Pediatrician Rima L. Strassman, MD, Medical Director of Lactation Services at St. Luke's University Health Network (SLUHN) and St. Luke's Children's Hospital, is among the first group of physicians to become board-certified in breastfeeding and

Dr. Rima Strassman

lactation medicine.

            Dr. Strassman was one of about 100 physicians in the U.S. and Canada to pass the Breastfeeding and Lactation Medicine pilot certification exam with the North American Board of Breastfeeding and Lactation Medicine, which she took in October. Dr. Strassman is the only physician in the region to earn this certification.

            "I have been practicing breast-feeding medicine for many years, and this makes it a valid board specialty," she said.

            As a specialist in breastfeeding and lactation, Dr. Strassman helps parents and their newborns who may be having difficulty transferring milk diagnose the reason and find a solution. She said the new board certification will help elevate breastfeeding in medical schools. "St. Luke's is a big teaching hospital," she said, "and we have the opportunity to have someone like me teach the next generation physicians more about it."

            Dr. Strassman, a pediatrician at St. Luke's Quakertown Pediatrics, sees breastfeeding patients the St. Luke's Baby & Me Support Center. As St. Luke's delivery program continues to grow the demand for breastfeeding support services has increased. St. Luke's has expanded the services available through the Baby & Me Support Center to Center Valley and Palmerton and has added additional physician and lactation consultant coverage to meet our patients' needs. Post-partum emotion support is also available through the Baby & Me program as well as various support groups and education classes for moms and families.

            Anne Eglash, MD, President of the North American Board of Breastfeeding and Lactation Medicine, said Dr. Strassman's passing the exam "is a testament to her dedication, expertise, and passion for providing the highest standard of care for lactating (parent-child) dyads."