Some local experts on women and children's health, child development, nutrition and fitness have been gracious enough to share their knowledge with us.

So every Tuesday, some of them will field your questions about your health, your kid's health and whatever else is on your mind.

Please e-mail questions to Sarah.Lindenfeld@newsobserver.com.

Our panel

PEDIATRIC DENTISTRY

Dr. Jessica Y. Lee
Associate Professor
UNC-Chapel Hill School of Dentistry

Dr. Michael Milano
Clinical Associate Professor Director, Pediatric Dentistry Graduate Program
UNC-Chapel Hill School of Dentistry

Dr. Michael Roberts
Clinical Professor Department of Pediatric Dentistry
UNC-Chapel Hill School of Dentistry

Dr. J. Timothy Wright
Dr. James W. Bawden Distinguished Professor of Pediatric Dentistry
Chair of the Department of Pediatric Dentistry UNC-Chapel Hill School of Dentistry

CHILD PSYCHIATRY

Jack Naftel, M.D.
Director, Division of Child Psychiatry Professor, Department of Psychiatry
UNC School of Medicine
Expertise in general child psychiatry

 OB/GYN

Alice Chuang, MD
Division of Women's Primary Healthcare Assistant Professor, Department of OB/GYN
UNC School of Medicine
North Carolina Women's Hospital

Jennifer Ragazzo, MD 
Division of Women's Primary Healthcare Assistant Professor, Department of OB/GYN
UNC School of Medicine
North Carolina Women's Hospital

John Thorp, MD
Expertise in preterm births and nutrition in pregnancy
Director, Division of Women's Primary Healthcare Professor, Department of OB/GYN
UNC School of Medicine
North Carolina Women's Hospital

PEDIATRICS

Wally Brown, MD
Division of General Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine Professor, Department of Pediatrics
UNC School of Medicine
North Carolina Children's Hospital

Mike Steiner, MD
Division of General Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine Assistant Professor, Department of Pediatrics
UNC School of Medicine
North Carolina Children's Hospital

CHILD DEVELOPMENT AND FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS

Dr. Karen DeBord
Professor & Extension Specialist, Child Development
N.C. State University
Research interests include professional development for child care teachers, professional development for parenting educators, quality outdoor children’s environments, and parenting education.

Lisa Berlin, Ph.D.
Research Scientist, Center for Child and Family Policy
Duke University
Her expertise is early child development and early intervention, especially in terms of the prediction and prevention of child abuse and neglect.  Attachment theory and research guide much of her work.  

Edna Neal Collins
Assistant Professor
Meredith College
Expertise in toddler development, teacher-child interactions and child care quality.

Maggie Connolly
Director, Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute’s Child Care Program
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Connolly is responsible for FPG’s on-site education and intervention services for children and families. The program is nationally accredited and meets NC’s highest child care licensing standards. 

Dr. Mary Haskett
Associate professor of psychology
N.C. State University
Haskett  studies child transitions from home to school, and services for abusive parents and their children.

Samuel L. Odom, Ph.D.
Director of the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Odom's research has focused on the needs of people with developmental disabilities, and he is highly regarded nationally for his work with preschool children, peer social relationships, autism spectrum disorder and school readiness.

David Rabiner, Ph.D.
Associate Director for Program Evaluation Services, Center for Child and Family Policy
Duke University
His expertise is child behavior problems, violence prevention, ADHD, and interventions to improve academic performance in children with attention difficulties.  

Deborah Tippett
Professor and head, Department of Human Environmental Sciences
Meredith College
Co-author of Teen Life: Living, Learning, and Caring. Her research interests are early adolescent development, textbook censorship and global families.

NUTRITION AND FITNESS

Elisabetta Politi, RD, MPH, CDE
Nutrition director
Duke Diet & Fitness Center
Politi has dedicated her career to the prevention of chronic diseases through diet and weight management. As the Duke Diet & Fitness Online nutrition expert, she provides information and answers members' questions about food choices and meal planning.

Susan Fisher, RD, LD
Associate Professor
Meredith College
Fisher teaches in both the foods and nutrition undergraduate and master’s in nutrition programs.

Gerald Endress, MS, RCEP
Fitness director
Duke Diet & Fitness Center
Endress manages a team of exercise physiologists at the center and helps patients achieve their fitness goals. For the Duke Diet & Fitness Online program, he provides state-of-the-art fitness information and workout plans and responds to questions about all things fitness-related — from warm-ups to cooldowns, and everything in between.

Dr. Carolyn Dunn
Professor, Nutrition Specialist and Associate State Program Leader
N.C. State University
Dunn's areas of expertise include nutrition and physical activity education for children, youth and families as it relates to healthy weight.

BREASTFEEDING 

Mary Rose Tully, MPH, IBCLC
Director of lactation services
UNC Health Care
Tully is a founding member and former president of the Human Milk Banking Association of North America and former chairwoman of the International Lactation Consultants Association. She is an adjunct associate professor in the Department of Maternal and Child Health and has worked for many years with breastfeeding mothers and their infants.

Miriam H. Labbok, MD, MPH, FACPM, IBCLC/RLC, FABM
Professor of the Practice of Public Health Director, Center for Infant and Young Child Feeding and Care, Department of Maternal and Child Health
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Labbok leads a center that was established in 2006 to further statewide, national, and global health and the understanding and support for optimal infant and young child feeding in relation to maternal and child health. Labbok also has worked for UNICEF and USAID.