World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA) hosts #WorldBreastfeedingWeek each year from August 1 to August 7 to inform, anchor, engage, and galvanize action on breastfeeding and related issues.
World Breastfeeding Week Coffee & Tea Chats Archive Recordings
We hosted four intimate Coffee & Tea Chats during World Breastfeeding Week 2024, where the breastfeeding community could gain insights from different ABM members worldwide about their journey and practice in breastfeeding medicine. Each session was filled with enriched information and sharing best practices, with the goal of improving breastfeeding success as the first infant food worldwide.
Breastfeeding Medicine from the Perspective of a Physician Trained in Ghana
Presented by Evelyn Aboagye
Dr. Evelyn Aboagye is an Associate Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Virginia School of Medicine, practicing newborn and breastfeeding medicine. She earned her medical degree from the University of Ghana Medical School. Dr. Aboagye has been dedicated to serving underserved populations, whether it is providing comprehensive care for kids in rural Missouri or working collaboratively with local health systems and community stakeholders in her native Ghana to train healthcare workers in essential newborn care.
Dr. Aboagye is passionate about advancing health equity and ensuring every child starts healthily.
Breastfeeding Medicine from the Perspective of Being the First Practicing in Mexico
Presented by Mariana Colmenares Castaño
Mariana studied medicine at the National University of Mexico (UNAM) and trained as a pediatrician at the National Pediatric Institute in Mexico. After the birth of her first child, she witnessed a lack of knowledge about breastfeeding within the medical profession, so she decided to specialize in breastfeeding medicine. She was certified as a Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) in 2011 and started her journey to what she has become today. Mother of 2, traveler, and dog lover.
Breastfeeding Medicine from the Perspective an Asian Perspective
Presented by Zaharah Sulaiman
Zaharah Sulaiman is a medical doctor and lecturer at the Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) School of Medical Sciences. She is a certified lactation consultant (IBCLC) and serves at the USM Hospital Lactation Clinic. Dr. Zaharah was appointed to the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA) Local Governance Committee in 2014, a position she still maintains today. Zaharah and her colleagues at USM have been providing induced lactation services since 2015. In addition, the team has performed research and published journal articles, books, and a treatment guide for induced lactation at USM Hospital. As an academician, Zaharah has written scholarly articles and educational materials, including a reference manual for breastfeeding peer support groups in Malaysia. Together with the USM breastfeeding team, Dr. Zaharah has received many innovation awards for designing and publishing educational materials on breastfeeding. Zaharah also advocates breastfeeding through her humanitarian work, mainly in supporting mothers and young children during disasters, both locally and internationally.
Breastfeeding Medicine from an Israeli Perspective
Presented by Deena Zimmerman
Dr Deena Zimmerman, MD MPH FAAP FABM IBCLC, is a pediatrician who trained in pediatrics and lactation consulting in the United States and then moved to Israel 30 years ago. During this time, she worked as a community pediatrician to increase local knowledge of breastfeeding management. In the last decade, she worked with colleagues to form the Israel Association of Breastfeeding Medicine for the purpose of having a local training process for physicians from all backgrounds and from within the Ministry of Health to promote breastfeeding within the public health service, which provides well childcare from birth to age 6 years in her country. Dr. Zimmerman is a current member of the ABM Protocol Committee.
