07/20/2026
CAPPA Convening 2026 is almost here! If you can’t join us July 30-31 in Philadelphia, you can attend VIRTUALLY!
The full Convening lineup is 🔥🔥🔥
It's a lot, in the best way.
21 speakers. One keynote. Two days. And somewhere in there, at least one session with your name on it. Probably more.
📣 Tatyana Ali keynotes — actress, advocate, and a mother who turned a traumatic birth into a movement for Black maternal health. She lived the before-and-after of what birth workers make possible, and she's bringing it to the stage.
But here's what I love about this lineup: the range. Look at the room we're building.
📝 Policy & Advocacy
Jill Wodnick — Medicaid, legislation & the policy landscape of doula work
Melissa Patti (March of Dimes) — the latest on maternal & infant health outcomes
Debbie Hull — fierce advocacy, simple techniques
Dr. Rajeswari K — data, community medicine & birth equity
🤰🏽 Maternal Mental & Emotional Health
Nicole McNelis — from mom rage to resilience
Sonali Shivlani (CAPPA India) — the silent mental load of pregnancy
🍼 Lactation & Feeding
Ashley Robinson, DrPH, IBCLC — breastfeeding & epigenetics
Rotem Pearlson — the first weeks & getting breastfeeding off to a good start
Lydia Laparra Garcia — supporting families through weaning
👩🏼🍼 Postpartum & Early parenting
Abby Bordner — the first three months: attachment & brain development
Kaybee Beach-Leathers — reimagining parent education for the modern family
Betel Aklilu — heal & rebuild postpartum
Liza Kaplan Montanino — the truth about sleep training
🟰 Equity & Community
Melanie Sandoval — building trust, equity & impact in birth work
Nicole Harlot — the power of collaboration in perinatal care
Galissa Jones — the postpartum doula as essential care-team member
📚 Childbirth Education
Shelly Matthews — making your classes interactive, educational & fun
Jenny Kozlow — giving birth from the right side of the brain
🙋🏾♂️Dads & The Business of Birth Work
Joel Austin (Daddy University) — the paternal conversation
Jodi Congdon — your network & net worth with an online membership
Rosa Neves — demystifying parental leave for the perinatal professional
🎟️ Philly Access Live: at Drexel University (Philadelphia, PA), July 30 and 31. Members $225, non-members $275. Virtual conference access included.
💻 Everywhere Access: the full virtual conference. All 22 sessions, 15+ CEUs, opening August 1. $225 through July 29, then $250.
Register here!
CAPPA is the leading certification organization for doulas, childbirth educators, and perinatal professionals. Trusted since 1998. Access your account or get support.
