2024 CHAMPS National Conference

CHEER Director, Executive Director and Founder of CHEER International Group (CHEERing)

Anne Merewood, PhD, MPH, is the Executive Director of the Center for Health Equity, Education, and Research (CHEER) and Executive Director and Founder of the CHEER International Group (CHEERing) a nonprofit organization working with refugees in Greater Athens, Greece. Additionally, Dr. Merewood is an Associate Professor of Pediatrics at the Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine, an Associate Professor of Community Health Sciences at the Boston University School of Public Health, Affiliate Faculty at the Boston University Center on Forced Migration, and visiting Associate Professor at the University of Nicosia School of Medicine, Cyprus.

For years, Dr. Merewood has led millions of dollars’ worth of funded projects that have successfully increased breastfeeding rates and reduced disparities in Mississippi, Louisiana, and Southern Texas and among Tribal Communities in Alaska, Arizona, Montana, New Mexico, and Oklahoma, by increasing the number of Baby-Friendly designated hospitals in those regions. Due to the documented success of the CHAMPS (Communities and Hospitals Advancing Maternity Practices) and Dr. Merewood’s other previous work with hospitals in Massachusetts and New Jersey, CHEER earned a 3-year cooperative agreement with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to replicate the success of CHAMPS nationally.

Dr. Merewood has coauthored over 80 peer-reviewed publications, spoken at conferences nationally and internationally, and served as a member of the American Public Health Association, the International Society for Research into Human Milk and Lactation (ISRHML), and the Society for Prevention Research. She is the former Editor in Chief of the Journal of Human Lactation and current editorial board member for the Journal of Maternal Child Nutrition. Dr. Merewood has also served as a consultant for the National Institute for Children’s Health Quality, the DHHS Indian Health Service, and is a current consultant for the World Health Organization and UNICEF.

CHEER Associate Director

Laura Burnham, MPH, is the Associate Director at the Center for Health Equity, Education, & Research (CHEER) at Boston Medical Center. Her work focuses on quality improvement and program implementation in the field of maternal and child health, with a particular focus on breastfeeding and maternity care practices. Laura manages CHEER’s CHAMPS (Communities and Hospitals Advancing Maternity Care Practices) programs, which assist birthing hospitals to safely implement the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding. 

Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity, CDC

Daurice Grossniklaus is a health scientist in the Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Since 2011, she has provided leadership of four CDC-funded quality improvement initiatives aimed at improving the capacity of maternity staff to implement evidence based practices supportive of breastfeeding, and she currently serves as the project officer for the CHAMPS National initiative. Since 2018, Daurice has been responsible for managing the administration of the Maternity Practices in Infant Nutrition and Care (mPINC) survey.

Ascension St. Vincent Hospital, CHAMPS National Consultant

Michelle Owens, MD, is a clinical professor of maternal and fetal medicine at Ascension St. Vincent Hospital, lead for maternal health in the state of Mississippi, and consultant physician on CHAMPS National. She is currently the National Assistant Secretary for the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and President of the MS State Board of Medical Licensure. Dr. Owens is a passionate advocate for women’s health and health equity both locally and nationally.

Dr. Owens’ research and clinical interests are in hypertensive and substance use disorders in pregnancy, maternal and infant mortality, sickle cell disease, and health disparities. She has authored numerous articles and book chapters, and is the inaugural host of Mississippi Public Broadcasting’s “Southern Remedy for Women,” a talk-radio show focused on health issues for women and the people who love them.

ROSE CEO & Founder, CHAMPS Community Engagement Director

Kimarie Bugg, DNP, FNP-BC, MPH, IBCLC, is Chief Empowerment Officer (CEO) and Change Leader of Reaching Our Sisters Everywhere, Inc. (ROSE), a nonprofit corporation developed in 2011, to address breastfeeding inequities and disparities in Black communities. She is also the Community Engagement Director for CHAMPS. Dr. Bugg previously worked for Emory University, School of Medicine, as a nurse practitioner, private practice pediatrics as an NP, as a perinatal nurse consultant for the state of Georgia, perinatal educator, hospital nurse administrator, special care nursery staff, bedside breastfeeding consultant and pediatric emergency clinic staff nurse. Additionally, she was a board member of the United States Breastfeeding Committee (USBC), provided training for WIC Breastfeeding administrative staff and Peer Counselors nationally, and completed a Community Health Leadership Program, within the Satcher Health Leadership Institute at Morehouse School of Medicine. 

Louisiana Pregnancy-Associated Mortality Review and Louisiana Perinatal Quality Collaborative Medical Director, Senior Site Lead and Section Head of Women’s Services at Ochsner Kenner

Dr. Veronica Gillispie-Bell is a Board-Certified Obstetrician and Gynecologist and Associate Professor for Ochsner Health in New Orleans, Louisiana. Dr. Gillispie-Bell is a leader in women’s health, serving as the Senior Site Lead and Section Head of Women’s Services at Ochsner Kenner and as the Director of Quality for Women’s Services across the Ochsner Health System. She is also the Medical Director of the Minimally Invasive Center for the Treatment of Uterine Fibroids. Clinically, she is renowned for her proficiency in advanced laparoscopic and robotic-assisted procedures, particularly in the management of heavy menstrual bleeding due to fibroids. 

Beyond her clinical work, Dr. Gillispie-Bell is deeply committed to improving maternal health outcomes. As the Medical Director of the Louisiana Perinatal Quality Collaborative and Pregnancy Associated Mortality Review for the Louisiana Department of Health, she spearheads initiatives aimed at enhancing birth outcomes for all birthing persons in Louisiana and addressing the Black-White disparity gap in maternal health. Her dedication to this cause has led her to testify before Congress, lead Congressional briefings, and speak at The White House Maternal Health Day of Action.

UMass Memorial Medical Center, CHAMPS National Consultant

Meg Parker, MD, MPH, is a Professor of Pediatrics and Academic Chief of Neonatology at UMass Memorial Medical Center. Dr. Parker is a neonatal health services researcher and holds several federal and foundation grants in the area of social disparities in preterm birth outcomes; she has a particular interest in safe sleep and breastfeeding.  Dr. Parker is also an expert in multi-site implementation science, is the Co-Chair of the Neonatal Quality Improvement Collaborative of Massachusetts, and is an Improvement Advisor from the Institute of Healthcare Improvement. She has led multi-site NICU quality improvements focused on breastfeeding and family engagement. Dr. Parker applies a health equity lens to her local and multi-site quality improvement projects and is a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics Committee of Fetus and Newborn.

Every Mother Co-Director, CHAMPS National Coach

Cathy Carothers, BLA, IBCLC, FILCA, is a CHAMPS National hospital coach and consultant, a national breastfeeding promotion and support expert, and Co-Director of Every Mother, Inc., a nonprofit organization providing counseling and lactation training for health professionals across the United States. Cathy is an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant since 1996; past president and Fellow of the International Lactation Consultant Association; and past chair of the United States Breastfeeding Committee. She currently serves as the North American representative to the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA) Steering Committee. She has provided more than a thousand training events in the field of lactation in every US state and territory and many countries. She was honored in 2014 with the National Leadership Award in the “Friend of WIC” category from the National WIC Association.

In addition, Cathy serves as the national project director for numerous USDA Women, Infants, and Children curriculum development projects, including project director for the new WIC Breastfeeding Curriculum, a comprehensive breastfeeding staff training curriculum for all levels of WIC staff. She also developed the national WIC peer counseling program training curricula and management materials. Cathy previously worked with the HHS Office on Women’s Health (OWH) and Maternal Child Health Bureau (MCHB) to develop national resources for supporting breastfeeding employees and their employers, including the MCHB Business Case for Breastfeeding, and the OWH Supporting Nursing Moms at Work national initiative. She has provided state-level workshops for employers and community advocates on worksite lactation support in 37 US states. 

Baobab Birth Collective Co-Founder and Doula

Chauntel Norris is a DONA trained birth doula, Lamaze trained childbirth educator and a Certified Lactation Counselor. She serves as the Manager of Advocacy, Forward Vision, & Change for the Alabama Prison Birth Project where she works to ensure that incarcerated mothers are supported both physically and emotionally and are able to express their milk and get it to their babies. Chauntel is the Co-Founder of Baobab Birth Collective, a Kindred partner of the Black Mamas Matter Alliance, a Reaching Our Sisters Everywhere (ROSE) Community Transformer, and serves on the board for the Alabama Breastfeeding Committee.

Cooper Medical School of Rowan University, CHAMPS National Consultant

Lori Feldman-Winter, MD, MPH, is a breastfeeding medicine expert recognized nationally and internationally for her expertise in physician education, policy, and public health interventions. Dr. Feldman-Winter is a professor of pediatrics at Cooper Medical School of Rowan University and a CHAMPS National consultant. She currently represents the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine as the member representative to the United States Breastfeeding Committee, and previously served as the Chair of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Section on Breastfeeding.

Dr. Feldman-Winter entered the field of pediatrics more than 35 years ago after completing a residency at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Since then, she has worked on many projects to drive knowledge and support for breastfeeding and to reduce the disparities and barriers that contribute to the culture of formula feeding in vulnerable communities. She has developed multiple resources, curricula, and webinars, contributed to over 100 publications, and mentored numerous people in the breastfeeding field.

CHAMPS National Coach

Jennifer Ustianov’s vast experience in maternal-child health spans over three decades. She is currently a consultant for CHAMPS National, leading the program’s Quality Improvement (QI) initiatives and hospital coaching.

Over the past 20+ years, Jennifer has led and supported international, national, regional, statewide, and local projects focused on improving breastfeeding rates, healthcare and the systems that impact maternal and infant mortality and morbidity, and other healthcare and systems gaps that impact maternal-child health outcomes. These experiences have provided her with extensive knowledge in QI methodologies, teamwork strategies, patient safety, and system re-design.

CHEER Senior Research Project Manager, CHAMPS National Coach

Trendle Samuel, MPH, BSN, RN, CLC, is a Senior Research Project Manager at CHEER and CHAMPS National hospital coach. She has been a registered nurse for more than 25 years, and was even named one of Alabama’s 10 Top Nurses in 2021. Before CHEER, Trendle served as one of five Perinatal Coordinators in the state who examined infant and fetal mortality as well as maternal mortality as a committee member.

Trendle’s career in nursing was primarily inspired by the caring for others she witnessed through her own family. After 16 years of experience as a clinical nurse, she went to work at a Federally Qualified Health Center, serving uninsured, underinsured, and/or underserved patients. In her role at the Alabama Department of Public Health, Trendle reviewed why patients became sick and how we could do things differently to prevent infant mortality and other poor health outcomes. She has collaborated with agencies, organizations, and advocates to better understand families’ experiences and make recommendations come to life.

DONA Certified Doula, Birthing By Your Design Founder and CEO

Crystina Hughes’ journey in maternal health began as a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN), and she later became a DONA Certified Doula. Her passion for empowering expectant families led her to establish Birthing By Your Design, where she provides a wide range of services, including birth education, birth plan sessions, comfort measures sessions, labor support, cesarean support, lactation education sessions, and postpartum follow-up. Crystina is committed to ensuring that every birthing individual feels supported, informed, and empowered throughout their birthing journey.

In August 2023, Crystina expanded her impact by co-founding Diamonds for Doulas, a nonprofit initiative launched in collaboration with Diamonds In The Rough, alongside Jamilah Channel and Franeisha Coleman. Diamonds for Doulas supports families through their pregnancy, birth, and postpartum journeys, providing free childbirth education classes, support groups for breastfeeding, postpartum and infant and pregnancy loss, and free Doula services to families who are Medicaid and WIC eligible.

DONA-Trained and Commonsense Childbirth Institute Certified Birth Doula, Naima’s Love Founder

Jamilah Channel is a DONA-trained and Commonsense Childbirth Institute-certified Birth Doula and founder of Naima’s Love, a community-based organization dedicated to providing holistic maternal care. With a degree in Psychology from Bethune Cookman University, Jamilah has been passionately supporting birthing families since 2017. Her work as a Birth and Postpartum Doula and breastfeeding advocate has touched many lives, particularly in the southeastern region where she has extended her expertise as a traveling Doula.

In 2018, Jamilah founded Naima’s Love, a sanctuary for expecting families, offering birth and postpartum doula services, childbirth education, lactation support, and even community baby showers for families in need. Jamilah is also advancing her expertise as a Student Midwife at Commonsense Childbirth School of Midwifery.

Beyond her work with Naima’s Love, Jamilah serves as the Lead Research Family Navigator at the University of Alabama, where she focuses on the profound benefits of having a Doula. Her dedication to maternal and infant care is further highlighted by her training in neonatal hearing screenings, ensuring a comprehensive approach to the well-being of both mother and child.

University of Guam, CHAMPS National Consultant

Antoinette Kleiner is a Registered Nurse and CHAMPS National Consultant dedicated to maternal-child health advancements to improve the health and well-being of her community. She has served Indigenous communities within the Indian Health Service to attain Baby-Friendly designation and advance the voice of the community on feeding support. Additionally, she is a former Chairperson of the Four Corners Chapter of the New Mexico Breastfeeding Taskforce, working to increase breastfeeding support of all families. 

Antoinette currently works as nursing faculty in Guam, teaching maternal-child and community health nursing to BSN students to influence their roles in maternity and community care practices and support the feeding goals of all families. She is also a member of the Guam Breastfeeding Action Team, working to promote community awareness, support, and advocacy while supporting healthcare personnel and agencies to promote evidence-based practices.

Mother’s Milk LLC

Elizabeth Kehau Kealoha is a Registered Nurse, International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC), and founder of Mother’s Milk. Elizabeth Kehau has assisted families with providing breastmilk for their babies for over 20 years. She has been instrumental in implementing evidence-based feeding practices in the hospital setting.

Elizabeth Kehau has served as a staff nurse in labor and delivery, postpartum, and nursery units, and as a nurse manager at The Queen’s North Hawaii Community Hospital in the Family Birth Unit. At the hospital, Elizabeth championed the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding, leading to Baby-Friendly designation in 2015.

In 2018, Elizabeth Kehau transitioned from the hospital setting to pursue private practice in lactation, founding Mother’s Milk LLC. Her journey has led to various opportunities to advance maternal-child health, including becoming credentialed with insurance companies and serving as Vice-President of Breastfeeding Hawaii, the state’s breastfeeding coalition. Additionally, Elizabeth Kehau is a passionate advocate for IBCLC coverage for the Medicaid population.

Village Maternal Services Owner

Adiliah F. Smith is a proud alumna of Alabama State University and the owner of Village Maternal Services where she serves as a maternal health consultant, certified doula and certified lactation specialist. She also works closely with the Alabama Prison Birth Project, Reaching Our Sisters Everywhere (ROSE) and Baptist Medical Center South. Additionally, Adiliah is the creator of the support group Mama’s Village MGM, a space centering the maternal experiences of Black women across Alabama’s river region and black belt, with over 500 women. 

Among Adiliah’s efforts, she has organized Montgomery’s first ever “Community Mommy Shower” to connect mothers to resources and providers to improve maternal health outcomes as well as, the overall wellbeing of women. Adiliah currently volunteers with the Woodcrest Improvement Association and also serves as a member of the Policy Council for Montgomery Community Action. She is also a member of the Doula Organization of North America International (DONA) and Childbirth and Postpartum Professional Association (CAPPA). 

Program Director at Reaching Our Brothers Everywhere (ROBE)

Carl Route is a Responsible Fatherhood & Family Life Coach, Program Director, Community Transformer, Wisdom Council Member and Certified Lactation Counselor with Reaching our Brothers Everywhere, whose mission is to “educate, equip, and empower men to impact an increase in breastfeeding rates and a decrease in infant mortality rates in the African American community”. Employing skills learned after several decades of doing responsible fatherhood work he now engages men in this space to advocate for better maternal and infant outcomes where they live. To educate, equip and empower men, he provides maternal and child health outcome awareness and services access to males and other collaborative Fatherhood organizations impacting child and family well-being 

The Way Family Clinic, CHAMPS National Coach

Dr. Lorimar Ortiz, MD, DABFM, IBCLC, NABBLM-C works to improve access to and the quality of healthcare for families in her home, Puerto Rico. She is a family physician and board certified breastfeeding and lactation medicine specialist, dedicated to providing comprehensive primary care, postpartum care, and lactation support to families on the island.

Dr. Ortiz was born and raised in Puerto Rico and completed her studies in general medicine at the University of Puerto Rico – Medical Sciences Campus (UPR RCM). Recognizing a need for quality, affordable postpartum care services, Dr. Ortiz founded The Way Family Clinic, the first fourth-trimester medical care clinic in Puerto Rico. Through a value-based membership model known as ‘Direct Primary Care,’ the clinic offers comprehensive and compassionate service for its patients.

Dr. Ortiz is also passionate about training future doctors in Puerto Rico. She is a mentor for medical and nursing students from the San Juan Bautista School of Medicine in Caguas and an Assistant Professor of the Family & Community Medicine Department at Ponce Health Sciences University (Ponce, PR). She is a frequent speaker for the medical and healthcare community on the island in topics related to lactation and postpartum care. Additionally, Dr. Ortiz is a Member of the Institute for the Advancement of Breastfeeding and Lactation Education, the Center for the 4th Trimester Care, and current Vice President of the Coalición para la Lactancia Materna de Puerto Rico (In English, Puerto Rico Coalition for Maternal Lactation).

CHEER Senior Research Project Manager, CHAMPS National Coach

Becky Knapp, MPH, RN, IBCLC, has been a maternal-child health nurse for 18 years. Since the start of her career, she has been driven to support moms, babies, and their families during the prenatal and postpartum period. Becky’s passion quickly became promoting and protecting breastfeeding, in particular addressing socioeconomic and racial inequities that can so often complicate the breastfeeding journey. This has guided her work across the country as a postpartum, nursery, and antepartum nurse and lactation consultant in hospitals and the community. Additionally, Becky has worked on research teams looking at best practices to address inequities in maternity care.

Reaching Our Sisters Everywhere (ROSE) Interim Chief Executive Officer

Andrea Serano, CLC, IBCLC, work in breastfeeding advocacy stems from her passion for addressing maternal and infant health issues, especially among communities of color. In her role at ROSE, Andrea serves on the coordinating team for ROSE events, trainings, and program related activities. In addition, Andrea is a Co-Founder and Treasurer for National Association of Professional and Peer Lactation Supporters of Color (NAPPLSC), board member for the Georgia Breastfeeding Coalition, Stakeholder Advisory Board Member of the Emory Center for Children's Health, the Environment, the Microbiome and Metabolomics, member of the Urban League of Greater Atlanta Young Professionals, and a member representative for the United States Breastfeeding Committee (USBC). She also serves as a member of the Center for Social Inclusion (CSI) National 2016 First Food Racial Equity cohort, where she co-facilitates trainings for communities and organizations.

CHAMPS National Consultant

Patricia Francisco is a CHAMPS National Consultant, with focused work on accurate information and translations, breastfeeding education, access to inclusive special education, and neurodiversity awareness. Additionally, Patricia serves as an Outreach Health Educator aiming to mitigate the impact of mental health illness on vulnerable families by developing, testing, and disseminating strategies through novel care delivery systems. She also teaches clients problem-solving skills and how to advocate for themselves and their families, Previously, Patricia worked at Project Solve, Vitamin D status among 4-month-old infants in New England, The Latino Health Insurance Program, Project Viva, Interpreter Errors, Children’s Health Study, and The Epidemiology of Preterm and Low Birth Weight.

George Bugg, Jr., MD, MPH, is a retired neonatologist who formerly served as the chief of the neonatology service at Grady Memorial Hospital and the neonatal director of the Emory Regional Perinatal Center. Dr. Bugg is a graduate of the University of Tennessee at Knoxville (BA), Meharry Medical College (MD), and Emory University (MPH). He is a charter member of the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine and was trained in lactation management at Wellstart International. Dr. Bugg is a lifetime member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, and Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society.