In collaboration with Beginningwell.org

We are delighted to invite you to an inspiring exchange with child and family experts, Dr. Joshua D. Sparrow, and Dr. Peter Mangione; accompanied by Pia Dögl and Elsa Chahin

About our panelists:

Joshua D. Sparrow, M.D., DFAACAP, is executive director of the Brazelton Touchpoints Center (BTC) in the Division of Development of Medicine at Boston Children’s Hospital, where he also holds an appointment in the Department of Psychiatry. Dr. Sparrow’s care in the 1990s for children hospitalized for severe psychiatric disturbances, often associated with physical and sexual abuse, and for developmental delays aggravated by social and economic deprivation, prompted his interest in the social determinants of health, and community-based prevention and health promotion. He is principal investigator on numerous foundation grants and the National Center for Parent, Family and Community Engagement (Administration for Children and Families), and is associate professor part time in psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. He has lectured nationally and internationally, written numerous scholarly papers, as well as books and articles for the general public, and advised government agencies, nonprofits, and philanthropies.

At the Brazelton Touchpoints Center, his work focuses on cultural adaptations of family support programs, organizational professional development, and aligning systems of care with community strengths and priorities. Examples include collaborative consultation with the Harlem Children’s Zone and Tribal Early Head Start/Head Start Programs among others. BTC provides professional and leadership development, organizational learning and change, and research and evaluation for family-facing professionals in pediatrics, early childhood, infant mental health, home visiting, and child welfare. BTC is home to the Touchpoints Approach, the Brazelton Institute (Newborn Behavioral Observation and Neonatal Behavioral Assessment Scale), Family Connections, and the BTC Research and Evaluation team. brazeltontouchpoints.org

Peter L. Mangione, PhD, co-directs WestEd’s Center for Child and Family Studies. Mangione is one of the lead developers of the Program for Infant/Toddler Care (PITC), a national model for training early childhood practitioners. He is one of the principal collaborators in the development of the California Department of Education’s Desired Results Developmental Profile.  Dr. Mangione has served on advisory groups for the U.S. Department of Education and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and Zero To Three, and participated in meetings conducted by the National Academy of Sciences. Dr. Mangione serves on the Advisory Board of Pikler/Lóczy USA.

Pia Dögl is a parenting counselor, author, and social entrepreneur. Pia has focused her work on fostering the precious potential of children and the empathetic well being of the whole family. Pia founded the organization Beginning Well, which offers parents and caregivers practical support for mindful care. beginningwell.org/en Her book, Beginning Well - Empathy From The Very Beginning, was published in autumn 2018 in English and will soon be available in Mandarin. Pia works internationally with groups and organizations on self-awareness and the unfolding of unique capacities, that's what her new company dailyempathy.com is about.

Elsa Chahin, President and CEO of Pikler USA is an in-demand speaker, writer, teacher, infant-toddler consultant, and is one of only two Pikler® certified and accredited trainers of the Pikler® Pedagogy in North America. In addition, Chahin, a RIE® Associate, has served as a keynote speaker and presenter at over 125 national and international conferences and seminars on the topic of caring for babies with respect. She recently co-authored the book, In Loving Hands: How the Rights for Young Children Living in Children’s Homes Offer Hope and Happiness In Today’s World, with Anna Tardos, Dr. Pikler’s daughter. Chahin, who has been mentored by Ute Strub since 2004 and named as her successor, is a working group leader for World Forum Foundation™, a PITC Trainer and a UCLA Certified Lactation Educator. Chahin, a rare leader who not only brings passion and commitment to her work, but also a deep knowledge coupled with both insight and generosity, was a professional ballerina and has practiced yoga, meditation and mindfulness for 25 years. Above all, she is a joyous mom.