Our Team
Meet the leadership and advisors supporting Prenatal Alliance’s global mission.
Board
Susana Lopes
Norway · Secretary-GeneralPrenatal educator and yoga, pilates, and breathwork teacher, currently completing a Classical Psychotherapist Training. Author of children’s and adult books exploring prenatal life and early development. Founder of World Pregnancy Day- March22 initiative.
Carla Machado
Brazil · Deputy Secretary-GeneralFounder and President of ANEP Brazil (National Association for Prenatal Education). Psychotherapist and prenatal educator with a background in systems analysis at IBM. Facilitator of therapeutic women’s groups integrating art therapy and storytelling since 1998.
Yuko Igarashi
Japan · Digital Communications ManagerPrenatal Memory Navigator, English/Japanese transcreator, and international coordinator. She launched the Prenatal Memory Global Project in 2018 with leading researchers Dr. Akira Ikegawa and Dr. Masayuki Ohkado, advancing awareness of prenatal memory and early human development.
Laura Uplinger
Brazil · Education & Research DirectorVice-President of ANEP Brazil. Since the late 1970s, she has advocated for the influence of a mother’s inner life on early human development. She leads workshops and speaks internationally on prenatal parenting for professionals, students, and the public.
Dr. Shital Lathiya
IndiaPhysiotherapist, teenage health coach, and women’s health trainer. Founder of Mommy’s Touch (The Garbh Sanskar Institute) and author of Khiltu Pushp. She has worked in physiotherapy since 2000 and as a prenatal education coach since 2005, leading programs on maternity, women’s health, and traditional practices.
François Amigues
CanadaPresident of the Canadian Association for Prenatal Education (C.A.P.E.), director of I.D.E.A.L. Family, co-founder of “College Bebe Lumiere” and member of O.M.A.E.P. Osteopath (D.O.) working with couples, pregnant women, and newborns for over 25 years. Lectures and teaches prenatal education, pediatric, and obstetric osteopathy internationally.
Nese Karabekir
TurkeyPsychodrama therapist and trainer, birth psychologist, and certified childbirth educator. Co-founder of Istanbul Psychodrama Institute and Istanbul Birth Academy, and President of the Hand to Hand for Birth Association. She provides doula and birth psychotherapy training internationally.
Dr. Liangkun Ma
ChinaProfessor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Peking Union Medical College Hospital (PUMCH), Beijing. Chair of multiple national committees and foundations focused on maternal and child health, obstetrics, postpartum care, and metabolic disease prevention within leading Chinese medical institutions.
Jennifer Kozlow
Costa RicaJennifer Kozlow is ICCE-IAT, CD, ITP, ICPFE, Director PREVIDA Foundation Certified Perinatal Educator and Trainer of innovative methodologies for more effective childbirth preparation courses. Author, Editor of Maternity Health publications and International Conference Speaker.
Yukta Mukhi
IndiaStudent of Siddha Yoga Sadhana and Miss World India 1999. Mother, educator, and sustainability advocate focused on natural living for children and families, including Ayurveda-based communities. Early Childhood Waldorf educator trained in RIE, working with NGOs on environmental and family-centered initiatives.
Guillaume Courmont
FranceMusician, vocal and choir coach, music educator, and sonotherapist. Long-time advocate for pre- and perinatal life, collaborating with the National Association for Prenatal Education (ANEP) and exploring the role of sound and voice in human development.
Lubka Kolesar-Amigues
CanadaMA in Psychology, NLP life coach since 2006 and teacher of Paneurythmy at IDEAL retreats. Operatic singer and founder of the “Opera Under the Stars” festival, co-organizing prenatal symposiums in Canada since 2003 and leading guided imagery meditation workshops internationally.
Matheus Almeida
BrazilChinese Medicine practitioner with over 13 years of experience in clinical practice and community work with underserved families in Rio de Janeiro. Professor at the Brazilian Acupuncture College and collaborator with ANEP Brazil, lecturing internationally and teaching advanced classical Chinese medicine.
Maria Fernanda Cavinato
BrazilPhysician specializing in homeopathy, addressing physical, sensorial, intellectual, and emotional health. Her work includes conception, pregnancy, and birth experiences, and she teaches and supervises physicians in government programs serving remote rural communities.
Advisory Board
Joel Evans
United States · Advisory MemberBoard-certified OB/GYN and international lecturer, Director of The Center for Functional Medicine in Stamford, CT, and Chief of Medical Affairs for the Institute for Functional Medicine. UN speaker on prenatal origins of violence and Medical Advisor to OMAEP, also serving with APPPAH. Author of The Whole Pregnancy Handbook.
Geraldine Nyaku
Zimbabwe · Advisory MemberLawyer and Women’s rights advocate and researcher with over nine years of experience in legal research, advocacy, and maternal health. She has worked with the Judicial Service Commission and led national coordination for White Ribbon Alliance Zimbabwe, advancing respectful maternity care and gender-based violence prevention.
Manuel Hurtado
Spain · Advisory MemberSocial media and information management professional with a Master’s in Strategic Human Resources Management. Over twenty years in Natural Prenatal Education, General Secretary of ANEP Spain, Board member of OMAEP, and founder of RIO Prenatal.
Raquel Machín
Spain · Advisory MemberRaquel Machín is a musician and educator trained at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Madrid, specializing in prenatal music and early development. Her work explores prenatal consciousness and early human experience through research, education, and her platforms “Antes de Nacer”.
Nina Ketscher
USA · Advisory MemberHolistic and integrative therapist working with mothers, babies, children, and families. A former Vice President and Director of Education at APPPAH, she integrates Western psychology with Eastern healing practices to support healthy conception, pregnancy, birth, and early development.
Antonella Sansone
Italy · Advisory MemberIntegrative health and clinical psychologist, certified mindfulness facilitator, developmental baby massage teacher, international speaker, author of several books and articles. Her work bridges pre and perinatal psychology, mindfulness, indigenous wisdom, and trauma-informed care to support maternal wellbeing & early development
Coordination Team
Varsha Patro
India · Technical Support ManagerEducation specialist with expertise in curriculum design and learning facilitation, with a background in engineering and artificial intelligence. She contributes to prenatal education initiatives with Mommy’s Touch Garbh Sanskar Institute, supporting program coordination, seminars, and community-based learning.