Kathy Jacyniak, RN, BScN, is a Public Health Nurse at the Toronto Public Health (TPH). She started at TPH in 2000 in the Healthy families division, Healthy Babies Healthy Children Program as a visiting PHN of both at-risk and high- risk families from the prenatal to six years. She received the “Home-Based High Risk Training “by Invest-in-Kids organization, as well as the Interactional Guidance training in 2000. Both trainings focus on working with high risk families to promote parental capacity and improve child outcome in High Risk families. In 2006 TPH, adopted the “Make the Connection” (MTC) program as one of the tools PHNs used to promote attachment and parental confidence for families in group settings. Kathy was trained as a MTC facilitator and subsequently designated to become one of two in-house trainers for the program in TPH. As an in-house trainer, Kathy trains PHNs to become MTC leaders, facilitating groups for families in the communities in Toronto. In addition she supports the MTC leaders through continuous coaching, recruitment and screening of clients.

Dr. Chaya Kulkarni is currently the Director, Infant Mental Health Promotion (IMP), Hospital for Sick Children Toronto. Infant Mental Health Promotion is a coalition of individuals and professional agencies dedicated to promoting optimal mental health outcomes for infants in the first three years of life. Dr. Kulkarni provides leadership to research, professional education and public awareness activities at IMP. In addition to her work at IMP, Chaya Kulkarni is a Parent and Professional Education Expert with Invest in Kids. Until recently, she was Vice President, Professional Education, and led the development and implementation of curricula and materials to support professionals working with families of young children. Dr. Kulkarni has also served as the Senior Policy Analyst and Researcher for the Office of the Official Opposition at Queen’s Park where she was able to influence and inform practices surrounding early childhood care and education. She has also worked directly with children and families in the childcare sector. Dr. Kulkarni has lectured with Ryerson University and the Canadian Mothercraft Society, an organization that provides educational and support programs for mothers and their children. She is an effective and fervent facilitator for numerous training seminars and has served on a variety of boards and associations in the children’s services sector. Dr. Kulkarni also sits on the selection committee for the Prime Minister’s Awards for Teaching Excellence. Dr. Kulkarni received her B.A.A. from Ryerson University and attained her Masters and Doctorate in Education from the University of Toronto.

Dr. James (“Dr. Jim”) M. Sears, M.D., is a board certified pediatrician who is part of a family practice that he shares with his father, William, and younger brother Robert, located in Capistrano Beach, Calif. He earned his medical degrees at St. Louis University School of Medicine in 1996 and completed his pediatric residency at Northeastern Ohio University College of Medicine and Tod Children’s Hospital in Youngstown, Ohio, in 1999. During his residency, he received the honour of “Emergency Medicine Resident of the Year.” He is the co-host of The Doctors, a syndicated television show, has been featured on Dr. Phil and the PBS series, Help Me Grow, and dispenses medical advice on the web sites www.Parenting.com and www.AskDrSears.com. He has co-authored several books, including The Healthiest Kid in the Neighborhood, Father’s First Steps-Twenty-Five Things Every New Father Should Know, The Premature Baby Book, The Baby Sleep Book and the best selling The Baby Book. Additionally, Dr. Sears writes for Parenting and Baby Talk magazines. A father of two, his personal passions include endurance cycling, mountain biking, triathlons, sailboat racing, snow skiing, hiking and acting in musical theatre with his daughter.