You are invited to attend the 2025 Healthy Mom - Healthy Baby Conference!
The University of Texas at Austin School of Nursing is hosting the Healthy Mom - Healthy Baby Conference in collaboration with The Nurse-Family Partnership (NFP). UT Austin School of Nursing is dedicated to providing nurses the opportunity to increase their knowledge in current mother/baby practices with Continuing Nurse Education (CNE) topics. The NFP empowers first-time moms to transform their lives and create better futures for themselves and their babies, beginning from early pregnancy and continuing until the child’s second birthday.
This conference is a professional education opportunity for all nurses who professionally support the wellbeing of mothers, babies, and families, including nursing students interested in attaining additional knowledge in this specialty before graduation. The Healthy Mom – Healthy Baby is open to all practicing mother/baby nurses in the community.
For questions, please email us at UTSON_CNE@nursing.utexas.edu.
Register Here

Conference Overview
Date & Time: Wednesday, May 14, 2025 (9:00 AM - 5:00 PM) and Thursday, May 15, 2025 (8:40 AM – 12:45 PM)
Location: UT Austin Commons Conference Center
CNE Credits: CNE Credits will be available to conference attendees.
Parking: Parking is included with registration. Parking permits will be available on the day of the conference, at the registration table.
Conference Cost:
Attendee - Full Conference: $125.00
Attendee – Day 1 Conference: $100.00
Attendee – Day 2 (0.5-day) Conference: $50.00
UT Austin Student: $50.00
UT Austin Faculty/Staff: $75.00
Important Notes
Payment by Check or Purchase Order
Please send checks with online registration invoice to: UT School of Nursing, Attn: Deanna Baker, 1710 Red River St. Austin, Texas 78712. If your registration is being paid by your organization, please include an agency purchase order with your registration(s) or submit them to Deanna Baker dbaker@nursing.utexas.edu.
Refund and Substitution Policies
If you need to cancel your registration, you must email your cancellation notice by Friday, May 2, 2025, in order to receive a full refund. Substitutions from the same agency are allowed at any time with prior notification. You must email your cancellation or substitution notices to dbaker@nursing.utexas.edu.
Accommodations and Services
Visit UT Austin Commons Conference Center or Austin: Places to Stay for a list of accommodations.
If you require adaptive accommodations, please contact Deanna Baker at dbaker@nursing.utexas.edu or 512-471-7961 for assistance.
Photography & Video Policy
Your entry and presence at the Healthy Mom – Healthy Baby 2025 conference constitutes your consent to be photographed, filmed, and/or otherwise recorded and to the release, publication, exhibition, or reproduction of any and all recorded media of your appearance. You understand that all photography, filming and/or recording will be done in reliance on this consent.
Emotional Support Animals
While the UT Austin School of Nursing Conference Planning Committee acknowledges an emotional support animal (ESA) is a companion animal that provides therapeutic benefit to an individual with a mental or psychiatric disability and while the committee is committed to helping provide a safe and comforting learning environment for all attendees, the Planning Committee and UT Austin School of Nursing ask that ESAs be left in the comfort of their own homes and not brought to the conference. Service dogs and their handlers are always welcome. A service dog is defined by Title II and Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act as "any dog that is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability, including a physical, sensory, psychiatric, intellectual, or other mental disability." Thank you for your compliance and understanding.
*Accreditation:

These activities have been accredited for CNE through The University of Texas at Austin School of Nursing’s Accredited Provider Unit. The University of Texas at Austin School of Nursing is accredited as a provider of nursing continuing professional development by the American Nurses Credentialing Center's Commission on Accreditation
Conference Agenda & Speakers
Agenda - Wednesday, May 14, 2025
TIME | ACTIVITY | SPEAKER(S) |
---|---|---|
8:00 - 8:55 am | Registration | |
9:00 - 10:20 am | Key Speaker | Catherine Squire Eppes, MD Topic: Substance Use During the Perinatal Period |
10:30 - 11:50 am | Speaker Presentation | Laura Murphy, PhD, MSN, RNC-OB Topic: Perinatal Complications |
11:50 am - 12:45 pm | Lunch | |
12:45 - 2:05 pm | Speaker Presentation | Joan Doglio Smith, CNM, APRN, OBGYN NP Topic: Infant Assessment in the Home |
2:15 - 3:35 pm | Speaker Presentation | Jessica Peterson, OTD, CLC, PMH-C, CEIM Topic: Sensory Systems in Infants to Enhance Interpretation of Cues |
3:40 - 5:00 pm | Speaker Presentation | Esther Calzada, PhD Topic: Helping Parents Support Healthy Child Development in At-Risk Families |
5:00 - 5:15 pm | Closing and Evaluations |
Agenda - Thursday, May 15, 2025
TIME | ACTIVITY | SPEAKER(S) |
---|---|---|
8:00 - 8:35 am | Registration | |
8:40 - 10:00 am | Speaker Presentation | Robin Page PhD, APRN, CNM, FACNM, FAAN Topic: Maternal Morbidity and Mortality |
10:05 - 11:25 am | Speaker Presentation | Ciarra Morgan TLCD, HBCE, CSC Topic: Infant Sleep |
11:30 am - 12:45 pm | Speaker Presentation | Allyson Bates OTD, OTR/L, SWC Topic: Supporting Toddler Development Through Play and Mindful Parenting |
12:45 - 5:00 pm | The NFP Award Ceremony |
Speakers

Joan Doglio Smith, CNM, APRN, OB/GYN NP
Joan worked at the Austin Area Birthing Center where she held many administrative positions. They include Clinical Director, Staff Educator, Centering Pregnancy Director, and Student Supervisor. In addition, Joan holds the distinction of having been the longest tenured Staff Midwife at the center.
Joan has twenty-three years of faculty experience in Nurse-Midwifery and Nursing. She is currently a preceptor for the Association of Texas Midwives (ATM), the North American Registry of Midwives (NARM), the National College of Midwifery, the University of Cincinnati, Frontier Nursing University, Georgetown University, and Baylor University School of Nursing.
Learn more about Joan Doglio Smith

Robin Page, PhD, APRN, CNM, FACNM, FAAN
Dr. Robin Page is a tenured faculty member at Texas A&M. She is a maternal health expert who has been with the School of Nursing since 2014. Her research on women’s health, pregnancy, health disparities and more has been widely published, and Page has secured or helped secure millions in grant funding to study and provide outreach services to underserved and vulnerable populations. A practicing Advanced Practice Registered Nurse-Certified Nurse Midwife, she provides her services free of charge to several community clinics in the Brazos Valley.
Dr. Page is the founder and director of the school’s Program of Excellence for Mothers, Children and Families (POEMCF), which was created in 2022 to develop and manage projects that improve the health and well-being of families and communities across Texas.

Esther Calzada, PhD
Dr. Esther Calzada is the Norma and Clay Leben Professor in Child and Family Behavioral Health and Associate Dean for Research at the Steve Hicks School of Social Work. She received her B.A. from Duke University and her Ph.D. from the University of Florida.
Dr. Calzada is a clinical child psychologist with expertise in parenting and early childhood development in Latinx and other minoritized families. She has a strong commitment to scientific equity, working to both elucidate and counter systemic injustices (e.g., race-based discrimination) that undermine healthy development, and recognize and leverage factors that promote (e.g., ethnic identity) the well-being of young children. Ultimately, her program of research aims to reduce disparities in academic achievement, behavior problems, and socio-emotional problems. Her work has been funded by the National Institute of Health, the U.S. Department of Education, and the National Science Foundation and is published regularly in psychology, educational and medical journals.
Learn more about Esther Calzada

Catherine Eppes, MD
Dr. Catherine Eppes is an Associate Professor at Baylor College of Medicine and the MFM Division Director for Baylor. She is also the medical director for TexasAIM- the state of Texas' implementation of AIM bundles, which have included postpartum hemorrhage, hypertension and opioid use disorder. Her research, public health and clinical interests include patient quality and safety, substance use disorder and infectious diseases in pregnancy.
Learn more about Catherine Eppes

Laura Murphy, PhD, MSN, RNC-OB
Dr. Laura Murphy received her BSN and MSN in maternity nursing from The University of Texas School of Nursing and her PhD in nursing science from Texas Woman's University. She has been teaching perinatal nursing at UT Austin for 13 years. Laura has experience working in labor and delivery, postpartum, and newborn nursery. She has also taught practicum courses at various hospitals in the area.

Ciarra Morgan, TLCD, HBCE, CSC
Ciarra Morgan is the owner of Empowered Beginnings in Austin, Texas. She is also the creator and co-host of the Birth, Baby! Podcast and the co-founder of Birth, Baby! Academy, a birth doula training program. She is a certified birth doula, HypnoBirthing educator, and pediatric sleep consultant with a passion for supporting families through pregnancy, birth, and postpartum.
Learn more about Ciarra Morgan

Allyson Bates, OTD, OTR/L, SWC
Allyson Bates is a mother and Doctor of Occupational Therapy who is passionate about supporting family health and wellness. Allyson has over 10 years of experience working with the pediatric population as a former elementary school teacher and practicing occupational therapist. She specializes in maternal mental health, pediatric development and mindfulness coaching for families.
Allyson is an advocate for supporting family wellness in nature-based settings. She utilizes the outdoor environment and specialized nature-based activities to support families in building the skills needed for participating in meaningful daily activities. Allyson believes that everyone should be allowed the opportunity to learn, grow and thrive in their own unique way. She focuses on creating rich sensory experiences for families to connect with nature and develop community. She provides ongoing family education to support child development and mindfulness routines into daily life.
Learn more about Allyson Bates

Jessica Peterson, OTD, CLC, PMH-C, CEIM
Jessica Peterson is a mother of 2 and has been an occupational therapist for over 13 years. She is the owner and founder of Milk Stories, a mobile private practice in Austin, TX that specializes in infant and maternal health. She is passionate about working with mothers and families, particularly around the co-occupations of breastfeeding and infant feedings. Jessica is a Certified Lactation Counselor, Certified Perinatal Mental Health Professional and Infant Massage Educator. In 2023, she completed her post-professional Doctorate in Occupational Therapy from Boston University focusing on building resources and education for occupational therapy practitioners to better serve parents with disabilities.
Learn more about Jessica Peterson
Sponsors
Interested in becoming a sponsor?
Sponsors are welcome on Wednesday, May 14, 2025
Thank you in advance for your consideration to sponsor the Healthy Mom - Healthy Baby conference. Your donation is extremely important and greatly appreciated by all RN's who plan to attend the conference.
Tiers of Sponsorship
Gold: $501.00 - $800.00+
Logo, company name, and bio placement on registration site, two complimentary conference registrations and session attendance, table-top exhibit space with priority assignment, and complimentary lunch for two.
Silver: $301.00 – $500.00
Logo placement, one complimentary conference registration and session attendance, table-top exhibit space, and one complimentary lunch.
Bronze: $100.00 - $300.00
Logo placement, one complimentary conference registration and session attendance, table-top exhibit space, and one complimentary lunch.
Note: Sponsor material may be distributed to learners in the designated lobby area but not within the learners' educational space. Corporate logos and bio's will be advertised on a sponsorship page, separate from the learner content. Learners are allowed to visit sponsor tables in the designated area and visit or retain sponsor items at their discretion. UT Austin School of Nursing is not allowed to distribute items for sponsors.
Exhibitors
Interested in becoming an exhibitor?
Exhibitors are welcome on Wednesday, May 14, 2025
Thank you in advance for your consideration to become an exhibitor at the Healthy Mom - Healthy Baby conference. Exhibitors receive a table-top exhibit space, two chairs, and one complimentary lunch.
Pricing for Exhibitors
- Non-Profit: $0.00
- Texas Government Agency: 100.00
- For-Profit: $150.00
Note: Exhibitors from a commercial interest organization may not exhibit, promote, or sell products or services during any part of the educational activity. Exhibiting and marketing/advertising for exhibits must take place in a physically separated area from where the educational content is delivered. Giveaways are permitted as long as they are not packaged within educational materials used during the educational event and are handed out in a physically separated area from the educational event.