Our Experts

We are indebted to the outstanding experts who donate their time to KidCareCanada so that more families have easy access to current research on early child development. Many experts evolve in their roles. We have mainly included their credentials and roles at the time of filming.

<strong>Dr. Nils Bergman, MD, MB ChB, MA</strong> - Public Health Physician

Dr. Nils Bergman, MD, MB ChB, MA - Public Health Physician

Dr. Bergman is one of the founders of the Kangaroo Mother Care movement. He practices in Cape Town South Africa where he focuses on promoting and researching the use of skin-to-skin contact from birth, and on developing a better understanding of the neuroscience of birth, skin-to-skin, breastfeeding, bonding and secure attachment. An early contributor to KidCareCanada, Dr. Bergman explains, in ... Read More

<strong>Dr. Thomas Boyce, MD</strong> - Professor, Interdisciplinary Studies and Pediatrics

Dr. Thomas Boyce, MD - Professor, Interdisciplinary Studies and Pediatrics

Dr. Tom Boyce, the internationally recognized Professor of Pediatrics, Epidemiology and Research, was drawn to research by his work as a developmental pediatrician. Early on he recognized the link between stress and children’s health. Dr. Boyce became the BC Leadership Chair in Child Development at the Sunny Hill Health Centre and served as a member of Harvard University’s National Scientif... Read More

<strong>Dr. Joanna Cheek, BHKIN, MD, FRCP(C)</strong> - Psychiatrist, Vancouver Island Health Authority Assistant Clinical Professor, University of British Columbia

Dr. Joanna Cheek, BHKIN, MD, FRCP(C) - Psychiatrist, Vancouver Island Health Authority Assistant Clinical Professor, University of British Columbia

Dr. Joanna Cheek, a Psychiatrist with Vancouver Island Health Authority and an Assistant Clinical Professor at the University of British Columbia, specializes in individual and group psychotherapy. She practices psychoeducation, cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), mindfulness-based interventions, dialectical behavioural therapy (DBT) and psychodynamic therapy. Dr. Cheek’s interests include s... Read More

<strong>Adele Diamond, PhD</strong> - Professor, Scientist Level 3, CFRI, Developmental Neurosciences & Child Health, Canada Research Chair in Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, Department of Psychiatry, University of British Columbia

Adele Diamond, PhD - Professor, Scientist Level 3, CFRI, Developmental Neurosciences & Child Health, Canada Research Chair in Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, Department of Psychiatry, University of British Columbia

Professor Diamond has been named one of the “2000 Outstanding Women of the 20th Century” and has been listed as one the 15 most influential neuroscientists alive today. She is a member of the Royal Society of Canada, and we feel privileged that Professor Diamond is an honourary member of KidCareCanada Society. Professor Diamond’s specialty is executive functions. Her lab studies “how ex... Read More

<strong>Dr. Stefanie Green, MD</strong> - Maternity and Infant Care Physician

Dr. Stefanie Green, MD - Maternity and Infant Care Physician

Dr. Stefanie Green is a physician who has played various critical roles in health care in Canada. For many years, beginning in 1996, she provided full-spectrum and maternity care to patients and taught medical students and residents. She ran her own family practice in Montreal, Toronto and Victoria. In Toronto, Dr. Green’s practice had a large focus on women's health and maternity care within... Read More

<strong>Jon Kabat-Zinn, PhD</strong> - Founding Executive Director of the Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Author

Jon Kabat-Zinn, PhD - Founding Executive Director of the Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Author

Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn has long been recognized as an outstanding teacher and visionary. His PhD is in Molecular Biology. However, Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn is renowned for being the first to integrate meditation into a Faculty of Medicine. He is the author of many books relating mindfulness to healing and is Professor of Medicine Emeritus at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. We feel fortu... Read More

<strong>Dr. Andrew Macnab, MD, (London) MRCS LRCP (UK) FRCPC</strong> - Pediatrician, Distinguished Scholar, Researcher

Dr. Andrew Macnab, MD, (London) MRCS LRCP (UK) FRCPC - Pediatrician, Distinguished Scholar, Researcher

Quite simply, KidCareCanada would not exist without Dr. Andrew Macnab, an early collaborator in the concept for KidCareCanada and our lead pediatrician. Dr. Macnab is a “Renaissance Man”. His breadth of knowledge and achievements are recognized by colleagues in Canada and in many countries around the world. Dr. Macnab is a pediatrician, a scientist, a neonatologist, an international lect... Read More

<strong>Dr. Gabor Maté, MD</strong> - Renowned Speaker and Author

Dr. Gabor Maté, MD - Renowned Speaker and Author

We are fortunate that Dr. Gabor Maté is only a click away when we need advice! Dr. Maté is an Advisor to KidCareCanada. His expertise, knowledge and compassion are evident in the series of videos featuring him and located on this site. These videos are viewed by many tens of thousands of families who learn from them the impact of the early years on the life course. Today, Dr. Maté is a publi... Read More

<strong>Dr. Deirdre Ryan, MD, FRCPC</strong> - Clinical Associate Professor, Faculty of Medicine, Reproductive Mental Health, University of BC

Dr. Deirdre Ryan, MD, FRCPC - Clinical Associate Professor, Faculty of Medicine, Reproductive Mental Health, University of BC

Dr. Deirdre Ryan is the Medical Director of the BC Reproductive Mental Health Program, part of the BC Children’s Hospital and an agency of the Provincial Health Services Authority. When interviewing and filming Dr. Ryan for the “Treatments” videos in our “KidCareCanada Postpartum Depression Series”, we were delighted to discover a warm, compassionate and non-judgmental woman. Dr. Ryan... Read More

<strong>Dr. Dan Siegel, MD</strong> - Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the UCLA School of Medicine, founding co-director of the Mindful Awareness Research Center, Executive Director of the Mindsight Institute

Dr. Dan Siegel, MD - Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the UCLA School of Medicine, founding co-director of the Mindful Awareness Research Center, Executive Director of the Mindsight Institute

Dr. Dan Siegel is well known as an author, speaker and educator. He is a Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the UCLA School of Medicine, the co-founder of the “Mindful Awareness Research Center” at UCLA and the Executive Director of the Mindsight Institute that he founded. The Mindsight Institute provides “a scientifically grounded, integrated view of human development to promote the gro... Read More

<strong>Dr. Carolyn Steinberg, MSC, MD, FRCPC</strong> - Clinical Associate Professor, UBC Medical Leader Infant Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Richmond Hospital, Dept. of Psychiatry Richmond Early Childhood Mental Health Program

Dr. Carolyn Steinberg, MSC, MD, FRCPC - Clinical Associate Professor, UBC Medical Leader Infant Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Richmond Hospital, Dept. of Psychiatry Richmond Early Childhood Mental Health Program

Dr. Carolyn Steinberg holds a doctorate in Medicine from the University of Toronto and has been a specialist in Psychiatry for 20 years. Dr. Steinberg specializes in Infant, Pre-school, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and also treats adults. An award-winning teacher of medical students and residents at UBC, Dr. Steinberg’s teaching expertise, vast experience and compassionate approach shine thro... Read More

<strong>Moshe Szyf, PhD</strong> - Professor, Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics at McGill University, Geneticist

Moshe Szyf, PhD - Professor, Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics at McGill University, Geneticist

One of the joys of interviewing specialists is meeting people like Dr. Moshe Szyf, whose dedication, hard work, world view and talent give hope that the world can become a kinder, healthier and more compassionate place! Professor Szyf received his PhD from the Hebrew University and then did his postdoctoral fellowship in Genetics at Harvard Medical School. He holds “a James McGill Professo... Read More

<strong>Janet Werker, PhD</strong> - FRSC, Professor Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia and Canada Research Chair, Director of Infant Studies Centre, University of British Columbia, Developmental, Cognitive Science, specialized in Language Acquisition

Janet Werker, PhD - FRSC, Professor Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia and Canada Research Chair, Director of Infant Studies Centre, University of British Columbia, Developmental, Cognitive Science, specialized in Language Acquisition

Professor Janet Werker is another great friend to KidCareCanada and is an active Honourary Member. Before the inception of KidCareCanada, Professor Werker was an enthusiastic supporter of the concept, and vowed “to help”. She felt it important that more families benefit from the exciting research around language acquisition. This research is typically found in Academic Journals where articles ... Read More

Dr. Evan Adams, MD

Chief Medical Officer, First Nations Health Authority

Eva Bild, M.A., AdvCD(Dona), LCCE

Advanced Certified Birth Doula, DONA-Approved Birth Doula Trainer, Certified Childbirth Educator, Breastfeeding Educator

Caitlin Bittman, M.Sc.(A), RSLP, CCC-SLP

Registered Speech and Language Pathologist

Rosemary Brown, RMT

Registered Massage Therapist, Infant Massage Therapist Instructor

Shelley Cardinal

National Indigenous Advisor, Canadian Red Cross

Julia Dascalescu

Registered Practitioner of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Canadian College of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine

Sheila Duffy

Executive Director, Pacific Postpartum Society

Kathryn Eagleheart

Doula

Enid Elliot, PhD

Program Leader – Early Learning and Care, Camosun College; Adjunct Assistant Professor, Centre for Early Childhood Research and Policy (CECRP), University of Victoria