Labbok chosen for international association’s award for excellence in breastfeeding research
July 27, 2016
Dr. Miriam Labbok
Miriam Labbok, MD, MPH, IBCLC, was selected for the 2016 Journal of Human Lactation Patricia Martens Award for Excellence in Breastfeeding Research, presented by the International Lactation Consultant Association at the association’s general meeting, held July 19-23 in Chicago.
Labbok, until recently Professor of the Practice of maternal and child health at the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health and director of the School’s Carolina Global Breastfeeding Institute (CGBI), joined the Gillings School faculty in 2006.
“Miriam has dedicated her career to enabling women and children to attain optimal health through breastfeeding,” said Alison Stuebe, MD, Distinguished Scholar of Infant and Young Child Feeding in the Gillings School’s Department of Maternal and Child Health. “She is an international leader and a tireless advocate – I cannot think of anyone more deserving of this award.”
Stuebe also is associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology in the UNC School of Medicine and medical director of lactation services at UNC Health Care.
Prior to coming to UNC, Labbok had a distinguished career with a number of federal and international agencies, including UNICEF and the U.S. Agency for International Development. While associate professor at Georgetown University, she served as director of the World Health Organization’s Collaborating Centre on Breastfeeding.
She also was assistant professor at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Hygiene and Public Health and was an adjunct faculty member at Tulane School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine.
In 2013, she received the Carl E. Taylor Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Public Health Association’s International Health Section for her stellar career in breastfeeding research, teaching and service.
Catherine Sullivan, MPH, RD, LDN, IBCLC, RLC, CGBI’s acting director and clinical assistant professor and director of training in maternal and child health at the Gillings School, accepted the award in Chicago on Labbok’s behalf.
The award was established in 2013 to honor Dr. Patricia Martens, longtime professor at the University of Manitoba (Canada) and prolific researcher in areas related to lactation and women’s and children’s health.
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Gillings School of Global Public Health contact: David Pesci, director of communications, (919) 962-2600 or dpesci@unc.edu
