Speakers
Professor Elizabeth Meins
Elizabeth Meins has been studying how parents interact with their infants for 30 years. Her research has shown how “tuning in” to your child (so-called mind-mindedness) has a positive impact on parenting and children’s development.
She did her undergraduate degree in Natural Sciences and PhD in Developmental Psychology at St. Catharine’s College, University of Cambridge. She was appointed as a lecturer at Staffordshire University in 1992, where she conducted the first observational research on mind-mindedness. She moved to Durham University in 1997, and rose from lecturer to professor during her 16 years in the department. She joined the University of York in June 2013. The majority of her research has been funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), and she recently held an ESRC Professorial Fellowship.
Twitter @ElizabethMeins
Dr. Elizabeth Kirk
Dr Elizabeth Kirk is a Senior Lecturer in Psychology at Anglia Ruskin University.
Elizabeth is a developmental psychologist and her research focuses on parent-child interactions including gesture and parent-infant relationships.
Elizabeth's current research includes the perception of bodily changes during pregnancy and following birth and their impact of mother-child relationship.
Twitter @DrLizKirk
Dr Catherine Preston
Dr. Catherine Preston is a Lecturer in Psychology at the University of York.
Catherine's research interests focus on body perception in relation to underlying neural mechanisms, emotion and mental health and well-being.
Catherine's current research examines how bodily changes during the perinatal period influence maternal and infant well-being, and how perception of the body can modulate the experience of pain.
Twitter @CEJPreston
Professor Amy Brown
Prof. Brown is a Professor of Public Health, Policy and Social Sciences at Swansea University.
Amy's research specialises in exploring early experiences of parenthood, particularly infant feeding, mental health and normal baby behaviour.
Amy is director for the centre for Lactation, Infant Feeding and Translation (LIFT) and works closely with policy makers, public health bodies and charities to help inform and engage parents in research.
Twitter @Prof_AmyBrown
Dr Andrew Mayers
Dr Mayers is a psychologist and Principal Academic at Bournemouth University, specialising in mental health.
Andy has worked in perinatal mental health for almost 20 years, initially focusing on mothers but, more recently, fathers too. His work encompasses education, research, and campaigning as well helping national groups design and deliver perinatal mental health services.
He has appeared in local and national media talking about perinatal mental health. He is a founding member of the Perinatal Mental Health Partnership (who are also members of the Maternal Mental Health Alliance). He acts as an advisor to Peppy Health on perinatal mental health. He is Patron for Dorset Mind.
Website https://andrewmayers.uk/
Twitter @DrAndyMayers
Instagram @drandymayers
Dr Shuby Puthussery
Dr Puthussery is a Senior Lecturer in Public Health at the University of Bedfordshire where she is also director of Maternal and Child Health Research Centre.
Shuby has an extensive track record of research on health and experiences across the life course with a predominant focus on maternal and child health. Shuby's research also examines how health outcomes are influenced by social and ethnic disparities.
Twitter @shubyputhussery
Rosie Drysdale
Rosie is currently pursuing a PhD in Psychology at Royal Holloway, University of London, supervised by Professor Manos Tsakiris.
Rosie's research focuses on understanding how infants develop an awareness of their body through multisensory processes involving vision, touch and internal bodily signals such as heartbeats.
Early caregiver-infant interactions provide infants with opportunities to learn about the boundaries of their body, characterising instances of elevated touch and mutual gaze. Skin-to-skin contact and stroking are forms of tactile caregiving that have been found to soothe infants and regulate their internal signals, slowing down heart rate and maintaining body temperature.
Twitter @rosie_drysdale
Nicola Spark
Nicola has been a qualified nurse since 2005 following training with the British Army. She became a certified midwife in 2008 (University of York). Her midwifery experience includes working as a community midwife, aquanatal instructor and antenatal clinic midwife. Nicola has been working as a bank research nurse/midwife for the last 2 1/2 years.
Nicola's nursing/midwifery background includes working in children's and orthopaedic theatres, children's ward/SCBU, and volunteering on a nutritional project for babies with cleft palate in Antigua, Guatemala as a student nurse. Nicloa has recently been awarded funding from Elsie May Sykes fund for a project examining the mental health benefits of mother and baby yoga.
@SparkNicola