Lactation & Breastfeeding Online Course(s) & Continuing Education

Maureen Minchin is a medical historian whose 1970s experience of motherhood resulted in her second book, Food for Thought: a parent’s guide to food intolerance, recognized as ground breaking in its treatment of infant allergy. Her third book, Breastfeeding Matters, was declared a “milestone in the history of breastfeeding” by Prof JD Baum. For 35 years she has worked extensively in the area of infant nutrition, including for WHO, and UNICEF, and teaching health professionals in Australia and overseas. She was influential in the creation of IBLCE and BFHI, and a founding (and later Board) member of both ILCA and ALCA. Maureen has continued to work free of charge with families with both infant feeding and allergy problems. After a decade in eldercare, Maureen is getting back to writing, recently helping with the online infant feeding courses being developed by the UK’s University of York and the National HS-sponsored e-learning for health project. Her latest book, Milk Matters: Infant Feeding and Immune Disorder was published in 2015.

Ruth Lucas, PhD, RNC, CLS, received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from George Mason University (1986) and her Doctor of Philosophy of Science (2011) from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Based on 20 years of supporting women and infants to initiate breastfeeding, her research focuses on the biobehavioral mechanisms of breastfeeding, such as breast and nipple pain. Dr. Lucas and her team conducted a pilot randomized control trial (RCT) as part of the Center for Accelerating Precision Pain Self- Management (CAPPS-M) (P20NR016605). The pilot RCT tested the feasibility, acceptability, and efficacy of a breastfeeding self-management (BSM) intervention for breast and nipple pain during breastfeeding and found the BSM intervention significantly reduced breast and nipple pain and is associated with pain sensitivity polymorphisms. Her published work describes management of pain during breastfeeding, a clinical indictor of infant breastfeeding behaviors, and a biomedical device to measure breastfeeding in real time.

Melissa Cole, MS, IBCLC, RLC is a board certified lactation consultant, neonatal oral-motor assessment professional, and clinical herbalist in private practice. Melissa has been passionate about providing comprehensive, holistic lactation support and improving the level of clinical lactation skills for health professionals. She enjoys teaching, researching and writing about wellness and lactation-related topics. Melissa holds a bachelor of science degree in maternal child health and lactation consulting and her master’s work is in therapeutic, clinical herbalism. Melissa actively conducts research and collaborates with several lactation and health care professional associations. Before pursuing her current path, Melissa’s background was in education and cultural arts, which has served her well in her work as a lactation consultant and healthcare educator. She loves living, working and playing in the beautiful Pacific Northwest with her 3 children.

Dr. Hazelbaker has been a therapist in private practice for over 30 years. She specializes in cross-disciplinary treatment and to that end has taken training in several modalities to best assist her clients. She is a certified Craniosacral Therapist, a Lymph Drainage Therapy practitioner, a Tummy Time™ Trainer, a Haller Method practitioner, A Pre and Perinatal Psychology Educator, a Lactation Therapist Diplomate, an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant and a fellow of the International Lactation Consultant Association.

She earned her Master’s Degree from Pacific Oaks College (Human Development specializing in Human Lactation) and her doctorate from The Union Institute and University (Psychology, specializing in Energetic and Transformational healing.)

People recognize her as an expert on infant sucking issues caused by various structural problems like torticollis, plagiocephaly, brachycephaly and tissue shock-trauma. She invented the Hazelbaker™ FingerFeeder and the Infant Breastfeeding CranioSacral Protocol™ to assist in the resolution of this type of infant sucking dysfunction.

Fiona Dykes is Professor of Maternal and Infant Health and leads Maternal and Infant Nutrition and Nurture Group (MAINN), at University of Central Lancashire, Preston, UK. Fiona has a particular upon the global, socio-cultural and political influences upon infant and young child feeding practices; her methodological expertise is in ethnography and other qualitative research methods. Fiona is the Conference Convenor and Chair of the Scientific Review Committee for the MAINN Conference, a three day, international, peer reviewed event established in 2007 and held bi-annually in the UK and, more recently, on alternate years overseas (Sydney, Australia, Sweden and Florida). She is a member of the editorial board for Maternal and Child Nutrition. Fiona is author of Breastfeeding in Hospital: Mothers, Midwives and the Production Line (Routledge) and co-author, with Dr Tanya Cassidy of Banking on Milk: An ethnography of donor human milk relations (Routledge). She is also joint editor of several books including Infant and Young Child Feeding: Challenges to implementing a Global Strategy (Wiley-Blackwell) and Ethnographic Research in Maternal and Child Health (Routledge).

Jacqueline Kincer is the founder of Holistic Lactation where she runs a busy practice, manufacturers herbal supplements for lactation, and supports breastfeeding families worldwide. She's also the host of the podcast Breastfeeding Talk: Milk. Mindset. Motherhood. and creator of the online breastfeeding community, The Nurture Collective. Jacqueline's passion has been to create functional breastfeeding outcomes and expand access to lactation knowledge across the globe.

Annette Leary is a registered nurse with over 33 years of experience working in Maternal Child Health (pediatrics, postpartum, home health care and level 2 NICU). She became an IBCLC in 1995. She owns a private practice providing office, in home, and virtual visits at Orlando Lactation and Wellness. In 2022 she formed a collaborative company Baby B.L.I.S.S. : Central Florida Feeding Collaborative where she and her business partners help families prenatally, antepartum and post partum navigate the growth, development and feeding journey of their children. She began her craniosacral therapy training through the Upledger Institute in 2015, taking advanced maternal and pediatric specialty classes. Annette has found great improvement incorporating craniosacral therapy techniques with lactation consulting. Helping Families Latch onto Parenting has always been her mantra.

Michelle has been a pediatric neurodevelopmental Occupational therapist specializing in precrawling infants for over 26 years. She has specialty certifications and training in lactation, manual therapy, and pre and peri natal psychology. Michelle has specialized in optimal cranial nerve function and oral restrictions, with an emphasis on infant movement, innate biological imperatives and human potential, providing novel curriculums, support and resources for both professionals and parents. She enjoys collaborating and working in teams for babies and families going through the tethered oral tissues release process.

Dr. Gerner has been a Maternity and Pediatric Specialist in private practice for over 17 years with an additional focus on functional infant cranial work. She teaches other professionals to support breastfeeding across the USA and internationally. She is a wife, mother of 3 grown children, and lives in Northern CA with her husband and their 2 rescued dogs.

Rue Khosa, AKA The Boob Boss, is the owner/founder of The Perfect Push, a lactation and parenting wellness clinic in downtown Redmond. She is a board certified family nurse practitioner, lactation consultant and a THRIVE parenting educator. Rue was born and raised Zimbabwe, where family plays a critical role in supporting expectant and new parents. This type of communal caring, called “kugarira”, helps families prepare for a new baby both emotionally and physically and guides them through the often challenging newborn period. Rue created The Perfect Push to bring that experience to Seattle. Rue began her women’s health career as a labor and delivery nurse over 10 years ago, at Washington Hospital Centre in DC. She received her graduate degree from Georgetown University, and her undergraduate degree from the University of Maryland, Baltimore. Prior to opening her private practice, Rue was a Teaching Associate in the Department of Family Medicine at the University of Washington’s School of Medicine and an Adjunct Clinical Faculty at Northwest University Buntain School of Nursing. In July 2019, Rue was commissioned by the Mayor to the City of Redmond’s Human Services Commission. In February 2020, Rue was invited to join Washington State Hospital Association's Safe Delivery Roadmap Commission. She sits on their Birth Equity task force working on program development. She also sits on the board of No More Under, a non profit organization committed to drowning prevention and awareness. Outside of redefining the childbirth and parenting experience, Rue is a mother of two young boys with a third on the way. She lives in Redmond, WA with her husband, mother and boys.