Meet the Team Behind the Toolkit

Executive Director of the Canadian Premature Babies Foundation (CPBF), and Ambassador for Family Integrated Care (FiCare). Fabiana’s journey began in the NICU with her surviving twin, an experience that inspired her to become a leading voice for family involvement in neonatal care. This commitment led her to join FiCare’s research initiatives and later to lead national efforts to translate evidence into practice. Today Fabiana champions national collaboration between parents, clinicians, and researchers to turn evidence into action and strengthen support for families across Canada. Visit www.canadianpreemies.org.

Professor, School of Nursing, Dalhousie University | Neonatal Nurse Practitioner, IWK Health. Dr. Campbell-Yeo is an internationally recognized clinician-scientist and neonatal nurse practitioner whose research has transformed parent involvement in newborn care. Scientific Lead of MOM-LINC Lab, she studies parent-led, non-pharmacological interventions to reduce infant pain and improve family outcomes. Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing and member of the Royal Society of Canada’s College of New Scholars, she has published widely, secured major national funding, and advised international organizations on advancing equitable, family-centered care.

Director of Operations of the Family-Centered Care (FCC) Task Force and the NICU parent of Thomas, who was born at 25+1 weeks gestation. She serves on the American Academy of Pediatrics Family Partnership Network, is a Family Partner with New York State Perinatal Quality Collaborative, and Vermont Oxford Network. She is also a Quality Improvement Family Partner at Golisano Children’s Hospital NICU, University of Rochester Medical Center.

Kerri is a neonatologist at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago and Co-Chair of the Family-Centered Care (FCC) Task Force Advocacy Committee. Her clinical and advocacy work focus on advancing family engagement and improving care experiences for infants and parents in the NICU. She is also active in quality improvement and education, helping integrate family perspectives into neonatal practice. Dr. Machut is passionate about bridging clinical excellence with compassionate, family-informed care and fostering collaborative networks that strengthen outcomes for babies and families. 

Malathi is a neonatologist at El Camino Health and Clinical Professor at Stanford University, Founder and Executive Director of Family-Centered Care (FCC) Task Force and Advocacy Committee member. Malathi’s work focuses on partnering with families to advance compassionate, evidence-based neonatal care through collaboration, education, and advocacy. A mother of two, she brings a deep personal understanding to her mission of empowering parents as essential members of the care team.

Lelis is a healthcare consultant, author, and speaker whose advocacy began after the premature birth of her twin sons. Leading initiatives to advance maternal and infant care, she received the 2021 Director’s Award (Florida Perinatal Quality Committee) for leadership in the PAIRED initiative. Her Harvard capstone on family engagement in the NICU ranked in her cohort’s top three. She serves with AAP’s ACLC, NEC Society advisory board, Vermont Oxford Network, and shares her expertise internationally.

Dr. Colby Day is a neonatologist and Medical Director of the NICU at the University of Rochester Medical Center in Rochester, New York. She serves as Co-Chair of the Family-Centered Care (FCC) Task Force, where she champions collaborative, evidence-based approaches to neonatal care. As a parent of twins, one of whom required a NICU stay, Dr. Day brings both professional expertise and personal insight to her leadership.

Mary Coughlin is a certified Trauma-Informed Professional, Caritas Coach®, and the founder and president of Caring Essentials Collaborative. A pioneer in Trauma-Informed Developmental Care (TIDC), she provides education, coaching, and consulting to healthcare teams around the world. With decades of neonatal nursing and leadership experience, Mary is dedicated to transforming healthcare culture by integrating compassion, evidence-based practice, and trauma-informed principles to support the wellbeing of babies, families, and the professionals who care for them.

Molly joined the PNQIN team in 2024, bringing her experience as a NICU Family Advocate and parent. She is deeply committed to health equity, family-integrated care, maternal wellness, and supporting families through fertility challenges, loss, and grief. With a background in marketing and communications, she now leads PNQIN’s Patient and Family Advisory Council (PFAC), guiding a team of community members with lived experience to advance family-centred care.

Jessica is a neonatologist at Northwestern University/Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital in Chicago and serves as a member of the FCC Taskforce Executive Council. In addition to neonatology, she practices in the areas of perinatal palliative care and clinical bioethics. She is the mother to four children, and her experience as a parent inspires her work on behalf of NICU patients and families.

Director of Clinical Research for Neonates and Children (Nursing & AHP) at Barts Health NHS Trust in London, UK, and a visiting senior lecturer at Queen Mary University of London. Deanna is an occupational therapist and her research program focuses on parenting occupations and the influence of parent psychological well-being on engagement in caregiving and parent self-efficacy in the NICU.

Mary Coughlin is a certified Trauma-Informed Professional, Caritas Coach®, and the founder and president of Caring Essentials Collaborative. A pioneer in Trauma-Informed Developmental Care (TIDC), she provides education, coaching, and consulting to healthcare teams around the world. With decades of neonatal nursing and leadership experience, Mary is dedicated to transforming healthcare culture by integrating compassion, evidence-based practice, and trauma-informed principles to support the wellbeing of babies, families, and the professionals who care for them.

is an advocate for maternal mental health and infant wellbeing, with a background in psychology and nonprofit management. Motivated by her daughter’s resilience during their NICU journey, she is helping families navigate similar challenges. Lucia volunteers with the Canadian Premature Babies Foundation, supports Latin American women (Postpartum Support International), and contributes to a Toronto Hospital for Sick Children quality improvement project enhancing family healthcare experiences.

Dr. Luann R. Jones has 28 years of Level IV NICU experience as a bedside RN, Neonatal Nurse Practitioner, and NICU Director. She is currently with AngelEye Health, where she supports innovation in neonatal family engagement and communication. A mother whose son spent three months in the NICU, Luann combines professional expertise with lived experience to advocate for family-centered, technology-enhanced neonatal care.

Henry C. Lee, MD is a neonatologist with the division of neonatology at University of California San Diego / Rady Children’s Hospital San Diego. He serves as medical director of the NICU at UCSD Jacobs Medical Center and as a Mentor for the FCC Taskforce.

Lily Lou, MD, FAAP, is a neonatologist and Director of Government Relations for Pediatrics at the University of Illinois Chicago. She has cared for babies in North Carolina, Minnesota, Connecticut, New Mexico, Alaska and Illinois. She is Past Chair of the AAP Section on Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine and has served as Chief Medical Officer/State Health Official for Alaska.

Christine Tester began working in nonprofit and peer support following two NICU stays. She is now the hospital program manager, bilingual peer specialist supervisor, and mental health peer specialist at Hand to Hold. Her first child, born twelve weeks early, passed away at 44 days from necrotizing enterocolitis; her third spent two weeks in NICU after heart surgery. She is dedicated to guiding families through NICU and bereavement experiences with trauma-informed care.

Dr. Robert D. White is a neonatologist at Beacon Children’s Hospital, Co-Chair of the Gravens Conference on the Environment of Care for High-Risk Newborns, and Chair of the Committee to Establish Recommended Standards for Newborn ICU Design. An international leader in neonatal care design, he has authored numerous publications and guidelines advancing family-centered, developmentally supportive NICU environments that promote healing, connection, and optimal outcomes for infants and their families.

Ashley Weber, PhD, RN, RNC-NIC is an Associate Professor at University of Cincinnati College of Nursing, a NICU nurse at Nationwide Children’s Hospital and University Hospitals’ Rainbow Babies and Children’s in Ohio, and served on the Board of Directors for the National Association of Neonatal Nurses (NANN). Ashley is also an Editorial Fellow for the Journal of Perinatal & Neonatal Nursing (JPNN). Her research program focuses on translating evidence-based family-centered care (FCC) interventions into clinical practice.

Dr. Jadene Wong is a neonatal hospitalist at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford and Clinical Associate Professor at Stanford University School of Medicine. With more than 20 years of experience in community-based primary care before specializing in neonatology, she brings a unique perspective to family-centered care and continuity between hospital and home. Her work bridges clinical excellence, education, and advocacy for newborn and family wellbeing.