Dr. Patrícia Alvarenga is an Associate Professor at the Federal University of Bahia (UFBA/Brazil) and a researcher from the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq/Brazil). In the last ten years, her work has been focused on interventions to promote sensitive parenting practices and young children’s social-emotional development, which fit the needs of families from low socio-economic backgrounds.
Dr. Maria Ángeles Cerezo is a Chair in Psychology at the University of Valencia, Spain. Her research publications focus on family relationships, especially early interaction with babies as a predictor of child attachment. Applying the science of babies, she developed a universal program to support parents and their babies to promote their well-being and emotional security (Spanish and English versions: PAPMI® & PCPS®). Her university recognized this applied facet of her work through the Social Innovation spin-off Instituto Psicológico Infancia y Familia (IPINFA), where she is the Scientific Director.
Dr. Yana Kuchirko is an Assistant Professor at Brooklyn College, City University of New York. She examines sociocultural and ecological contexts of child development. Specifically, she focuses on features of children's early experiences in their everyday settings (home, neighborhood, school), and how vary by ethnicity/race, socioeconomic status, and gender. A core facet of her work centers on the structure and function of language interactions among children and their families from different ethnic/racial and cultural backgrounds.