Dr Tim Moore
Senior Research Fellow
Dr Tim Moore is a Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for Community Child Health (CCCH) at the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, The Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne. A child psychologist by training, he heads a small team with responsibility for monitoring, reviewing and synthesising research literature on a wide range of topics relating to child development, family functioning and service systems. He has been the principal writer on numerous CCCH reviews, reports and policy briefs, many of which have had a significant impact on policy and practice, nationally and internationally. Prior to joining CCCH, Tim worked as an educational and developmental psychologist in a variety of settings, including early childhood intervention services for young children with developmental disabilities and their families. He has taken a leading role nationally in the development of policy and training in the early childhood intervention field.
Professor Leonie Segal
Foundation Chair in Health Economics & Social Policy, University of South Australia
Professor Segal’s research is concerned with improving the life chances of the most vulnerable in society – parents and children exposed to intergenerational child abuse and neglect, children of prisoners, Aboriginal mums and babies. The aim is to better understand the causes and consequences of distress and adversity to determine the desirable system response. Research is pursued in partnership with clinicians/service providers and policy makers. Segal established the iCAN research project in 2015, publishing many papers on the quantitative effects of child abuse and neglect on health and social outcomes. This work has for the first time quantified the generally poor outcomes for children with substantiated maltreatment and especially in those removed to OOHC. In highlighting the distressing consequences of child maltreatment from infancy, with harms escalating across adolescence, into adulthood and intergenerationally, and understanding current budget distributions on child protection involved families, the case for a coherent prevention strategy focused on infancy is clear.
Melanie Briggs
Manager of Birthing on Country Program at Waminda
Walawaanii, nyama Melanie Briggs and descend from the Gumbaynggirr and Dharawal peoples. I am a mum to two beautiful children and live on the traditional sacred lands of the Wodi Wodi people. I have a Bachelor of Midwifery, Master of Primary Maternity Care and an Advanced Diploma in Leadership and Management.
I am an Endorsed midwife and manage the Birthing on Country program at Waminda. I have knowledge and experience in the co-design and legislative change for NSW Private Health Facilities Act 2023 for standalone birth centres to remove requirements that restrict and reduce midwifery led continuity of care and autonomy. I have been involved in the review and development of national strategies, frameworks, and governance to enhance First Nations perspectives on cultural safety and the inclusion of raising awareness of racism in the health system, First Nations maternal and neonatal outcomes. My goal is to develop and nurture a culturally safe maternity workforce by raising awareness of racism, that will improve outcomes for First Nations women and their babies.
Dr Liz Coventry
Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist and Psychotherapist
Liz is a child and adolescent psychiatrist and psychotherapist. They are a specialist in infant mental health and working with parent-child dyads caught in cycles of intergenerational trauma and abuse. They have previously worked in government perinatal and infant mental health services, providing care to women with severe mental illness and their infants. They are currently working with Dr. Jackie Amos to implement her doctoral thesis into a comprehensive therapeutic framework and training package for Centacare. They also provide support to teams in Centacare that work with traumatised families. Liz has a small private psychotherapeutic practice.
Claire Canavan
A Village for Every Child
A Village for Every Child (Village) brings families, community members, child and family support organisations, education providers and government agencies together to improve:
- Awareness about early years development
- Connections between families and early years services
- The transition between early childhood education, preschools, and schools
By working together, the community is stronger, the early years sector is more connected, and therefore the system is better able to meet the needs of the children and families.
Dr Mishel McMahon
Dr Mishel McMahon is Senior Research Fellow, Violet Vines Marshman Research Centre, La Trobe Rural Health School, La Trobe University.
Dr Mishel McMahon is Senior Research Fellow, Violet Vines Marshman Research Centre, La Trobe Rural Health School, La Trobe University. Mishel is a proud Yorta Yorta woman living on Djaara Country, near Yakoa river northern Victoria. Mishel positions First Nations worldviews, concepts and processes for application within the health and healing sector, and research methodologies.
Meg Mahon
Founder of Baby Sign
Baby Sign – a education service that providing sign language training for parents and carers. Megan has a Bachelor of Early Childhood Education and a Masters in Learning Intervention from Melbourne University. She’s also an Auslan Interpreter and most importantly, a mum of 2! Knowing the amazing benefits that sign language offer children’s language development, Megan wants to see sign language become standard practice in the early years.
Associate Professor Alka Kothari
Senior Specialist in Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Redcliffe Hospital, Brisbane
Associate Professor Alka Kothari is a Senior Specialist in Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Redcliffe Hospital in Brisbane and an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Medicine, The University of Queensland. Her unique PhD work on ‘Forgotten Fathers in Pregnancy and Childbirth’ has been a catalyst for driving positive change at a national and international level. She has received multiple research excellence awards, including the best oral presentation at the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, World Congress in London 2019. As a post-doctoral Clinician Research Fellow at Metro North Hospital Health, Queensland, she is leading consumer co-design to improve care for fathers and families experiencing adverse obstetric events.
Associate Professor Kothari’s vision is to provide holistic care to all families by championing a much-needed paradigm shift in perinatal care. She is extremely passionate about supporting fathers during pre-conception, pregnancy, childbirth, and parenthood periods, recognising the interlinkages and intergenerational consequences of poor mental health, domestic violence, and child abuse. She passionately advocates for fathers and partners, providing expert guidance and support to several not-for-profit organisations nationally.
Steven Kennedy
Birthing Dads
After the traumatic birth of his son in 2017 Steven Kennedy established the registered charity PREPARE Foundation and the social enterprise Birthing Dads. Both organizations share a common mission: To revolutionise how men transition to fatherhood for the first time. Steven’s long term vision extends to a society where the sharing of perinatal wisdom among men is normalised, becoming an integral part of our collective narrative. Steven’s ultimate goal is to inspire the next generation of fathers, empowering them to make positive contributions during pregnancy, at the birth of their child, and throughout the crucial first year of their baby’s life.
Dr Philip Keightley
Perinatal and consultation-liaison psychiatrist
Dr Philip Keightley is a perinatal and consultation-liaison psychiatrist, with a particular interest in psychotherapy. Since 2023 he has been working with a team of clinicians to establish the MI-DBT program.
Dr Philip Keightley is a perinatal and consultation-liaison psychiatrist, with a particular interest in psychotherapy. Since 2023 he has been working with a team of clinicians to establish the MI-DBT program.
Angela Freeman
Clinical Psychologist
Angela Freeman is a clinical psychologist who works in the ACT Perinatal and Infant Mental Health Consultation Service and is leading the implementation of Mother-Infant Dialectical Behavioural Therapy (MI-DBT) program in the ACT.
Rachel Laws
Associate Professor of Public Health Nutrition at the Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition, Deakin University
Rachel’s research focuses on scalable approaches to promoting nutrition in the first 2000 days of life. She works closely with practice and policy partners to implement research in real-world settings, striving to integrate effective nutrition interventions into routine service delivery, particularly among priority populations.
Dr Anika Rouf
Certified Prenatal Dietitian
Dr Anika Rouf is an Accredited Practising Dietitian (APD) and a Media Spokesperson for Dietitians Australia. She has completed her PhD from the University of Sydney and is currently teaching at Australian Catholic University. She is a Certified Prenatal Dietitian and her virtual practice is focused on supporting women during pregnancy. She also has a particular interest in communicating nutrition using digital platforms and co-hosts the podcast ‘Nourish Bump and Beyond’.
Kristen Davidson
Breakfast Radio Host on Mix 106.3
Master of Ceremonies
Kristen has hosted Canberra’s Number 1 Breakfast radio show “Kristen and Nige” on Mix 106.3 for over a decade. She’s a marriage and funeral celebrant, champagne enthusiast and her most treasured role is that of Mum to her toddlers Hugo and Daphne.