Lactation & Breastfeeding Online Course(s) & Continuing Education

Hope has always been the type of person to dive head-first into the deep end (literally - she learned to swim before she was 2!). Hope became an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) in 2017, completed her PhD in nutritional biochemistry in 2018 at NC State University, and became a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) in 2020.

In addition to owning and operating Hope Feeds Babies in Rock Hill, SC, Hope is employed full time at Winthrop University in the Department of Human Nutrition overseeing the Certificate in Medical Lactation and running a research lab that focuses on helping mothers to reach their infant feeding goals, improving access to human milk, and analyzing the nutritional content of human milk. As an IBCLC, Hope has a passion for connecting with mothers to help them to reach their individual feeding goals and advocacy for maternal health. As an RDN, Hope loves to support parents in feeding their children, whether that is traditional solids, baby-led weaning, or blenderized tube feeds.

Karin always knew that helping people would guide the course of her career. Karin’s professional path demonstrates this passion as she pursued a BA in psychology from Villanova University, a Master’s in Nutrition Education from Immaculata University, and is currently in the latter stages of her dissertation work towards a PhD in Health Education and Promotion from Walden University. In the past 20 years, Karin has sought opportunities that allow her to gather experience in various settings. While earning her Masters in Nutrition Education, she worked as a counselor and nutrition therapist at the world renown Renfrew Center in Philadelphia, PA. It was here that Karin adopted her view that an individual’s relationship with food and body are critical to change and sustain physical and mental health.

Sharing this approach with future health-minded individuals prompted Karin to begin teaching at Winthrop University, where she has taught for the past seven years courses related to health and nutrition. During this time, Karin continues her own education through the pursuit of Doctorate in Health Education and Promotion from Walden University. Her dissertation focuses on online faculty perceptions of college student mental health concerns and if these perceptions predict the likelihood of a mental health service referral.

Paulina is the mother of three multicultural Latino children and Project Director for Lifespan Local. Paulina earned her BS in Psychology from the Pennsylvania State University, a MS in Organizational leadership from the University of Denver and is completing her PhD in Health and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Colorado - Denver. Paulina has over 18 years of experience working with families with young children. As a Maternal Child Health specialist for Jefferson County Public Health, she developed a NICU follow-up home visitation program and the pediatric emergency preparedness plan, co-founded and coordinated the Conectando Network (former Adelante Jeffco), established community navigation and lactation support groups focused on the Latino Spanish speaking community, and lead other initiatives to support leadership and partnerships among communities and organizations. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she managed the new program Whole Community Inclusion to ensure the pandemic response and recovery implementation included health equity practices that recognize the needs and the strengths of priority populations in the county. Her areas of current work include promoting perinatal and infant mental health along the continuum of care; building community capacity to navigate health and education systems; facilitating organizational change to embrace linguistic and culturally responsive practices; and establishing community-placed participatory programs to strengthen communities. She likes to be with people, learn from and with others, and connect passions for meaningful work.

Geraldine has been involved in breastfeeding support and education for 30 years in Ireland. She works in private practice as a Lactation Consultant doing home visits. She has a major interest in Adult Education and she runs Training of Trainer (Lactation) courses for healthcare professionals in Ireland. She tutors for a group called Cuidiú, training both breastfeeding counselors and childbirth educators.She has organized Peer to peer education for other groups in Ireland and abroad. Geraldine has spoken at many conferences both in Ireland and abroad or a range of topics but her choice usually comes back to her interest in Adult education and the theories around learning styles, groupwork, experiential learning and programme development.

Dr. Satish Tiwari has worked as Professor of Pediatrics for 5- 6 years, and was responsible for the formation of the Indian Medico-Legal Ethics Association (Founder President), and the Human Milk Banking Association (India). He is a recipient of the Dr Nirmala Kesaree Oration 2012 and Dr NB Kumta Award 2015 for outstanding work in IYCF. He is a trainer in Human Lactation, breastfeeding, human milk banking, medico-legal issues etc. He has National, International publications and has provided editorial services for: a Textbook on Medico-legal Issues, Feeding Fundamentals, International J Gastroenterology, Hepatology, Transplant & Nutrition, and the Journal Indian Medico-Legal Ethics Association. He is Founder Editor-in-chief for the New Indian Journal Pediatrics. He is Founder Secretary Medico-legal group, Founder Secretary IYCF chapter IAP. He worked as President BPNI Maharashtra 04-06, Member Central Coordination Committee of BPNI (New Delhi) 06-08 and National Executive Indian Academy Pediatrics 07. He was a Postgraduate & Undergraduate examiner in Pediatrics and has been invited as a Guest Speaker on Infant feeding, breastfeeding, Medico-legal issues, HIV, Behavioral problems, etc.

Dr. Kendall-Tackett is a health psychologist and International Board Certified Lactation Consultant, and the Owner and Editor-in-Chief of Praeclarus Press, a small press specializing in women's health. Dr. Kendall-Tackett is Editor-in-Chief of the journal, Psychological Trauma and was Founding Editor-in-Chief of Clinical Lactation, a position she held for 11 years. She is Fellow of the American Psychological Association in Health and Trauma Psychology, Past President of the APA Division of Trauma Psychology, and a member of APA’s Publications and Communications Board.

In 2014, Ghanaian-American mother and photographer, Vanessa Simmons authored the Normalize Breastfeeding™ movement to address the taboo of public breastfeeding in modern society. Her mission was to document diverse variations of normal infant feeding, across cultures and delivery methods of human milk.
Through Simmons' viral blog, her photographic speaking tour, philanthropy, and artistic inspiration; she mobilized and motivated thousands of women to share their breastfeeding photos on social media. After a very successful first year, she reached out to the Mayor of San Diego to proclaim June 27th the International Day to Normalize Breastfeeding, in support of the worldwide anniversary event!
Lactation educator and activist, Vanessa Simmons, is now speaking out at conferences and events across the country to eliminate general miseducation around the topic. On the Normalize Breastfeeding podcast, she interviews guests about experiences, advocacy, and activism within the infant feeding community worldwide.
As a public speaker, Simmons is focused on transforming the modern mindset around the natural, yet difficult task of breastfeeding. Vanessa trains lactation professionals to better understand and connect with millennial families online. She creatively motivates and inspires families to be mindful that this is a time to be cherished, and although fleeting, it is also a time to reinvent what will be acceptable for feeding generations of the future.
Simmons is an aspiring author and resides with her supportive husband and three children in San Diego, CA.

Paulina is the mother of three multicultural Latino children and Project Director for Lifespan Local. Paulina earned her BS in Psychology from the Pennsylvania State University, a MS in Organizational leadership from the University of Denver and is completing her PhD in Health and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Colorado - Denver. Paulina has over 18 years of experience working with families with young children. As a Maternal Child Health specialist for Jefferson County Public Health, she developed a NICU follow-up home visitation program and the pediatric emergency preparedness plan, co-founded and coordinated the Conectando Network (former Adelante Jeffco), established community navigation and lactation support groups focused on the Latino Spanish speaking community, and lead other initiatives to support leadership and partnerships among communities and organizations. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she managed the new program Whole Community Inclusion to ensure the pandemic response and recovery implementation included health equity practices that recognize the needs and the strengths of priority populations in the county. Her areas of current work include promoting perinatal and infant mental health along the continuum of care; building community capacity to navigate health and education systems; facilitating organizational change to embrace linguistic and culturally responsive practices; and establishing community-placed participatory programs to strengthen communities. She likes to be with people, learn from and with others, and connect passions for meaningful work.

Amy Barron Smolinski holds an MA from Union Institute and University, where her thesis explored re-emerging Sacred Feminine manifestations in the lives of contemporary women. She is the Executive Director of Mom2Mom Global, a network of breastfeeding peer support, education, and advocacy for military families. She works with breastfeeding dyads in a variety of settings, from inpatient postpartum and NICU to home visits, telephone, and online consulting as an Advanced Lactation Consultant and Certified Lactation Counselor. Supporting breastfeeding families has shown her how each parent’s breastfeeding journey with each of her children is a reclamation of her connection to her inner wisdom and power. Amy is an actress, director, and professional voice artist in Germany, where she resides with her husband and four sons, all of whom breastfed to self-weaning.

Dr Elaine Burns is a Registered Midwife and Senior Lecturer at Western Sydney University and Chair of the NSW Branch of the Australian College of Midwives. Elaine has worked in the area of midwifery and women’s health for more than two decades and has an established track record as clinician, educator and researcher. Her current research interests focus around midwifery practice during the early postnatal period and peer and professional breastfeeding communication. Elaine is passionate about improving support for women who are breastfeeding and the early transition to mothering.

Barbara Wilson-Clay became a La Leche League Leader in 1982. She certified as an IBCLC and entered private practice in Austin, Texas in 1987. Barbara was named a Fellow of the International Lactation Consultant Association in 2008. She recently retired from her practice, which specialized in difficult breastfeeding situations. With a client load of 400-450 visits yearly, Barbara garnered a wealth of clinical and counseling experience and a trove of clinical teaching photos. In partnership with Kay Hoover, she created The Breastfeeding Atlas, which was translated into Chinese in 2019 by Fudan University Press. A Korean translation will be published in September 2020.

Barbara has been a citizen advocate for breastfeeding in the Texas legislature and helped pass a landmark law protecting breastfeeding rights. She is one of the co-founders of the non-profit Mothers Milk Bank at Austin, and retired as Vice President of the Board of Directors in 2010. She continues to serve on the Advisory Board. Barbara's research and commentaries have appeared in the Journal of Human Lactation, Archives of Disease in Childhood, the International Breastfeeding Journal, and others. She has served on various editorial review boards and contributed chapters to several lactation textbooks.