Sharon Cooke is the service coordinator for Mother-Baby Nurture - a government-funded group intervention that focusses on strengthening the infant-mother attachment relationship. Sharon trained in midwifery, child health and perinatal and infant mental health. She has undertaken two research projects evaluating the Mother-Baby Nurture programme. Sharon is captivated by the relational dance between the parent and infant, and the way past patterns of relating within family are passed forward, yet rarely recognised or talked about. Her preferred place of work is beside the parent-infant dyad as they begin to notice, and gradually find their rhythm.

Gaye Foster is a psychologist with the Brisbane Centre for Postnatal Disorders (BCPND) – the only private mental health mother-baby unit in Brisbane – located at Belmont Private Hospital in Carina. For the past 10 years she has been working with new mothers experiencing mental health disorders during pregnancy and postnatally. Gaye facilitates the BCPND Cognitive Behaviour Therapy group program as well as the Triple P and Circle of Security parenting programs.

Dr Alka Kothari is a Senior Staff Specialist in Obstetrics and Gynecology with over thirty years of clinical experience. She is also the Conjoint Site- Coordinator of the Northside Clinical School, Faculty of Medicine, University of Queensland, at Redcliffe Hospital. She is an Examiner for both the Royal Australasian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the University of Queensland. She is also a member of the Prince Charles Human Research and Ethics Committee and the Research supervisor or the trainee registrars. She has won various research excellence, teaching and leadership awards in Metro North Health and Hospital Service and the University of Queensland. She has published extensively in international journals and is an invited speaker at international and national conferences. She has a passionate interest in encouraging multi-disciplinary research especially in perinatal mental health, women’s imaging and medical education. She is currently pursuing a PhD on “Forgotten Fathers in pregnancy and childbirth”.

Brian completed his undergraduate degree in Social Science (Psychology) at the National University of Singapore, and has recently obtained his PhD from the University of Western Australia in 2018. He is currently the program coordinator for The Mummy Buddy Program.

Macarena San Martin Porter is a Physiotherapist originally from Chile. After 4 years working in a hospital she moved to Australia and studied a Master in Public Health. In 2016, Mrs San Martin Porter started her PhD studies exploring screening for antenatal depression in Australia. She is now in her 3rd year looking at the use of the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) to screen pregnant women in Queensland, and the association of screening with neonatal and maternal outcomes.

Elly Taylor is an internationally recognised Perinatal Relationship Expert, Author and Founder of Becoming Us. Around 20 years ago as a Relationship Counsellor and a new mother at the same time, Elly began independently studying the transition into parenthood after she and her husband were blindsided by the life and relationship changes they experienced as new parents. Over 15 years, Elly combined her professional experience in counselling and change management, studies in developmental psychology and international research to create a world-first Relationship-Developmental model of the transition into parenthood that supports the mental, emotional and relationship wellbeing of mothers, fathers and partners. Elly has presented the stages of Becoming Us at national and international conferences, served on advisory panels for Monash University, Newcastle University and The Australian Catholic University and is currently on the advisory board for the new International Forum for Wellbeing in Pregnancy. Elly lives in Sydney with her husband, their three children and a bunch of pets.