Linda McGhee is a clinical psychologist, attorney and nationally recognized mental health expert and speaker. McGhee has been featured in the Washington Post, New York Times, Huffington Post, and Grown and Flown. She hosts “Good Mental Health on Radio One” which raises awareness around mental health.  She is a regular contributor to the Son Rise Project,  an Oprah Winfrey Network podcast that supports families of black teenagers and young adults with mental illness.   McGhee act as a mental health expert for the Steve Fund, an organization devoted to mental health for college students of color.  She has recently provided for Washingtonian magazine commentary on the intersection of racial trauma, COVID-19 and the mass protests. She has served on the clinical faculty at the Washington School of Psychiatry and is a former Adjunct Professor at George Washington University and the Chicago School of Professional Psychology.   McGhee currently serves as the President of the Maryland Psychological Association.  She is a compassionate leader who seeks to bridge differences and shed light.  Her strength lies in her ability to promote healthy discussions on sensitive issues. 

Laura Moore, EdD, CHES, CCLS brings extensive experience and a strong passion for supporting children, teens and families whose lives have been touched by illness and loss of a loved one. Her first job found her working on a pediatric oncology unit where she recognized the importance of combining emotional support, education and creative activities to create an environment where children, teens and families can relax and be themselves. Her experience in the past 20 years has included hospital, school and not-for-profit settings. Laura’s academic areas of focus include health education, health psychology, emotional support, program design, curriculum development and research design. Laura holds a Doctorate in Health and Behavior from Teacher’s College, Columbia University and is certified as a Health Educator, Child Life Specialist and in Pediatric Grief and Bereavement.

Just after receiving her Masters in Social Work degree from Columbia University, Anna went to work for Gilda’s Club/Westchester, providing individual counseling, facilitating support groups, and completing intakes in the internationally-renowned organization’s ‘Children, Teens, and Families Program.’ Previously, she completed an internship as a clinical social worker at Stamford Hospital’s Bennett Cancer Center. There, she counseled both patients and family members, and worked collaboratively with hospital staff to implement a holistic approach to the treatment of cancer, addressing the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of patients. Anna’s interest in working with children began at Wellesley College, where she interned at the campus’ experimental preschool. During her tenure as an elementary school teacher, Anna became acutely aware of the importance of emotional support for families dealing with serious health issues. Additionally, Anna has facilitated support sessions in schools around mindfulness, coping skills, and developmentally-appropriate psychoeducation.

This speaker graduated with a masters degree from The University of Georgia, and completed her Child Life Clinical Internship at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta in Cardiology and Inpatient Oncology. Following completion of her internship, she was hired as the Certified Child Life Specialist for the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Egleston. For the past four years, she has worked in the NICU focusing her day-to-day efforts on meeting the developmental and psychosocial needs of infants and their families. Throughout her career this speaker has focused her efforts on increasing support for hospitalized infants by advocating on their behalf to meet their needs specifically within the realm of procedural support and end of life care.

Stephanie Whitten is an adjunct instructor at the University of Alabama and academic advisor for Southern New Hampshire University. Her educational background includes a Bachelor's of Science degree and Master's of Science degree in Human Development and Family Studies with an emphasis in Child Life from the University of Alabama. Stephanie has been a Certified Child Life Specialist (CCLS) for almost nine years, which includes her time as a Child Life Specialist II at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. Her clinical experience spans across oncology, neurology, and emergency/trauma populations and settings. Stephanie recently left the clinical setting to expand on her career in higher education where she enjoys applying her experiences as a clinical CCLS and helping her students learn and grow.

Joanne has been a certified child life specialist for 21 years and is an active member of the Association of Child Life Professionals (ACLP).  Although her specialization is in hematology oncology and grief and bereavement, she also works in critical care and trauma setting at Cedars-Sinai.  Most recently, she started providing support in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.  She supports patients and families by providing health education, therapeutic play and end-of-life support.  Joanne is passionate about providing education to future child life specialists as well as other members of the healthcare team, which include medical students, interns and residents as well as nursing students, social workers, chaplains, etc., on the unique needs of children and their families during hospitalization as well as through grief.  She also plays an active role in advocating and implementing Patient and Family Centered Care.  Most recently, Joanne became a member of the National Alliance for Children’s Grief (NACG) to be able to connect with other professionals and to stay up-to-date about children’s grief.

Amanda Williams is a Neonatal Clinical Nurse Specialist at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center's Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Amanda has been a neonatal nurse for over ten years and has always been passionate about providing family centered and developmentally appropriate care to newborns. She has a talent for providing education to nurses, families, and other members of the care team. Additionally, Amanda is interested in quality improvement through simulation and has developed many high fidelity simulation experiences for her team which has allowed her to improve systems that influence patient care. 

Amber Aparicio works as a Certified Child Life Specialist at Elizabeth Seton Children's Center in Yonkers, NY. She also has three years of experience leading recreation programs for autistic children and adults.

Melissa Dodaro is a Certified Child Life Specialist with her Master’s degree from McMaster University in Child Life and Pediatric Psychosocial Care. She also has a Bachelor of Applied Science in Early Childhood Studies and Diploma in Early Childhood Education from the University of Guelph-Humber. Melissa is a practicing child life specialist, serving children and their families, in both hospital and community settings. Melissa specializes in child development and is an advocate for family-centered care and strengths-based approaches. Melissa is passionate about supporting children, adolescents, and families experiencing significant life changes and losses, through serious illness, death, and non-death related losses (such as sibling separation).

Rebecca serves in a clinical role as a certified child life specialist at Norton Children's Hospital in the surgical services department. In her 3 years as a CCLS, she has found a passion in creating innovative and cost-effective clinical interventions tools for patients and families. Currently, Rebecca is involved at a national level within the ACLP as the chair-elect on the Education and Training Committee. Rebecca's past publication and presentation experience has included topics emphasizing perspectives on student education, virtual reality as a preparation tool, and currently regarding legacy building interventions utilizing cost-effective computer-cutting technology.

Taryn currently serves as the Child Life Coordinator for Norton Children's Hospital. In addition to Coordinator responsibilities, she provides patient care for the inpatient hematology, oncology and renal populations through the Norton Children's Cancer Institute. She also coordinates the internship program. She has an interest in providing support to siblings and helped develop the hospital's sibling support program in 2012. She currently serves as a co-facilitator of the SibStars sibling support program.

Dr. Priti Desai PhD, MPH, CCLS, is an associate professor at East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina. In addition to teaching her formal academic courses at ECU, Priti has conducted more than 80 child life related presentations and workshops around the world, working as a volunteer leader and educator with organizations including Operation Smile, the K.G. Patel Children's Hospital and CanKids- KidsCan, in India, Kuwait Association for Children in Hospitals, and other organizations. For the ACLP, Priti served as Treasurer of the CLC Board of Directors from 2001 to 2003, and chair of the Diversity Committee from 1997 to 2001. Over the years, she has also served as a member of the Conference Planning Committee, Partnership Committee, Practice Analysis Task Force, Child Life Bill of Rights Task Force, Academic Task Force, International Task Force, and the Research and Scholarship Committee. Priti’s published work includes research and review articles that have appeared in journals based in the U.S. and India, and she has co-authored two chapters appearing in The Handbook of Child Life (2018, 2009). Priti has received ACLP’s Distinguished Service Award in May 2013.

Paige Whitcomb is a Certified Child Life Specialist and has been practicing as a CCLS since 2018. She received her Bachelors degree in English and Social and Economic Justice from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and received her Masters degree from East Carolina University in Human Development and Family Science with a Child Life Emphasis. Paige currently works at VCU Health - The Children's Hospital of Richmond as the Float CCLS providing coverage to various units including Inpatient, Bone Marrow Transplant, Burn, and the Pediatric Emergency Room.

Katie Dolif is a graduate of Colorado State University and has been working as a Certified Child Life Specialist for 4 years. Katie currently serves as the Pre-Surgery CCLS in the Perioperative Services Center at Children’s Hospital Colorado. Katie’s professional interests include: working with siblings, ethics and parental presents in induction. Katie’s passion stems from her relational work of Child Life and incorporating the patients past experiences into current interventions.

Jennie Gerson is a graduate of the University of Colorado at Boulder, and has been working as a Clinical Research Coordinator for the Child Life department at Children's Hospital Colorado for 3 years. Jennie has worked on Child Life research studies in several clinical areas including oncology, burn, MRI, and rehab, exploring non-pharmacological pain management, distraction, augmented and virtual reality technologies, procedural preparation and support, trauma debriefing, and medical dog support for hospital staff.

Brianne is a graduate from University of San Diego.  Brianne has been working at Children’s Hospital Colorado for 16 years. Brianne has covered PRN, outpatient clinics, surgery and is currently part time in radiology. Brianne has served as a chair on the child life research committee. Brianne is a secondary dog handler working with Galaxy. Brianne is passionate about collaborating with the medical team to provide a positive hospital experience for patients and families.