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DR. CONSTANCE MILBRATH
Senior Researcher, Human Early Learning Partnership (HELP)

Constance Milbrath, Ph.D. is a Developmental Psychologist, who joined the Human Early Learning Partnership (HELP) as a Senior Researcher in 2006, after moving north from the University of California, San Francisco, where she held a faculty position in the Department of Psychiatry and was part of a research team in Pediatrics studying the influence of culture on adolescent health. Her research with HELP has focused on the influence of culture on children’s educational trajectories.

ALES MORGA
Understanding the Early Years Coordinator, Manitoba

Ales currently works in the field of population health research for South Eastman Health/Santé Sud-Est.  She graduated from the University of Manitoba with a Masters of Science Degree specializing in studies of early childhood development.  Ales has successfully worked with school divisions to establish a process for sharing EDI results, and developed many parent-friendly resources to reach the general public about the importance of readiness for school learning.

DR. NAZEEM MUHAJARINE
Professor and Chair, Community Health and Epidemiology, College of Medicine, University of Saskatchewan; Faculty Member, Saskatchewan Population Health and Evaluation Research Unit

Nazeem is a social epidemiologist whose current research projects include studies the impact of family and neighbourhood contexts on young children’s health and educational outcomes, the prevalence of antenatal depression, and evaluations of early childhood intervention programs. He co-led the seven-year Saskatoon Understanding the Early Years study (2000-07) with Sue Delanoy of Communities for Children, and has partnered with Southeast Saskatchewan UEY, Moose Jaw-South Central UEY and Northeast Saskatchewan UEY to lead data analysis and mapping for these research projects. Nazeem is working with a team of researchers and decision-makers in Saskatchewan to develop kidSKAN (kidskan.ca), a provincial knowledge to action network for early childhood development, funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. In 2006, he was awarded the CIHR KT Award for local and regional impact.

DR. J. FRASER MUSTARD
Founder, Council for Early Child Development, The Founders’ Network

J. Fraser Mustard has had a diverse career in the health sciences, medical research, research in the natural and social sciences, and the private sector. After earning his MD from the University of Toronto, and Ph.D. from the University of Cambridge, Dr. Mustard joined the medical faculty at the University of Toronto.  In 1966 he moved to McMaster University to help establish the new school of Medicine and Health Sciences.  In 1972 he became the Vice President, Health Sciences [Medicine and Nursing]. In 1982, he took on the task of creating and establishing a unique Canadian institution, The Canadian Institute for Advanced Research.  Dr. Mustard has been a champion in Canada of interdisciplinary research including the socioeconomic determinants of human development and health. He co-chaired a report for the Government of Ontario on early child development with specific community recommendations (The Early Years Study). In 2004 he founded The Council for Early Child Development. Dr. Mustard and his colleagues are emphasizing to all sectors of society the crucial nature of early human development in producing healthy, competent and quality populations. Dr. Mustard is involved with governments in Canada and Australia, Latin America, the World Bank, and the Aga Khan University in Pakistan in emphasizing the enormous importance to society of early human development.  Dr. Mustard is a Companion of the Order of Canada. 

ROB RAOS
GIS Analyst, Offord Centre for Child Studies

Rob provides support and services for the mapping of EDI results for locations throughout Canada.  He has been working on various research projects featuring geographic and spatial analytical methods with the EDI and socioeconomic measures.  Rob has a Bachelor's degree in Geography and Environmental Studies from McMaster University and a Master's degree in Spatial Analysis from Ryerson University.

PIPPA ROWCLIFFE
Managing Director, Council for Early Child Development

Pippa has a Bachelors Degree in Politics, Philosophy and Economics from Oxford University and a Masters Degree in Rural Development Planning from the University of East Anglia, School of Development Studies. Over the last 15 years, she has worked in the corporate, government and not-for-profit sectors in areas as diverse as socio-economic impact, community development, strategic and operational planning, communications and organizational development.

MICHELE A SAM
Senior Aboriginal Researcher and Liaison, Human Early Learning Partnership

Michele A Sam is Ktunaxa, who are a cultural and linguistic isolate group to the world. Her role is key in providing leadership guidance to ensure that the research needs of Aboriginal nations and communities are articulated and addressed. She works extensively with the Aboriginal Steering Committee, the HELP-EDI management team and the HELP Leadership Team in addition to community based people in similar leadership roles locally.

Michele has worked extensively across the country with many different indigenous nations. Her work is predominately within efforts of good governance, assertions of sovereignty into cultural continuity and the rebuilding of nations. She has taught across the life span in Childcare settings, elementary, middle and high Schools, college, university and within community contexts, urban, rural and reserve.

DR. ROB SANTOS
Scientific Director and Senior Policy Advisor, Health Child Manitoba Office

Dr. Rob Santos is the Scientific Director and Senior Policy Advisor at the Healthy Child Manitoba Office (HCMO), the staff and secretariat of the Government of Manitoba's Healthy Child Committee of Cabinet (HCCC), the only legislated Cabinet committee in Canada dedicated to the well-being of children and youth (prenatal to age 18 years). Rob is one of Manitoba's representatives for Canada's Federal/Provincial/Territorial Early Childhood Development (ECD) Working Group and co-chairs its Committee on ECD Knowledge, Information, and Effective Practices. Rob completed a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology at the University of Manitoba, with specialization in community psychology, child development, population health, and

prevention science and policy. He also has cross-appointments as a Research Scientist at the Manitoba Centre for Health Policy and as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Community Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Manitoba.