Martha G. Welch

Martha G. Welch, MD, DFAPA, is a child and family psychiatrist, neurobiologist, researcher, and professor emeritus of psychiatry in pediatrics, pathology, and cell biology at Columbia University Irving Medical Center. For more than fifty years, she has been a leading voice in the science of emotional connection, pioneering new approaches to understanding how parent-child relationships shape development, health, and well-being. A diplomate of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology and a distinguished fellow of the American Psychiatric Association, Dr. Welch developed the Welch Method of parenting and founded Columbia University’s Nurture Science Program, where she led groundbreaking research into parent-child coregulation, early relational health, and the biological foundations of emotional development. 

The author of the parenting classic Holding Time and more than 70 scientific publications, Dr. Welch has dedicated her career to bridging research and practice. Her groundbreaking work has demonstrated that emotional connection is not simply a feeling—it is a biological process that supports both children and parents.