Expert Panel

All of our medical articles are written by experts and reviewed by a medical advisory board composed of experts in women's and children's health and development.

As well as our Medical Advisory Board, many of our articles and features are written by leading experts in the field. These include doctors, dietitians, breastfeeding specialists, and authors of best-selling health and baby books.

India Expert Panelists

BabyCenter India Editorial Team health writers	The BabyCenter India Editorial Team is composed of competent and experienced writers and researchers. They put together content of the highest standards, which is then approved by our Medical Advisory Board. The BabyCenter India Team members are mothers with experience in parenting. They are committed to bringing accurate information and actionable solutions to challenges that women face on their journey to motherhood.
Dr Saroja Balan M.R.C.P.C.H.(UK), F.R.C.P. (Glas) (Paediatrics) senior consultant neonatologist	Dr. Saroja Balan is the senior consultant neonatologist at the Indraprastha Apollo Hospital, New Delhi. She got her basic medical training from the prestigious Madras Medical College and has clinical experience in India and abroad as well. She has also contributed to several articles in journals. She believes in demystifying medical issues regarding children's health and helps young parents make informed choices for their little ones. Her area of expertise and interest is looking after newborns with surgical problems.
Geetika Gangwani (PT) Infant and young child feeding counsellor, Breastfeeding counsellor, Childbirth educator, Women’s health physiotherapist	Geetika started her career as a physiotherapist and went on to become an Antenatal Educator, drawn in by her interest in supporting women and couples during the birthing process. She has had over 15 years’ experience working with couples to achieve their birth choices and supporting women to bond and successfully breastfeed their babies after birth. She is trained as a Birth Educator, Hypnobirthing Practitioner, Lactation Consultant and an Infant and young child feeding counsellor. Geetika is known as ‘Baby Whisperer’ as she has a special knack in communicating with the little ones.
Dr Deepti Gupta MBBS, M.S (OBS & GYNAE), MRCOG (UK)	Dr Deepti Gupta is a Consultant Obstetrician Gynaecologist & Laparoscopic Surgeon with a special interest in infertility. After completing her postgraduate education in India she obtained further training in Australia and the UK. After receiving overseas training, experience and membership of Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (UK) she decided to move back to India. She is now practising in Kolkata, trying to bring the best level of care to her patients. She believes that knowledge is power and empowering her patients will help them to make the best possible choices.
Dr Ashwini Nabar consultant gynaecologist and obstetrician	Dr. Ashwini Nabar is a consultant gynaecologist and obstetrician at Hinduja Healthcare Surgical, Khar. She has over fifteen years of experience in her field. She is associated with the Asian heart Institute in Mumbai, and has her own private practice as well. She has the distinction of having performed the first Robot-assisted Gynaecological procedure in Mumbai. The cornerstones of her beliefs are ethical care, up to date knowledge and a humanitarian touch when interacting with patients.
Dr Girish Pandit, MBBS, MD (Radiodiagnosis)	Dr. Girish Pandit is an ultrasonologist with 22 years of experience in obstetric ultrasonography. He has his own private practice “The Ultrasound Clinic” in Qutab Plaza, DLF phase-1, Gurgaon, Haryana. Dr. Girish Pandit did his MBBS from the College of Medical Sciences, Delhi University (1984-1989) and his M.D. (Radiodiagnosis) from Sayaji University, Vadodara Gujarat (1990-1993). He firmly believes in providing state of the art ultrasound services to his patients with a humane touch.
Dr Firuza Parikh M.D., D.G.O., D.F.P., F.C.P.S., Dip.N.B.E. director of assisted reproduction and genetics	Dr Firuza Parikh is the Director of Assisted Reproduction and Genetics at Jaslok Hospital and Research Centre, Mumbai. She set up and headed the first IVF centre at the Jaslok Hospital in 1989. She has been a pioneer in assisted reproduction techniques. She doctored South East Asia's first ICSI baby in 1994, helped conceive the first pregnancy by LASER Assisted Hatching in 1999 and is currently pioneering the technique of Cumulus Aided Transfer (CAT) for the first time in the world. She is the author of several scientific papers and of 'The Complete Guide to Getting Pregnant'
Dr Urvashi Sehgal MBBS (IMS, BHU), MD (Ob & Gynae) senior consultant in gynecology	Dr Sehgal is a senior consultant in gynecology for the last 15 years with special interest in IVF and high risk pregnancies. She has attended many workshops, and participated as a speaker in many national and international conferences on Obstetrics, Gynecology and Infertility. She is associated with Phoenix hospital and is a visiting consultant in Apollo, Max and Fortis hospitals, New Delhi.
Sonali Shivlani internationally certified pregnancy, lactation and child nutrition counsellor	Sonali Shivlani is an internationally certified pregnancy, lactation and child nutrition counsellor. She has worked with more than 10000 families through her antenatal and postnatal programs and workshops at Clay Wellness in Mumbai and across the country. She is also the Executive Director of CAPPA India and heads all CAPPA Birth Professional Trainings in the country. She is the Executive Director of the Pregnancy Fitness Educator Program at CAPPA International and trains candidates on a world-wide platform in the field of prenatal fitness. She is the author of 'Super Mom's Recipes', which is a book on healthy and tasty recipes for children.
Neelanjana Singh M.Sc. (Foods & Nutrition), P.G.Diploma in Dietetics & Public Health Nutrition President, Indian Dietetics Association, Delhi Chapter. Registered Dietician.	Neelanjana Singh has over 30 years of extensive clinical experience having worked at AIIMS, Sitaram Bharatiya Research Institute, Diabetes Foundation and PSRI Hospital at Delhi. She is also a certified Diabetes Educator. Currently, she runs the Nutrilife Clinic at Delhi which is supported by the Heinz Nutrition Foundation India. At the clinic, advice can be sought on matters related to health and nutrition without any consultation fees. She is a regular contributor on matters related to diet and health with several national dailies. She also has over seven years of teaching experience at the University of Delhi. Her association has also been with the WHO and FSSAI as a part of their projects on nutrition and health. Neelanjana Singh serves on the advisory board of some of the top websites on health and nutrition. Her latest book on nutrition, Our Kid Eats Everything! (Hachette, 2015), has been widely acclaimed. The wellness guru Deepak Chopra says, “This book is a must for anyone interested in shaping the future of well-being”.
Dr Madhulika Tyagi, BAMS ayurvedic doctor	Madhulika Tyagi is an Ayurvedic doctor, from the Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University and did her Masters in Health Administration from TISS. She holds diverse experience in Healthcare, Development, Reproductive health and Health Systems Research. She has accomplished assignments with NGOs like ActionAid India, Alert India and with the Health & Family Welfare Dept. of the Planning Commission, Govt. of India. Madhulika has worked as an apprentice to a Gynecologist and with a Rehabilitation Counselor as well. She was also associated briefly as a Research Assistant on one of the Indian Council of Medical Research studies.
Monica Tyagi Yoga Acharya, MBA from IMI, Delhi, runs Pace to Peace yoga studio	Monica Tyagi has been practicing Yoga for over a decade and teaching for 8 years. She has her own studio, Pace to Peace Power Yoga Studio at Sarvodaya Enclave, in Delhi. Monica is a certified Sivananda Yoga teacher, with the title of Yoga Acharya. She is well versed in basic and advanced asanas and pranayamas, pre and postnatal yoga, gentle yoga, anatomy, ayurveda and vedantic studies. She has also followed workshops at other schools of yoga, like Iyengar yoga, Isha Yoga Foundation and the Speaking Tree Foundation. The yoga style she teaches today is a mix of the different schools of yoga, including some pilates, which is a form of exercise that has originated from yoga.
Dr Pankaj Vohra MBBS, MD - Pediatrics, AIIMS pediatric gastroenterologist	Dr. Pankaj Vohra was a former senior consultant for paediatric gastroenterology at Max Healthcare, Delhi. He is currently Associate Professor, Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology at the University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA. He has attained his medical degree and post-graduation in Paediatrics from AIIMS, New Delhi, fellowship in Pediatric Gastroenterology from Mt. Sinai Medical Center, New York, USA and is one of the few doctors in India to be certified by the American Board of Pediatric Gastroenterology. He has extensive experience in managing various aspects of Paediatric Gastroenterology and Hepatology including managing nutritional, gastrointestinal and liver diseases in children and conducting diagnostic and therapeutic endoscopy. Apart from leading various clinical researches in his field and deliberating at numerous forums, Dr. Vohra has authored various chapters and publications for many nationally and internationally recognised medical journals, including the British Medical Journal. He has recently established Celiac India & Beyond Foundation (www.celiacindia.org.in), a non profit company to help all those affected with celiac disease.

Many of our articles and features are written by leading UK doctors, midwives, health visitors, breastfeeding specialists and authors of best-selling health and baby books.

UK Expert Panelists

The BabyCentre Editorial Team health writers	The BabyCentre Editorial Team includes antenatal teachers, as well as writers and editors with a background in mother and baby magazines, professional journals and book publishing.
Hamed Al-Taher consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist	Hamed Al-Taher is a senior consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, King's Lynn, in Norfolk. His specialities include fertility and urogynaecology. He studied at Cairo University, Egypt and Liverpool University. Hamed's research interests include a study on multiple courses of steroids in pregnancy and its effect on premature birth and birth weight (MACS study) and an international study on ways of delivering twins, with the University of Toronto. He contributed four chapters to the book Managing Childbirth Emergencies in Community Settings, published by Macmillan in 2005. He is an examiner for the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and a teacher and assessor for medical students at Cambridge University and the University of East Anglia.
Rachel Ambler consultant midwife	Rachel Ambler is a consultant midwife in public health at the Whittington Hospital in north London. She teaches undergraduate and postgraduate midwifery students one day a week at Middlesex University. Rachel completed her nursing and midwifery training in Southampton, qualifying as a midwife in 1979. She then gained clinical experience in and around Southampton, working in birth centres, traditional community midwifery, and with pregnant teenagers and young parents. Rachel has a Master's Degree in Professional Development (Midwifery) from Bournemouth University.
Cathy Ashwin midwife	Cathy Ashwin teaches at the division of midwifery at the University of Nottingham, and also works in the community. Her specialist area is public health, and she has a particular interest in the subject of smoking in pregnancy. She is studying for a PhD which focuses on women who stop smoking during pregnancy but relapse after their baby is born.
Karen Bates, MA DPSM RM RGN midwife	Karen Bates is a lecturer in midwifery at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital. Karen qualified as a nurse in London in the early 1980s. Since becoming a midwife in 1989, she has practised within the NHS and the Royal Air Force. Her experience has been predominantly in a labour ward setting, but she has also worked in a team of midwives offering a home birth service. Since 1999, she has been a lecturer in midwifery at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital.
Sandra Bosman midwife for multiple pregnancies	Sandra Bosman has been a specialist midwife for multiple pregnancies for the Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals Trust since 2000. She is also a founder of the charity More Than One, and Midwife of the Year 2007.
Alison Bourne, MA BSc MSCP ACPWH women's health, physiotherapist	Alison Bourne works as lead physiotherapist in women's health at The Royal Hospital, Chesterfield, and privately at a clinic in Sheffield. After graduating from Cambridge University with an English degree, Alison qualified as a chartered physiotherapist from the University of East Anglia in 1997. She became a senior physiotherapist in the musculoskeletal field after 18 months and soon began to develop a back pain in pregnancy service, branching out into the field of women's health. In 2000, Alison completed a Master's-level Certificate in Manipulative Therapy prior to undertaking the post-registration women's health course at Bradford University, thereby gaining full membership of the Association of Chartered Physiotherapists in Women's Health.
Heather Brown consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist	Heather Brown is a consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist working at both the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton and Princess Royal Hospital in Hayward's Heath. Heather is the labour ward lead for both hospitals. Her area of special interest is paediatric and adolescent gynaecology. Heather has a strong background in research and has worked for the World Health Organisation to develop international initiatives to promote evidence-based care for women during childbirth. She is a reviewer for the prestigious Cochrane foundation.
Maggie Bunting, RM1 midwife	Maggie Bunting is a lecturer at the School of Medicine, University of East Anglia in Norwich. She teaches aspects of childbirth to medical students. She maintains her clinical midwifery skills at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital. She has 20 years' experience as a midwife, including six years as part of an integrated team, providing care in community and hospital settings. In 1999, Maggie was one of the first in the region to undertake training to perform the medical examination of the newborn baby.
Emma Dufficy midwife	Emma Dufficy is a midwife. She worked as a nurse for many years and then qualified as a midwife at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital in 2001. She has worked in all areas of midwifery, including in a community setting. She works part-time as a hospital midwife and looks after her two youngest children. Her main interests are promoting natural labour and birth and breastfeeding.
Dorothy Einon early years play and child development	Dorothy Einon has a degree in Psychology from Durham University and a PhD from Cambridge University. For 25 years she lectured in the Psychology Department at University College London. Dorothy is the author of 15 books, her field of expertise being early years play and child development. She has also written a book on pregnancy and childbirth. Dorothy has contributed numerous articles to parenting magazines and has regularly appeared on Radio and TV. She has three children as well as sixteen nephews and nieces.
Phil Emmans in-car safety advisor	Phil Emmans is an independent in-car safety advisor who set up the try-before-you-buy scheme for the London Borough of Enfield in 1990. The borough offers a free service that allows parents to try a car seat from a stock of more than 100 before deciding which one to buy.
Penelope Leach, Ph.D. psychologist specialising in child development	Penelope Leach is best known as the author of Your Baby and Child and is a passionate advocate for children and parents. She is a psychologist, specialising in child development and currently co-director of a large-scale study of the effects of different kinds of care - by mothers, fathers, childminders, nannies, grandmothers, nurseries - and combinations of kinds of care, on children's development in the first five years. Penelope has a Psychology PhD and an Honorary Doctorate in Education. She is a Fellow of the British Psychological Society, and an Honorary Senior Research Fellow in the Leopold Muller University Department of Child and Family Mental Health at the Royal Free and University College Hospital Medical School. Her acclaimed book Your Baby and Child has sold more than three million copies in 29 languages and was awarded first prize in the popular medicine category of its book awards by the British Medical Association.