Special Interest Groups (SIGs) 

ABM’s Special Interest Groups serve to create a community of members and provide access to subject-specific information, opportunities for education, leadership, and networking among like-minded members who share a passion for a particular topic or field of breastfeeding medicine.  
SIG members will have access to a SIG-specific MyABM page where they can get timely feedback from their peers. SIGs will also meet virtually throughout the year, with an opportunity to meet in person during the ABM Annual International Meeting. Explore our SIGs below.

Interested in joining a SIG? Click here for instructions.


Family & Community Medicine SIG

Andrea Dotson, MD, IBCLC, Co-Chair
Mary McCotter Desi, MD, Co-Chair

Family Medicine SIG members are dedicated to enhancing education, sponsoring scholarship, promoting equitable evidence-based quality care, and engaging in advocacy for families, including infants, lactating parents, and support persons.   

Mission:  

  • To address the needs of breastfeeding infants and lactating parents as individuals.  

  • To address the needs of breastfeeding infants and lactating parents as dyads.  

  • To address the needs of the family unit as a whole, including breastfeeding infants, lactating parents, and their support persons.  

  • To collaborate with other breastfeeding medicine and lactation professionals, as well as the community at large. 


Neonatology SIG 

Leslie-Anne Dietrich, MD, Co-Chair 
Adora Okogbule-Wonodi, MBBS, Co-Chair 

The mission of the ABM Neonatology Special Interest Group (SIG) is to expand the emerging field of breastfeeding medicine with a focus on supporting families who intend to provide breastmilk for their infants admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). ABM Neonatology SIG aims to increase breastfeeding and the use of human milk in the NICU by providing knowledge on evidence-based interventions and best practices to medical personnel and caregivers.

The objectives of the Neonatology SIG are to cultivate a forum where members can:

  • Discuss education, current clinical practice trends and research
  • Conceptualize new ideas for overcoming barriers
  • Disseminate knowledge and advocate
  • Network and collaborate


Obstetrics & Gynecology SIG 

Elizabeth Lavery, MD, Co-Chair
Allison Reiter, MD, Co-Chair

The purpose and mission of the Obstetrics and Gynecology SIG is to bring together obstetrician-gynecologists to improve breastfeeding care for pregnant and postpartum patients. The SIG’s goals are to share evidence-based information about promotion of breastfeeding and management of clinical challenges, as well as to discuss strategies to change the policies and culture of health care systems to optimize the delivery of breastfeeding best practices for all obstetric patients. 


Pediatrics SIG 

Aruna Sangisetty, MD, Co-Chair 

The purpose and mission of the ABM Pediatrics Special Interest Group is to establish a global virtual community where all physicians and physicians in training have the opportunity to foster connections with other medical professionals who share a common interest around the topic of breastfeeding.  

The ABM Pediatric SIG encourages networking among pediatric professionals. Our intention is to share evidence-based resources as well as personal experiences and challenges in the implementation of these practices in caring for breastfeeding dyads across pediatric settings. Our goal is to create a friendly, collaborative environment where all members feel welcome, supported and inspired to share ideas, strategies and policies. Our purpose is to inspire all members to improve their work towards optimizing infant feeding practices through a global platform that facilitates collaboration and support. 


Research SIG 

Maria Enrica Bettinelli, MD, IBCLC, Chair 

The mission of the ABM Research SIG is to facilitate connections and foster collaborations among ABM members who desire to advance the quantity and quality of published research in the field of breastfeeding medicine. We welcome members with a diversity of research experience, clinical background, and nationality, and we encourage the sharing of information and resources relating to research development, funding, and publication.  


Please reference all questions to our Member Services team by phone at 847.375.4726 or email at [email protected] 

Do you have an idea for a new Special Interest Group? Take a look at ABM’s SIG Policies and Procedures document for steps to propose the creation of a new SIG, as well as other important SIG information.