Letter from the Director
Dear Friends and Colleagues,
As I sit in my office working on my Director's letter, I am deeply saddened to reflect on recent events that have taken the lives of so many and caused immeasurable suffering. Our colleagues and friends in Texas, Florida, and Puerto Rico are persevering despite unbelievable hardships, as are those impacted by the wildfires in the western United States and from other natural and manmade disasters around the world. Add to that the senseless act of cowardice that happened in Las Vegas. I hope that these events will be a call to build unity and assist those affected to lift
them from their despair. In this edition of Breastfeeding Exclusive we have listed resources for those wishing to contribute in some way to infant and young child feeding in emergencies (IYCF-E).
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Native American participants at the USBC Conference this past August |
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This summer w
as a time for growth, reflection and change for CGBI. For the first time in our history the CGBI team is co-located, with the exception of our stellar employees who work remotely. This was Dr. Labbok
's dream, and is sure to strengthen our team moving forward. In August we welcomed our new tenure track faculty member, Dr. Aunchalee Palmquist.
Dr. Palmquist is featured
in this edition
and comes to us from Elon University where
she
developed her expertise in milk sharing and refugee crisis situations. She has jumped right in and we are working towards executing her vision
for the future global
work of CGBI
.
Read the project update of our Food for the Hungry
collaboration that allowed Kathy Parry to help train over 40 community health workers in June on messages that will reach 180 rural indigenous communities in Guatemala.
In early August we participated in the United State Breastfeeding Committee's Seventh National Breastfeeding C
oalitions Conference in Washington DC. The conference was a departure
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Catherine Sullivan at the NAPPLSC Amazing R.A.C.E. |
from years past, featuring
a number of skill building sessions to impact practices in equity and coalition building. There was also a number of Native American tribes represented, one of which led participants in a
moving opening ceremony of community drumming.
As an organization, we are in our infancy on this
journey of learning so all of the sessions were extremely useful and relevant.
Later in the month a few of us attended the National Association of Peer and Professional Lactation Supporters of Color (NAPPLSC) Amazing R.A.C.E. in New Orleans before the Reaching Our Sisters Everywhere (ROSE) Summit. Similar to the television show, we were challenged to complete competitions over a 24 hour timeframe with a number of obstacles (physical, social and mental). For all intents and
[SCS3] purposes we were paired on teams with complete strangers or individuals we didn't know well. It was an intense lesson in team building and resilience. Program planners Clifton Kenon and Nekisha Killings along with Executive Director, Stacy Davis, and the rest of the NAPPLSC Board were innovative in their approach, offering a unique way to engage all of us in collaborative change and learning. The stories and experiences from the Amazing R.A.C.E will shape us for years to come. Check out the great work they are doing at
www.napplsc.org
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Daina Huntley, Catherine Sullivan, and Thea Calhoun-Smith at the ROSE Summit |
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As always the ROSE Summit was vibrant and
enlightening. Between fantastic speakers there was plenty of fun physical activity and networking. I was honored to particip
ate on a panel focusing on the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative with colleagues Trish MacEnroe from Baby Friendly USA and Kimarie Bugg, Founder of ROSE. I was able to share how we have approached equity through individualized technical assistance in the EMPower Breastfeeding Initiative. Our work in breastfeeding friendly healthcare continues to grow as we just r
eturned from doing a training in Kansas for six hospitals on their Baby-Friendly journey. This was funded by HRSA through the Kansas Department of Health and Environment and the United Methodist Health Ministry Fund.
I hope that you will enjoy this edition of
Breastfeeding Exclusive as you read about the exciting and innovative projects we are working on. Lastly, I would like to congratulate program assistant, Abby Smetana on her recent election as Chair-Elect to the Lactation Education Accreditation and Approval Committee. This is an outstanding honor. As I complete my first year as the Director of CGBI, I am reminded on a daily basis of the talent, dedication and synergy that surrounds me. I am grateful to be building upon a solid infrastructure of support and loyalty with such a fantastic team of professionals.
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Dr. Aunchalee Palmquist |
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We are pleased to welcome Dr. Aunchalee Palmquist to the CGBI team!
Dr. Palmquist has joined us as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Maternal and Child Health. She is a medical anthropologist and an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC). Dr. Palmquist has served as an International Lactation Consultants Association (ILCA) liaison to the United Nations advocating for global breastfeeding policy, and will be joining Kathy Parry in representing CGBI in the WHO/UNICEF Global Breastfeeding Collective.
Dr. Palmquist joins us from the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at Elon University, where she was also Director of the Program for Ethnograhpic Research and Community Studies (PERCS). Dr. Palmquist will utilize her expertise in community-based participatory research, ethnographic and qualitative methods, and mixed-methods research to understand and address breastfeeding and health disparities. She recently completed a three-year, multi-sited ethnographic study of human milk sharing in the U.S., which was funded by the Wenner-Gren Foundation. Dr. Palmquist is considered an expert on this topic and has spoken to audiences of academics and health professionals about the evolutionary, cultural, and public health dimensions of sharing human milk. Click the link to read more...
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The Carolina Global Breastfeeding Institute is excited to announce the Couplet Care Bassinetâ„¢. The name of this medical device derives from the clinical approach of serving the health needs of new mothers and their infants together.
Mother-infant rooming-in is now the standard of healthcare, but existing bassinets do not sufficiently accommodate new families' needs. They are currently an access barrier, which contribute to maternal discomfort, distress, and more difficult and less frequent breastfeeding.
The Couplet Care Bassinetâ„¢ will positively shift maternity care, for immediate change and with scale-up and implementation support to establish a better approach for generations to come.
Click the link to read more...
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Guatemala Food for the Hungry staff participate in a role-playing exercise during training this past June. |
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CGBI is continuing to collaborate with Food for the Hungry Guatemala on a new project this year. Building on their previous work together that produced the "Reading and Responding to Your Baby" Care Group
module, the new project is focusing on the creation of two additional Care Group
modules that incorporate messages about responsive feeding and its importance to early childhood development.
In June, CGBI global projects' staff Kathy Parry traveled to Guatemala to conduct a 6-day training together with Food for the Hungry colleague Karen Neiswender de Calani. Over 40 Food for the Hungry staff participated in the train-the-trainer event, which included interactive role-playing and opportunities for the three indigenous languages represented to discuss the best ways to describe difficult concepts in their language. The Care Group module methodology allows these staff to train health volunteers in their region on how to teach the messages to their neighbors. Click the link to read more...
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EMPower Breastfeeding Initiative
Hospitals in the EMPower Initiative have been working diligently this summer to achieve their shared goal of fully implementing the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding and achieving Baby-Friendly designation. Currently, there are 13 EMPower facilities that have already reached the goal of designation. Recent designees include Spartanburg Medical Center in Spartanburg, SC and North Baldwin Infirmary in Bay Minette, Alabama. Congratulations!
New Contract from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: EMPower Training Initiative
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has awarded a 2-year contract to Abt Associates. CGBI and Population Health Improvement Partners are subcontractors on this new project aimed at increasing the safe implementation of the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding through training. The project started September 1st, 2017 and will go through August 31st , 2019. The work plan is currently being finalized. Stay tuned for updates on hospital recruitment this winter.
Click link to read more...
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Colleague Corner:
Felisha Floyd, BS, CLC, IBCLC is currently Lactation Coordinator for Hospital Corporations of America system in Florida. She also offers infant feeding support, mentorship, and education to her local community via her private practice,
Beyond Breastfeeding
. Felisha is the founder of Our Brown Baby, a community based breastfeeding support group, which serves to provide specialized culturally sensitive breastfeeding support to families of color. In addition to these roles, Felisha is one of the founding mothers and current President of the non-profit
The National Association of Professional and Peer Lactation Supporters of Color
, affectionately known as "NAPPLSC". She is also a Center for Social Inclusion First Food Equity Cohort member. Previously, she worked as a Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) Breastfeeding Peer Counselor and Breastfeeding Coordinator. Click the link to read more...
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Carolina BEBES' new co-presidents, Kate Lewandowski and Jenna McCready, kicked off the Fall 2017 semester recruiting new club members at the Gillings Students Activities Fair this September. There was an outstanding turnout at the BEBES general interest meeting, and members discussed potential events and activities for the upcoming school year. These include guest lecturer Dr. Aunchalee Palmquist talking about Infant Feeding in Disasters and Emergencies, a fundraiser for Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and the 3rd Annual Diaper Drive benefiting the NC Diaper Bank and NC Diaper Train.
Click the link to read more...
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A new online resource allows policy makers and advocates to model the impact of changes on health outcomes and costs for mothers and children. This Kellogg Foundation-funded tool uses results from a simulation model to estimate the lifetime change in health care outcomes and costs for a population of women and all of their children, with data available for all 50 states. The team found that a 5% point increase in breastfeeding rates was associated with statistically significant differences in child infectious morbidity for the U.S. population, including otitis media (101,952 cases, 95% confidence interval [CI] 77,929-131,894 cases) and gastrointestinal infection (236,073 cases, 95% CI 190,643-290,278 cases).
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4th Trimester Project
4th Trimester investigators Drs. Alison Stuebe, Kristin Tully, and Sarah Verbiest thank contributors to the recent project survey. Data on the most important aspects on the "Transition through the 4th Trimester" have been analyzed to refine the questionnaire that the team is developing. Soon the team will be seeking more participants to validate the measure. Stay tuned via
www.facebook.com/4thTrimesterProject
.
The 4th Trimeter Project Facebook page is approaching 5,000 followers! We enjoy engaging with expectant and new parents and those who serve them.
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CGBI's MRT-TI students after the annual White Coat Ceremony, attended by MCH Department Chair Dr. Carolyn Halpern.
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We'd like to extend a warm welcome to the new cohort of the Mary Rose Tully Training Initiative (MRT-TI). Students recently received their white coats in a ceremony attended by Maternal & Child
Health Department Chair, Carolyn Halpern, as well as clinical preceptors, CGBI faculty, and staff.
This year's students are: Courtney Hubble, Manami Hongo, Heidi Sammartino, Brooke Gilliam, Jessica Huey, Laura Swango, Charlotte Zuber, Kendell Silveira, Brenda Vieyra, Karsey Erickson, and Savannah Pressley.
We wish you the best as you get started with the academic year and your clinical shadowing experiences.
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Miriam Labbok was the co-director of BFIC from 2007 - 2016, along with founder Paige Hall Smith of UNCG. |
The 13th Breastfeeding and Feminism International Conference is accepting proposals for sessions. Abstracts are due by October 15, 2017. This year's theme reflects the intricacies of our shared experiences, and is entitled: The Dance of Nurture in a Complex World: How biology, gender, and social context shape how we nourish our children. More information and submission instructions can be found online.
Nominations are open for the Miriam H. Labbok Award for Excellence. Nominees must be early or mid-career in a relevant field of research, practice, policy and/or advocacy, and demonstrate an emerging record of accomplishment that honor's Miriam's legacy. More information and submission instructions can be found online.
The conference will be held March 21-23, 2018 at the Sheraton Hotel in Chapel Hill, NC. Please plan to join us, and share the news with your friends and colleagues!
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CGBI Accolades
- Catherine Sullivan was recently recognized as a Fellow by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Read more
- Kathy Parry was recently awarded the Gillings School of Global Public Health 2017 Impact in Practice Award. Read more
- Abby Smetana was recently elected Chair Elect to the board of the Lactation Education Accreditation and Approval Review Committee.
- Alison Stuebe was recently elected Chair Elect to the board of the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine.
Congratulations to CGBI Faculty and Staff on these accomplishments!
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To learn more about efforts to support infant feeding in hurricane affected areas of the U.S., Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands, visit
SafelyFed USA
online and like the SafelyFed U.S.A.
Facebook
page. Safely Fed USA is a grassroots network of volunteer IYCF-E and community advocates. They have provided guidance and support to the National Association of Professional and Peer Lactation Supporters of Color (NAPPLSC) and Mom2Mom Global in developing and sharing key IYCF-E messaging to hurricane affected families and those who are helping them. Black Mothers' Breastfeeding Association launched a
hotline
following hurricanes Harvey and Irma and NAPPLSC and SafelyFed USA organized volunteers to provide support to families in hurricane-affected areas. Complete the
registration form
to volunteer. Read the NAPPLSC statement on Infant Feeding in Disasters
here
and add your signature to indicate your support
here
.
The best way to support infant feeding in emergencies is through cash donations to organizations that follow the IFE Core Group Operations Guidance and the SPHERE guidelines for humanitarian response.
Find out more here
.
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UNC Nutrition Graduate Student Needs RDNs to Complete Survey About the Role of RDs in Breastfeeding
An MPH/RD and MRT-TI student at UNC-Chapel Hill is trying to understand the level of confidence of Registered Dietitian Nutritionists (RDNs) in promoting breastfeeding and lactation support and the baseline skills and knowledge that RDNs in different practice areas possess to perform these roles. This 10 minute survey is part of a research study to see how current practicing RDNs "measure up" to the breastfeeding competencies proposed in the AND 2015 Practice Paper on Breastfeeding Promotion and Support and understand if there is a need for additional training in breastfeeding and lactation. This survey is anonymous and your participation is much appreciated to understand the perspectives of RDNs in various practice areas. Thank you for your time!
This survey will be open until October 27. If you would like to receive a summary of the final report (expected in Mid-December), please email Charlotte Zuber (student investigator) at
czuber@email.unc.edu
Or:
A REMINDER: Participation in ALL research is VOLUNTARY. You are not obligated to participate. This study has received exemption status through the UNC IRB (#17-2350)
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Publications
Nieswender de Calani, K;
Parry, K;
Sullivan, C. Essential Care for Mothers and Newborns:
Attachment in pregnancy and the postpartum period. Washington DC. Food for the Hungry (FH). 2017.
Stuebe AM, Jegier BJ, Schwarz EB, Green BD, Reinhold AG, Colaizy TT, Bogen DL, Schaefer AJ, Jegier JT, Green NS, Bartick MC.
An Online Calculator to Estimate the Impact of Changes in Breastfeeding Rates on Population Health and Costs
.
Breastfeed Medicine. 2017 Sep 14.
PMID:
28906133
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