfed for at least two years but now just make faces when confronted with that fact.

Dr Marilyn R Sanders is a board-certified pediatrician and neonatologist who cares for critically ill babies, infants, and their families at the Connecticut Children’s Medical Center Newborn Intensive Care Unit in Hartford, CT. Dr Sanders did her pediatric residency at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine and her fellowship in Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine at Johns-Hopkins School of Medicine. She is a Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine. She also provides neurodevelopmental follow-up for babies and infants up to 3 years old. Her scholarly interest is providing trauma-informed care to hospitalized newborns, infants, young children, and their families. Her focus is the impact of the autonomic nervous system’s sense of safety, danger, or life threat on our emotions and behavior. She lectures throughout the United States and Europe. She has authored papers and book chapters on trauma-informed care for young infants, children, and their families in the hospital setting. Dr Sanders is currently under book contract with WW Norton and Company. Her book, to be published in 2020, discusses implications of the Polyvagal Theory, for the well-being and development of infants, children, and adolescents.

Dr. Rice has been working at the intersection of education and health for social justice and public good. She is the former Executive Director of the Breastfeeding Coalition of Oregon. Currently, Dr. Rice works on organizational development, communication, marketing, public policy and community engagement to advance health equity through access to donor human milk. A national thought leader, she is deeply engaged in convening conversations about the importance of maintaining women’s biological integrity, advancing feminist approaches to human milk banking and at the same time, encouraging capacity building for human milk derived therapies improving health outcomes for the most vulnerable babies.

Most recently Dr. Rice provided consulting as a Policy Associate with Mothers' Milk Bank of San Jose and has provided strategy and policy consulting for the Human Milk Banking Association of North America (HMBANA). Marion holds a doctorate in Education Leadership and is an Internationally Board Certified Lactation Consultant, IBCLC.

Dr Marjan Jones, a dental surgeon in Brisbane Australia pioneered a multi-disciplinary approach to the treatment of oral restrictions in Australia. With over 20 years’ experience with dental lasers and extensive knowledge of the comprehensive treatment of oral restrictions, her practice treats patients of all ages, offering a team-based approach to surgery incorporating in-house myofunctional therapy and orthodontics for treatment for children and adults. For infant patients, she collaborates with IBCLCs and cranial therapists for a comprehensive approach toward functional outcomes. She co-founded the Tongue Tie Institute designed to advance the education of health professionals in the treatment of oral restrictions. She now lectures to practitioners from Australia and around the world who have been introduced to a team approach to the management of oral restrictions. She has personal experience with the effect of tongue ties and their effect on herself and family (including breastfeeding challenges) and is determined to help others avoid or overcome their impact. She is a Fellow of the World Clinical Laser Institute, a member of the Academy of Laser Dentistry, the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine and was the immediate past Chairperson of the Interim Board of the International Consortium of Ankylofrenula Professionals (ICAP). He passion for breastfeeding has resulted in studies toward IBCLC certification.

Dr Mark Johnson is a consultant neonatologist at University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust and an honorary senior clinical lecturer in neonatal medicine at the University of Southampton. He is also currently the clinical director for neonatal medicine in Southampton. Dr Johnson graduated in medicine (BM) from the University of Southampton in 2004, and undertook an intercalated degree in biomedical science during his medical training. Dr Johnson was awarded a prestigious NIHR doctoral research fellowship to fund his PhD, which he was awarded by the University of Southampton in 2015. Dr Johnson’s PhD focused on change management in neonatal care in the context of nutrition, successfully implementing improved nutritional practices in order to improve the growth of preterm infants. Dr Johnson's research centres around the nutritional care and growth of premature babies, and the implementation of practice change in order to improve care, and has published on these topics widely, including systematic reviews looking at the use of early parenteral nutrition in preterm infants, the impact of enhanced nutrition on the neurodevelopmental outcomes of preterm infants and the effect of preterm birth on body composition and growth. He has also contributed to national and international guidance on nutritional care.

Award winning doula and birth activist Mars Lord has been a birth keeper for well over a decade. After attending the Paramana Doula course with Michel Odent and Lilliana Lammers, a spark was lit within her and the passion that she discovered for birth and supporting parents has fired her soul ever since. She has had the privilege of working with hundreds of families. A birth activist, with a desire to see the ‘colouring in of the landscape of birth’ and finding out the reasons for the maternal and neonatal morbidity rates amongst the BAME community, Mars created Abuela Doulas a doula preparation course primarily, but not exclusively, for women of colour. Her desire for reproductive justice led to the creation of the ‘Reproductive Justice Retreat’. Mars was recently recognised in the Mayor of London's Hidden Credits campaign and continues to speak out for cultural safety and reproductive justice.

Dr. Marsha Campbell-Yeo, a neonatal nurse practitioner and clinician scientist, is a Full Professor at the School of Nursing, Faculty of Health, Dalhousie University and holds cross appointments in the Department of Pediatrics, and Psychology and Neuroscience. Her Canada Foundation of Innovation funded research lab, MOM-LINC (Mechanisms, Outcome and Mobilization of Maternally-Led Interventions to Improve Newborn Care) is located at the IWK Health Centre. She primarily holds grants examining interventions to improve outcomes of medically at-risk newborns specifically related to pain, stress, and neurodevelopment as well as novel knowledge synthesis and dissemination methods, and digital e-heath interventions aimed at enhancing parental engagement.

She has been recognized for her contributions to the field via numerous awards. She has received an Honorary Doctorate from the Faculty of Medicine and Science from Orebro University, Sweden, and invited as a member of the Royal Society of Canada's College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists, the recipient of the Inaugural Dalhousie University President's Award for research excellence, was named one of 150 Nurses championing innovation in health for Canada by the Canadian Nurses Association to mark the 150th anniversary of Confederation, a Canadian Institute of Health Research New Investigator Awardee, the Canadian Pain Society 2015 Early Career Awardee, and a Career Development Awardee of the Canadian Child Health Clinician Scientist Program. She is President-Elect of the Pain in Childhood Special Interest Group of the International Association for the Study of Pain, an Executive member of the Council of International Neonatal Nurses, and the Inaugural Chair of the Canadian Premature Babies Foundation Scientific Advisory Committee. Follow her on Twitter @DrMCampbellYeo

Marsha is a registered nurse and international board certified lactation consultant. She has been assisting breastfeeding families in hospital, clinic, and home settings since 1976. Marsha is the executive director of the National Alliance for Breastfeeding Advocacy: Research, Education, and Legal Branch (NABA REAL). As such, she advocates for breastfeeding at the state and federal levels. She served as a vice president of the International Lactation Consultant Association (ILCA) from 1990-1994 and in 1999 as president of ILCA. She is a board member of the Massachusetts Breastfeeding Coalition, the US Lactation Consultant Association, and Baby Friendly USA, USLCA’s representative to the USDA’s Breastfeeding Promotion Consortium, and NABA REAL’s representative to the US Breastfeeding Committee. Marsha is an international speaker, and an author of numerous publications including ones on the hazards of infant formula use, Code issues in the US, and Breastfeeding Management for the Clinician: Using the Evidence.

Marti Glenn, PhD, is Clinical Director of Quest Institute, offering professional trainings and intensive retreats to help adults heal adverse childhood experiences and trauma. A pioneering psychotherapist and educator, Marti is founding president of Santa Barbara Graduate Institute, known for its graduate degrees in prenatal and perinatal psychology, somatic psychology and clinical psychology. In her clinical work and trainings, Marti emphasizes the integration of the latest research in behavioral epigenetics, Polyvagal Theory and affective neuroscience with attachment, early development, and trauma. She co-produced the broadcast quality documentary, Trauma, Brain and Relationship: Helping Children Heal with Daniel Siegel and Bruce Perry and has appeared in such documentary films as What Babies Want; What Babies Know; Reducing Infant Mortality and Improving the Health of Babies. She is the recent recipient of the Verny Lifetime Achievement Award in Prenatal and Perinatal Psychology and Health. Marti is a frequent speaker at conferences worldwide.

Dr. Martin Kaplan was born in Chelsea, MA. He completed his undergraduate degree at The University of Massachusetts and then attended Tufts University School of Dental Medicine. After earning his D.M.D. degree he completed a pediatric residency at Montefiore Hospital in New York.

Dr. Kaplan practices exclusively in Stoughton, MA. He continues to take update his laser education by regularly attending the Academy of Laser dentistry Annual meeting where is also contributes as a lecturer ans laser safety officer. He is one of only a handful of pediatric laser dentists who utilizes lasers for the treatment of infants with breastfeeding issues related to frenum attachment problems.

He is a member of the:

• American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry

• Massachusetts Academy of Pediatric Dentistry

• American Dental Association

• Massachusetts Dental Society

• Academy of Sports Dentistry

• Academy of Laser Dentistry

• Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine

When not practicing dentistry he enjoys Karate and has attained the level of 4th degree black belt.

Martina Donaghy is a registered midwife of 30 years, an IBCLC of 22 years and a Senior Midwifery Lecturer of 17 years’ experience. During the past two decades her main posts as a hospital based Infant Feeding Specialist and a Midwifery Lecturer has seen a focus on educating registered midwives, student nurses, midwives, paediatric and Specialist Community Public Health nurses on the importance of breastmilk and breastfeeding, ensuring these students are equipped to support the breastfeeding mother in achieving her feeding goals. Martina has led and supported her university to achieve successful UNICEF UK Baby Friendly accreditation for the BSc Midwifery and Specialist Community Public Health Nursing programmes. She also teaches on the Midwifery Master’s program specialising in the promotion and support of physiological birth, breastfeeding, biological nurturing, and maternal, infant attachment. Recent publications include a chapter in Examination of the newborn and neonatal health, titled Helping parents make decisions regards to infant feeding and cosleeping. Her most recent midwifery article focused on supporting maternal and infant physiology after birth. She is originally from Australia and has resided in the United Kingdom for 30 plus years.

A leader in neonatal nursing, Mary Coughlin MS, NNP, RNC-E has pioneered the concept of trauma-informed care as a biologically relevant paradigm for hospitalized newborns, infants, and their families. An internationally recognized expert in the field of age-appropriate care, Ms. Coughlin has over 35 years of nursing experience beginning in the US Air Force Nurse Corp and culminating in her current role as President and Founder of Caring Essentials Collaborative. A published author of a myriad of manuscripts, chapters and textbooks, Ms. Coughlin has mentored close to 10,000 interdisciplinary NICU clinicians from over 14 countries to transform the experience of care for the hospitalized infant and family in crisis.

M. Petrea Cober, PharmD, BCNSP, BCPPS, FASPEN, attended the University of Tennessee, College of Pharmacy in Memphis, Tennessee. She completed her PGY1 Pharmacy Residency at Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center in Hershey, Pennsylvania, and her PGY2 Pharmacy Residency in Pediatrics at the University of Michigan Hospitals and Health System in Ann Arbor, Michigan. She is currently the Clinical Pharmacy Specialist - Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and PGY1 Residency Program Director at Akron Children's Hospital where she provides clinical services and precepts pharmacy students and PGY1 pharmacy residents. She is also a Professor in the Department of Pharmacy Practice at Northeast Ohio Medical University (NEOMED). Her didactic teaching is in the areas of pediatrics, women’s health, and nutrition. She was awarded the 2021 Stanley Serlick Award from the American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (ASPEN) recognizing her contributions to parenteral nutrition safety and serves as the current Chair-elect of the ASPEN Parenteral Nutrition Safety Committee.

Mary Regan has a strong clinical background in perinatal nursing, with specific training and expertise in bio informatics. She trained as a certified nurse midwife in the United Kingdom and spent over 19 years working as a perinatal nurse specialist where she gained considerable expertise in pregnancy related health issues. She has been the PI on many State-funded grants and has received NIH funding for a grant focused on women’s decision making about birth (R21 HD059074-01A1) and the vaginal microbiota in preterm birth (R01NR014826-02). The findings from the R21 have been presented internationally and multiple publications have disseminated the findings. The R01 is in its final year and to date over 200 women have been recruited from the birthing population in Baltimore and followed for six month through pregnancy and to the post part period. Dr. Regan works as an Associate Professor in the School of Nursing at the University of Maryland. She serves on the board of Improving Birth.

Mary Ryngaert is a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner since 1987 and an International Board-Certified Lactation Consultant since 2000. She received her MSN in the Primary Care of Children at Catholic University in Washington, DC. In her clinic at the University of Florida, she sees families for breastfeeding issues for the duration of the breastfeeding journey and provides education for pediatric residents. She is active in the local breastfeeding coalition and serves as a consultant/coordinator for the hospital Baby Friendly program. She has a special interest in supporting the development of peer counselors, especially women of color, to provide breastfeeding support within the community. She served as the Chair for the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners (NAPNAP) Breastfeeding Special Interest Group for six years and is a delegate to the US Breastfeeding Committee for NAPNAP . She was a co-author for the 2018 update to the NAPNAP Position Statement on Breastfeeding.

Maryl Smith, LDM, CPM, has been attending out-of hospital births in Oregon for 38 years. Her degree in theology with a counseling emphasis and her involvement in Native American community generated a growing awareness of the deep need for safe maternity care settings where survivors of trauma could thrive. So she and her midwifery partner intentionally set out to educate themselves and create that environment. They are forever grateful to their best teachers: the amazing women who entrusted them with their care.
Maryl has taught on staff at Birthingway College of Midwifery and served on the Diversity and Preceptor boards. She has led women’s support groups, provided counseling for non-profit organizations and correctional institutions and co-facilitated a drug and alcohol recovery group. She continues to teach at conferences in the US and abroad, training providers how to naturally integrate trauma-informed practice with their patient care. Her articles on this topic have been published in Midwifery Today. When she isn’t catching babies, Maryl embarks on adventures with her granddaughters, creates music with her musician husband or takes pen in hand and attempts to write something interesting.

Matthew Stanley is the vice President for government and association relations at AEGIS Assoc, LLC. He has served as the state lobbyist for Virginia ACNM since 2013.

Maureen Campion MS LP is a licensed psychologist and relationship expert. She specializes in the early years of parenting and building securely attached families. Through her weekly newsletter Notes from a Marriage Geek and workshops she offers inclusive, research based marriage and parenting education. She turned her personal birth trauma experience into a passion for guiding couples through their healing and is the author of Heal Your Birth Story. Find Maureen at Marriagegeek.com

Maureen Minchin is a medical historian whose 1970s experience of motherhood resulted in her second book, Food for Thought: a parent’s guide to food intolerance, recognized as ground breaking in its treatment of infant allergy. Her third book, Breastfeeding Matters, was declared a “milestone in the history of breastfeeding” by Prof JD Baum. For 35 years she has worked extensively in the area of infant nutrition, including for WHO, and UNICEF, and teaching health professionals in Australia and overseas. She was influential in the creation of IBLCE and BFHI, and a founding (and later Board) member of both ILCA and ALCA. Maureen has continued to work free of charge with families with both infant feeding and allergy problems. After a decade in eldercare, Maureen is getting back to writing, recently helping with the online infant feeding courses being developed by the UK’s University of York and the National HS-sponsored e-learning for health project. Her latest book, Milk Matters: Infant Feeding and Immune Disorder was published in 2015.

Maxine graduated with a nursing degree followed later on by her Master of Nursing in 2017 both from the University of Calgary. Maxine was a public health nurse in Calgary for 13 years, where providing face to face contacts with new families soon after discharge is a standard of care. Most families named feeding challenges as their biggest concern. In turn, Maxine developed a passion for lactation support, worked towards and attained the International Board-Certified Lactation Consultant designation, in order to assist families to reach their feeding goals.

In 2016, Maxine made the transition from public health to acute care where she currently works in all areas of a large Children’s hospital to support dyads with a myriad of lactation concerns but is primarily in the NICU. Maxine’s responsibilities includes orienting new staff to teaching a provincial lactation education within a team. Maxine is passionate about sharing knowledge with aspiring LCs and is a mentor to many. Maxine participates on numerous committees to update lactation and feeding policies, procedures and documents. Furthermore, she volunteers on provincial and national breastfeeding committees.

Maya Bolman was born and raised in Minsk, Belarus. She was certified as IBCLC in 2001 and currently works as a lactation consultant at Senders Pediatrics and Breastfeeding Medicine of Northeast Ohio.

Maya is well known internationally for her work promoting hand expression and breast massage to health professionals and parents. She recognizes that teaching these basic tools helps empower them to work through breastfeeding challenges including engorgement, plugged ducts, separation from the infant, and milk supply concerns. She has worked with Dr. Ann Witt to create an instructional video “The Basics of Breast Massage and Hand Expression” and conducts research on the effectiveness of Therapeutic Breast Massage in Lactation (TBML) both in the office and as a treatment at home for mothers.

Dr. Maya Bunik is an Associate Professor at University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine and medical director of primary care at Children’s Hospital Colorado. She has been helping mother-baby pairs with breastfeeding for almost 20 years.  In terms of research, Dr. Bunik has published studies focusing on breastfeeding support in low-income Latinas. Her work on combination feeding in Latinas ‘los dos’ was cited in the Surgeon General’s Call to Action on Breastfeeding, January 2011.  Her book, Breastfeeding Telephone Triage and Advice,  published by the American Academy of Pediatrics, is now in its second edition and is a helpful resource for anyone providing advice for breastfeeding and was distributed to 100 US hospitals as part of the WHO Baby Friendly Health Initiative.  Her latest project is developing and evaluating a Mothers’ Milk Messaging texting and online support program for new mothers. She is thrilled to be sharing her multidisciplinary team’s ’Trifecta Approach’ for supporting breastfeeding for this GOLD lactation conference.

Maya Vasquez is nurse manager of the Birth Center at San Francisco General Hospital in California.  She previously served as lactation consultant and project manager for the Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative, and led a multidisciplinary task force to achieve Baby Friendly Certification and re-designation.  She works with a diverse patient population, and enjoys learning about the broad variety of human experience through her clients.   Maya is passionate about reducing health disparities by increasing access to quality care, especially through improved maternity care.  She has three adult children and two grandchildren, and lives with her husband near San Francisco.

Meg is the mother of three breastfed boys and lives with her husband and children in QLD, Australia. She is an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) in private practice and works with parents to help them reach their breastfeeding goals. She has a degree in psychology and her prior work was is in counselling and sexual health. She was a La Leche League Leader (breastfeeding counsellor) for seven years before becoming an IBCLC. Meg is the author of two books including, "Boobin' All Day...Boobin' All Night. A Gentle Approach To Sleep For Breastfeeding Families". She has published articles in numerous parenting magazines and websites. She was also filmed for a short documentary, "Lactaboobiephobia", based on one of her blog posts which was released in 2016.

Megan Dunn is a board certified Lactation Consultant and Health Educator who views infant feeding from an anthropological perspective and through a sociological lens. Her experiences have run the gamut as a volunteer, peer-to-peer counselor, clinical IBCLC, and as an educator.

Currently she is the Breastfeeding Program Coordinator for a local WIC agency where she is coordinating a pilot program to equitably expand peer services. She is privileged to be a part of the excellent team at Legacy Health as a perinatal Educator. She also provides community lactation support as a home-visiting provider. Her goals are to support biological feeding norms and to offer practical and empowering solutions for dyads. Professionally, her special interests include the fascinating world of our microbiome, empowering parents through Participant Centered and motivational approaches, and creating successful feeding solutions for complex cases. She is eager to collaborate on projects which focus on improving public policy and accessibility to culturally aware and trauma informed care for all perinatal families.

When she’s not pondering and working on all things human milk, Megan enjoys cooking, hanging out with her teenagers, going on nature walks, volunteering, and spinning tunes as a community radio host and DJ.

Dr. Meghan Azad is an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics and Child Health at the University of Manitoba. She holds a PhD in Biochemistry and Medical Genetics, and completed postdoctoral training in Epidemiology and Pediatrics. Her research program is focused on the role of maternal and infant nutrition in the development and prevention of childhood obesity and allergic disease. Dr. Azad co-leads the Manitoba site of the Canadian Healthy Infant Longitudinal Development (CHILD) Study (www.canadianchildstudy.ca), a national pregnancy cohort following 3500 children to understand how early life experiences shape lifelong health. She also co-leads the Population Health Pillar for DEVOTION (the Manitoba Developmental Origins of Chronic Disease Network – www.devotionnetwork.com). Dr. Azad serves on the Executive Council for the International Society for Research in Human Milk and Lactation, and the Breastfeeding Committee of Canada.

Meghan McMillin holds a Master’s Degree in Human Nutrition from the University of Illinois at Chicago. She has been a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) since 2013 and became an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) in 2019.

Meghan spent 5 years working clinically in the NICU, pediatric floor and women’s units of a local hospital. In 2019, Meghan started her own private practice and consulting company, Mama & Sweet Pea Nutrition, with a focus on postpartum and infant care. The mama to two young kids with food allergies, helping other families manage food allergies, whether it’s while breastfeeding, during the introduction of solids, or later in childhood, is her passion.

Meghan is a member of the International Lactation Consultant Association and the United States Lactation Consultant Association. She enjoys sharing her knowledge through social media and public speaking. Meghan is the coauthor of the eBook What To Eat When Your Baby Can’t Tolerate Milk, Soy, or Egg Protein; Nutrition guidance for avoiding milk, soy, and/or eggs while lactating.

Meghan has presented both nationally and internationally including for GOLD learning, the National WIC Association and the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. In 2020, Meghan was awarded the Emerging Professional in Women's Health Award from the Women's Health Dietetic Practice Group of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

Dr. Melanie Badali is a Registered Psychologist in British Columbia, Canada with over 20 years of experience working as a clinician, researcher, and instructor in the field of clinical psychology.

Dr. Badali currently provides psychological assessment and treatment services at the North Shore Stress and Anxiety Clinic, where she is on the Perinatal Services Team. She is certified in the practice of Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) by the Canadian Association of Cognitive and Behavioural Therapies and works with the organization to advance training, knowledge and accreditation in CBT. She has experience working in a variety of clinical settings including inpatient and outpatient, public and private.

She is also an Associate Faculty member at Yorkville University, where she teaches in the Master's of Counselling Psychology Program.

As a Board Director for Anxiety Canada, a non-profit organization that increases awareness, promotes education and provides resources for people dealing with anxiety, her role includes advocacy, research, knowledge translation and speaking to the media.

Dr. Badali is actively involved in research, training and writing. She enjoys creating psychoeducational resources such as the Canadian Psychological Association’s new factsheet on Perinatal Anxiety and is currently working on the third edition of the book, “Match Made on Earth”.

As a little girl, Melanie had the opportunity to watch her OBGYN dad deliver babies and it was such an incredible process to be a part of, she knew she wanted to help babies when she grew up. She received her bachelor’s degree in Family Science from Brigham Young University and worked in adoption until she had her first of six children, which included twins, all of which she was able to exclusively breastfeed. She struggled with postpartum depression which has helped her to be all the more compassionate towards the mothers she works with. Once all 6 children were in school, she became a certified postpartum doula and focused on guiding families mainly with multiples. Given her personal experience, she felt called to serve breastfeeding mothers, so she went back to school to become an IBCLC. She has a passion for helping breastfeeding dyads and also loves educating others about the importance of treating ties. She feels very blessed to have trained with some of the top in the tongue tie field and hopes to continue to spread the word to help increase breastfeeding success.

Melissa Bartick, MD, MSc, FABM works as a hospitalist at Mt. Auburn Hospital in Cambridge MA, is an internist and is an Assistant Professor in Medicine at Harvard Medical School. She has numerous breastfeeding publications in peer-reviewed journals. She served as the chair of the Massachusetts Breastfeeding Coalition from 2002 to 2014, where she was also a founder of Ban the Bags. She served on the Board of Directors of the United States Breastfeeding Committee from 2009-2015. She has served on the Board of the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine since 2019, where she has coauthored clinical protocols, including the 2020 Bedsharing and Breastfeeding protocol. She was founder of the Breastfeeding Forum of the American Public Health Association, where she served two terms as chair. She is founder and co-chair of her state’s Baby-Friendly Hospital Collaborative. She has blog contributions to the Huffington Post, the WBUR CommonHealth Blog, among others. Dr. Bartick received her BA from the University of Virginia and holds an MSc in Health and Medical Sciences from University of California, Berkeley and an MD from University of California, San Francisco. She works as a hospitalist at Mount Auburn Hospital and is the mother of two grown sons. As of June 2020, she is pursuing an MPH at Harvard School of Public Health.

Melissa Cole is a board-certified lactation consultant, neonatal oral-motor assessment professional and clinical herbalist in private practice. Melissa is passionate about providing comprehensive, holistic lactation support and improving the level of clinical lactation skills for health professional. She enjoys teaching, researching and writing about wellness and lactation-related topics. Her bachelor’s degree is in maternal/child health and lactation and her master’s degree is in therapeutic herbalism. Before pursuing her current path, Melissa’s background was in education and cultural arts, which has served her well in her work as a lactation consultant and healthcare educator. She loves living, working and playing in the beautiful Pacific Northwest with her 3 children.

Merete Eggesboe, MD and an environmental epidemiologist at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health, is dedicated to understanding the role of the microbiome and environmental toxicants in children’s health. In order to do so she initiated the prospective HUMIS & NoMIC birth cohorts, encompassing more than 2600 mother-child pairs where the gut microbiome and toxicant exposure has been mapped in human milk and fecal samples. She has now followed them for 18 years and the longitudinal extensive data collection provides a wealth of research opportunities. It has also been linked to the Norwegain Patient Registry where all specialist diagnosis set on all research subjects are available. The focus so far has been on understanding their role in reproductive health, growth/obesity, neuropsychological functioning and vaccine immune responses. Recent studies have also looked at how toxicants in human milk may affect the infant’s microbiome. And vice versa: how our gut microbiome affects the metabolism of toxicants. She has been cited >6000 times over the last 5 years and has an h-index of 51 and has published more than 100 peer-reviewed papers. She is a popular speaker, leads several prestigious Norwegian Research council programs and participates in several EU projects.

Micaela Notarangelo, PhD, IBCLC, RLC, obtained her IBCLC certification in 2010. She has a private lactation consultant practice in Lerici, Italy and takes a particular interest in everything that concerns breastfeeding science and medicine. From 1992 to 2001, Micaela lived in Japan, where in 1998 she earned a PhD in Economics at Hokkaido University, Sapporo. She also worked as assistant professor at Hokkaido University and Utrecht University. After returning to Italy, she became a La Leche League Leader in 2005 and was the Area Professional Liaison of LLL Italy from 2010 to 2013. In 2017, together with Chiara Toti, IBCLC, Micaela has developed a new two-day course for health care providers about breastfeeding support for babies with lip and/or palate cleft. The course has been held, with the financial support of Aismel, a parents' association, in several major Italian hospitals.

Dr. Narvey began his training in Pediatrics at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg where he completed a year of further training in Neonatology. This was followed by two years of Neonatal fellowship at the University of Alberta in Edmonton. Afterwards he began his career as a Neonatologist in the same city and over the 6 years he spent there, his career included both clinical and administrative duties including 4 years as the Fellowship Program Director and two years as the Medical Director for a level II unit. In late 2010 he accepted a position in Winnipeg to become the Section Head of Neonatology and continues to hold this post. In 2016 he took on the additional role of Medical Director of the Child Health Transport Team. In 2015 he became a member of the Canadian Pediatric Society’s Fetus and Newborn Committee and in 2019 took over as Chair of the same. His interests predominantly lie in the use of non-invasive technology to minimize painful procedures during an infants stay in the NICU. He is active on social media and has a passion for fundraising and is an active board member of the Children’s Hospital Foundation of Manitoba.

Michal A. Young, M.D., FAAP, FABM is currently an Associate Professor in the Department of Pediatrics and Child Health at Howard University College of Medicine. She also serves as the Medical Director of the B.L.E.S.S. (Breastfeeding Lactation Education Support Services) Initiative as well as Director of the NICU and Newborn Services, at Howard University Hospital. She is a graduate of Howard University College of Medicine, Class of 1979. Dr. Young completed a rotating internship in Medicine and Pediatrics at Grady Memorial and Emory Hospitals in Atlanta, Georgia, followed by a Pediatric residency in the Howard University Hospital/D.C. General Hospital Combined Program, and a fellowship in Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine at Georgetown University Hospital.

Dr. Young has several publications and presentations over a range of topics governing infant care. Her research interests are in developmental outcomes of the ELBW, HIV perinatal transmission, the Diabetic Dyad and in breastfeeding education for professionals and parents.

She is a member of Alpha Omega Alpha, a fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics (sections on Perinatal Medicine and Breastfeeding), a Fellow and member of the Board of Directors of the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine (Chairman of its Protocol Committee), member of the National Medical Association (a Past Chair of its Pediatric Section), Member of the Board of Directors for the D.C. Breastfeeding Coalition, Member of the Board of Directors for ROSE: Reaching Our Sisters Everywhere, Inc., one of the Chapter Breastfeeding Coordinators for the D.C. Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics and Board Member of the Prolacta Bioscience Foundation.

Michale is an Integration visionary with a discerning view of the ancient and an eye on the future. She created one of the first on site integrated care clinics for Tongue Tie treatment 10 years ago that included Lactation support, Body nervous system and movement work, Laser tongue tie release and cranio-facial anticipatory growth guidance. She currently mentors Integrative practitioners in Wayfinding methods which allow practitioners to tap into their unique gifts and learn to incorporate them into practice.

Michelle has been a respiratory therapist for 23 years. Working in the neonatal population for approximately 22 of those years, she was the Neonatal Respiratory Care Specialist for a large organization, where she enjoyed bringing evidenced based practice to the bedside.

Michelle has been a pediatric neurodevelopmental Occupational therapist specializing in precrawling infants for over 26 years. She has specialty certifications and training in lactation, manual therapy, and pre and peri natal psychology. Michelle has specialized in optimal cranial nerve function and oral restrictions, with an emphasis on infant movement, innate biological imperatives and human potential, providing novel curriculums, support and resources for both professionals and parents. She enjoys collaborating and working in teams for babies and families going through the tethered oral tissues release process.

Dr. Mottola is a Professor with a Joint Position in the School of Kinesiology, Faculty of Health Sciences and the Dept. of Anatomy and Cell Biology in the Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry at the University of Western Ontario, London, Canada. She is the Director of the R. Samuel McLaughlin Foundation – Exercise and Pregnancy Laboratory (www.uwo.ca/fhs/EPL), a Scientist of the Children’s Health Research Institute and a Fellow and a Board of Trustees Member of the American College of Sports Medicine. She is an embryologist and exercise physiologist who has conducted research on the effects of maternal exercise on both the mother and the developing fetus, with follow up into the postpartum period. She is co-lead author on the 2019 Canadian Guideline for Physical Activity throughout Pregnancy which was based on rigorous evaluation of the current scientific literature through 12 systematic reviews published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine. She has received over $2.5 million for research on exercise during pregnancy and has published over 100 peer-reviewed papers. Her current research focuses on the impact of a healthy lifestyle during pregnancy on chronic disease risks such as obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease for both mother and her offspring.

Michelle Pensa Branco MPH IBCLC is a lactation consultant and public health advocate. In addition to her clinical practice, which has included in-hospital, outpatient and private practice settings, she advocates for improved maternal-child health practices at the local, national and global level. She has a particular interest in the impact of trauma to breastfeeding families, models of peer support to improve breastfeeding outcomes and the application of health communication principles to the promotion and protection of breastfeeding. Michelle serves as the Director of Peer Support Programs and provides clinical lactation expertise for Nurture Project International, the only international NGO focused exclusively on infant feeding in emergencies. With Jodine Chase, she co-founded a Canadian non-profit organization, SafelyFed Canada. She is also an active member of the Ontario Public Health Association’s Breastfeeding Promotion Working Group. Michelle has previously served as the Vice-Chair of La Leche League Canada, the Communications Director for the Canadian Lactation Consultants Association as well as the Toronto Coordinator of INFACT Canada. When she is not travelling for work, Michelle stays close to home, living with her family just outside Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Mickey Sperlich, an assistant professor with the UBSSW, is an experienced midwife and researcher who studies the effects of trauma and mental health challenges on women’s childbearing and postpartum experiences and outcomes. She became interested in research in order to better understand the needs of her midwifery clients who were trauma survivors. Her first research project culminated in the book “Survivor Moms: Women’s Stories of Birthing, Mothering and Healing after Sexual Abuse,” which was named the 2008 Book of the Year by the America College of Nurse Midwives. Sperlich has taken part in several trauma-focused perinatal studies and is co-author of a psychosocial intervention for pregnant survivors of abuse, the “Survivor Moms’ Companion.” She completed her PhD with a dual title in Social Work and Infant Mental Health at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan, in 2014. Sperlich says, “I am committed to developing trans-disciplinary approaches to understanding and addressing the sequelae of sexual violence and other trauma, particularly for childbearing women. I am actively involved in developing and evaluating interventions which address issues experienced by survivors of trauma and which are directed at interrupting intergenerational cycles of violence and psychiatric vulnerability.”

Mihaela Nita- MD, IBCLC, medical doctor (since 2007), specialized in pediatrics and International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (since 2011), worked mainly to develop the profession of IBCLC in Romania. Organizer of the first IBCLC Day in Romania, is the co-founder and president of Romanian Lactation Consultant Association, member of ELACTA. Active in the field of lactation, organizing conferences, events, support groups, 90 hours training courses, CERPs accredited courses, fundraising events. On behalf of the Romanian Lactation Consultant Association, Mihaela Nita started the first volunteer work in the country, in the NICU of Marie Curie Emergency Children Hospital in Bucharest that led to the idea of implementing a human milk bank. Mihaela is passionate about training, advocating for the IBCLCs role and making a change for mothers, society and medical system in the field of lactation.

Mim Ochsenbein, MSW, OTR/L has been a practicing pediatric occupational therapist for over 25 years. She is the current Clinical Director of STAR overseeing a multi-discipline team, and previously was STAR's Director of Education. She received her BSc in Occupational Therapy from the University of Southern California (USC) in 1996 and her MSW from the University of California-Los Angeles (UCLA) in 2012. She has received advanced training in sensory integration (SIPT certification, STAR ProCert1, STAR ProCert2), listening therapy (Therapeutic Listening, iLs), feeding therapy (SOS), DIR, mental health (DC:0-5 Diagnostic Classification of Mental Health Disorders of Infancy and Early Childhood), and infant massage (CIMI). Her work in occupational therapy with children and youth has occurred in a variety of settings including early intervention, school based, clinic based, mental health and private practice. As a social worker, she provided case management, program development, and program management. Mim has taught both university level (California State-Dominguez Hills) and professional continuing education courses since 2013, spoken internationally, and has co-authored works for professional publications. She has been in her current role at STAR Institute since 2017 at the invitation of Dr. Lucy Jane Miller, PhD, FAOTA, OTR.

Prof. (Dr.) Minesh Khashu M.B.B.S, MD, FRCPCH, FRSA, Q Fellow ( Health Foundation & NHS Improvement), Fellow England Centre for Practice Development Consultant Neonatologist, Poole Hospital NHS Foundation Trust & Prof. of Perinatal Health, Bournemouth University. Clinical Director, Maternity & Neonatal Care, Regional Strategic Clinical Network, NHS England, Wessex Dr. Khashu has received national and international recognition for his work especially in Quality Improvement, Necrotizing Enterocolitis and improving fathers experiences of neonatal care. Dr. Khashu is a clinical leader reimagining healthcare with a focus on system wide transformation, continuous Quality Improvement and Patient Centred Care. He has experience of clinical management and leadership at hospital, regional and national level including strategic change, system redesign, large scale quality improvement and development of national guidance and multi stakeholder collaboration. He has developed the DadPad Neonatal, a resource to support dads whose babies have been admitted to neonatal units. This has been very well received by parents, families, healthcare professionals and charities and nominated for multiple national awards. https://thedadpad.co.uk/neonatal/ He has also set up SIGNEC (special interest group for NEC) in the U.K. and developed a website for parents/families and health professiaonals which has been much appreciated. https://signec.org/ He convenes International Conferences on NEC in London regularly.

Miranda Buck, (RN(Paeds), BA(Hons), MPhil, IBCLC), has been a paediatric nurse since 1995 and has a background in neonatal and paediatric intensive care nursing. She is currently a PhD candidate at the Judith Lumley Centre and a lactation consultant at the Royal Women's Hospital in Melbourne, Australia. She also enjoys teaching into the undergraduate and postgraduate nursing programs as a visiting lecturer. Miranda is noted for her enthusiasm for evidence based care and an approach which draws on anthropological and developmental theories. Her particular research interests are breastfeeding difficulties, online peer support and breastfeeding in the neonatal intensive care unit. She lives in Melbourne with her daughters, Esme, seven and Sylvie, four.

Miriam Zoila Pérez is a Cuban-American writer and activist whose work has focused on the themes of race, gender and health for over a decade. Pérez has spent much of the last ten years writing about these topics for outlets like Colorlines, Fusion, Rewire and Talking Points Memo. They recently gave a TED talk about how racism impacts maternal health.

Pérez is trained in the healing modalities of doula and massage therapist, and has helped foster the movement of full spectrum doula work. Pérez is the founder of Radical Doula, a website that connects the dots between social justice and birth activism, and the author of the popular Radical Doula Guide: A Political Primer for Full Spectrum Pregnancy and Childbirth Support, which has sold over 2500 copies.

Mohan Pammi is a professor and neonatologist at Baylor College of Medicine. He was the medical director for a large NICU at Texas Children's Hospital for more than 4 years. His research interests are neonatal infections, microbiome and evidence-based medicine. He is currently funded by National Institute Health for clinical studies on the perinatal microbiome in preterm neonates.

Molly Dutton-Kenny is an American & Canadian midwife. Trained in the USA in community homebirth midwifery, she now makes Canada her home and practices as a Registered Midwife with her loving family & community. She supports education for midwifery students through National Midwifery Institute, and community education around full spectrum pregnancy loss and abortion, respectful pelvic exams, and midwifery-based management and support of these experiences, centering home and holistic medicine as options for most people. You can read more about her work at www.mollyduttonkenny.com.  

Molly O’Brien is an experienced midwife, with more than 20 years of clinical practice and has attended over a thousand births. She is also a hypnobirth and birth preparation teacher, an associate university lecturer, has created courses for midwives, campaigned for midwife led birth units and been a passionate student and enabler of normal physiological birth. She has worked in all areas of midwifery. Her favorite work was in the home environment and a Midwife Led Birth Unit. It allowed her to attend hundreds of undisturbed physiological births. It also gave her the opportunity to make a systematic exploration of midwifery skills and observations that can help resolve long difficult labours caused by a suboptimal position. The techniques and strategies that emerged from this time helped her revolutionize her own practice. She began to regularly witness dramatic progress as she put them to use in “difficult labours”. Now she teaches the course she developed for Birth Professionals, ‘Biomechanics for Birth’. She also taught for a master's course at the City of London College and runs a 3000 strong Facebook group Biomechanics for Birth for birth and women’s health professionals that carries a lively and informed discussion on a wide range of women's health issues.

Mona Liza Hamlin, MSN, RN, IBCLC is the nurse manager of Perinatal Resources and Community Programs for the Women & Children’s Service Line at Christiana Care Hospital in Newark, Delaware. Her role consists of improving both inpatient and outpatient programs that focus on reaching the triple AIM, and improving health equity in the state of Delaware. Hamlin serves as Past-Chair to the United States Breastfeeding Committee (USBC). The USBC is a coalition of more than 50 organizations that support its mission to drive collaborative efforts for policy and practices that create a landscape of breastfeeding support across the United States.
She is a founding member of the National Association of Professional & Peer Lactation Supporters of Color (NAPPLSC), an organization aimed at addressing breastfeeding disparities and improving breastfeeding
amongst families of color. Hamlin also serves as a member of the Delaware Healthy Mother & Infant Consortium and is a board member
for the Breastfeeding Coalition of Delaware. Her fundamental
belief is that equitable access and high quality care are provided to all women and families, especially those most vulnerable to lack of access and systemic barriers to care. Fueled by her professional and personal experiences and passions, Hamlin strives to ensure that all mothers have access to a full scope of perinatal care, support and resources.

Monica Esparza is currently the Executive Director of the New Mexico Breastfeeding Task Force. She is a trained Certified Lactation Counselor and Community Interpreter who previously served families as a breastfeeding peer counselor for more than 10 years, providing peer-to-peer support to lactating families through the Department of Health Women's, Infant & Children's program both individually and in the hospital setting. She participated as a Leader in the Health Connect One Birth Leadership Academy and the NM Women of Color Leaders in Non-profit. She has served on different boards and currently sits on the National College of Midwifery Board and the New Mexico Certified Nurse Midwives Board. As a Mexican, Immigrant woman living in the south valley of Albuquerque, she brings a grassroots community approach and an equity lens into her every aspect of her work. She understands the importance of centering families and Black, Indigenous and People Of Color as a crucial step into achieve birth equity. She enjoys hiking and gardening with her husband and 2 children.

Monica Roosa Ordway, PhD, APRN, PNP-BC is an assistant professor at Yale University School of Nursing where she teaches community health in the Graduate Entry Prespecialty into Nursing and Masters programs. Her research interests include the assessment of psychosocial and biological variables that influence early parent-child interactions and the development of the capacity for parental reflective functioning (RF). Her current research is focused on examining sleep, stress, and health among toddlers living with socioeconomic adversity. Her research goals include evaluating programs using a biological-psychosocial profile in order to translate programs for practical and sustainable use within pediatric clinical settings with the aim of mitigating the effects of toxic stress and the development of subsequent risk factors that lead to chronic illnesses. Dr. Ordway is also a pediatric nurse practitioner and board certified lactation consultant with almost 20 years of clinical experience.

Dr. Monika Mitra is the Nancy Lurie Marks Associate Professor of Disability Policy, and Director of the Lurie Institute for Disability Policy at Brandeis University’s Heller School for Social Policy and Management. Her research focuses on the health and wellbeing of people with disabilities and their families. She co-leads the Community Living Policy Center which is aimed at improving policies and practices that advance community living outcomes for people with disabilities and the National Research Center for Parents with Disabilities which is focused on addressing knowledge gaps regarding the needs of parents with diverse disabilities and their families. Dr. Mitra is co-editor-in-chief of the Disability and Health Journal. Prior to joining Brandeis, she was Associate Professor in the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health at the University of Massachusetts Medical School.

Monika Patel, Doctor of Physical Therapy and Strength and Conditioning Specialist has a passion for empowering women to prepare mentally and physically for a well-balanced parenthood. She is currently undergoing the American Physical Therapy Association's Certificate in Obsetrics. She has applied her knowledge toward preventative medicine and established Train4Birth, an affordable online education and beneficial movement course with a built-in accountability feature. She is also the mother of a truck-loving toddler and couldn’t be happier than digging with him in the backyard.

Dr. Monnica T. Williams is a board-certified licensed clinical psychologist and Associate Professor at the University of Connecticut in the Department of Psychological Sciences and Department of Psychiatry. She is also Clinical Director of the Behavioral Wellness Clinic, where she provides supervision and training to clinicians for empirically-supported treatments. Prior to her recent move to Connecticut, Dr. Williams served as the Director of the Center for Mental Health Disparities at the University of Louisville in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences. Dr. Williams’ research focuses on African American mental health, culture, and psychopathology, and she has published over 80 scientific articles on these topics. Current projects include the assessment of race-based trauma, unacceptable thoughts in OCD, improving cultural competence in the delivery of mental health care services, and interventions to reduce racism. She also gives diversity trainings nationally for clinical psychology programs, scientific conferences, and community organizations.

Dr. Williams is a member of the American Psychological Association (APA), having served as the diversity delegate from Kentucky for the APA State Leadership Conference for two consecutive years. She is also the African American SIG leader for Association of Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies (ABCT), and she serves on the editorial board of The Behavior Therapist, Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, and the Journal of Obsessive Compulsive and Related Disorders. She is a member of the Scientific Advisory Board of the International OCD Foundation, and also serves as the co-chair of the Diversity Counsel. Her work has been featured in several major media outlets, including NPR and the New York Times.

Dr. Morven S. Edwards is Professor of Pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine and an Attending Physician at Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston, Texas. Dr. Edwards maintains a longstanding interest in group B streptococcal infections and their prevention through immunization. She has been the recipient of a Cooperative Agreement through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to improve knowledge and practices among healthcare providers about congenital Chagas disease. Dr. Edwards is a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Infectious Diseases Society of America and the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society.

Muswamba Mwamba is a father of five breastfed children. An International Board-Certified Lactation Consultant, a public health practitioner, and a scholar; his research interests focus on immigrant health within the minority group in the context of the US health disparity. Muswamba helps mothers and babies obtain the best health outcomes by teaching and inspiring their partner/ father to fight to remove barriers that prevent successful breastfeeding. As a professor at the University of North Texas at Dallas, Muswamba disseminates clinical and non-clinical information to inform graduate students of significant developments and trends in the field of infant feeding.

Muswamba is a lifelong learner. He trained in Belgium, where he earned a bachelor's degree in agricultural engineering, a master's degree in human nutrition biochemistry, and a second master's degree in food science and technology. Witnessing striking disparity in his maternal and child health practice, he deepened his understanding of public health's complexity in the US and elsewhere. He earned a master's degree in Public Health at the University of North Texas and a doctoral degree in Public Health Executive Leadership from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Myrna is a teacher and clinician in Pre and Perinatal Health and Psychology. She has been working with people therapeutically as a nurse, and family therapist and psychotherapist for 45 years. Myrna practices early trauma resolution work with babies and young children and their families, as well as adults. This work is focused on developing secure attachment relationships and healing disruptions in attachment, such as prematurity, low birth weight, hospitalizations, adoption, postpartum depression and other misattunements. Myrna is a graduate of the University of Calgary Family Systems Nursing program (MN) and has trained extensively in early trauma resolution work. She is an accredited teacher of Integrative Body Psychotherapy, Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy, a Registered Clinical Counsellor. She teaches a professional training in pre and perinatal /attachment therapy internationally and has produced a Video Series of this training, which is spreading knowledge of the primal period and its impact. Myrna offers summer residential intensives in British Columbia, Canada.

Trained as an educational Scientist I first became a volunteer for VBN (a Dutch organisation similar to LLL). In 2000 I became an IBCLC and have worked as such in private practice ever since. I work and live in the Amsterdam area in the Netherlands. In my practice I see a wide variety of mothers and babies from different cultural backgrounds (although mainly in relatively good economic circumstances) and age, from ex-preemies at home to 3-4 year olds. Apart from face-to-face breastfeeding help I also teach. This ranges from antenatal breastfeeding workshops for parents to in company trainings for professional organisations. I find joy in assisting parents and babies to find ways to work together. And in showing healthcare professionals that providing good breastfeeding care is an interesting and rewarding aspect of their profession.