The Lactation Consultant in Private Practice: The ABCs of Getting Started

Linda J. Smith, MPH, IBCLC, FACCE, FILCA is currently Adjunct Instructor in the Center for Global Health, Department of Community Health, Boonshoft School of Medicine at Wright State University. She is also the Owner/Director of Bright Future Lactation Resource Centre in Dayton, OH. Linda's 40-year career in women's health advocacy and support began as a physical education teacher and extends into her practice as lactation consultant, childbirth educator, and public speaker. She is the author of 4 professional textbooks on birth and breastfeeding and co-author of Sweet Sleep by La Leche League International. She has lectured in 19 countries; her presentations have been translated into 12 languages including Chinese, Russian and Inuktitut. She has presented her key research areas to international health experts at the World Health Organization meetings. Linda was a founder of IBLCE, founder and past board member of ILCA, and her Lactation Consultant Exam Preparation Course is the longest-running of its kind and the first to be based on the IBLCE Exam Blueprint. Linda Smith obtained her MPH from Wright State University and her BSE from the State University of New York at Cortland in physical education. She is an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC), a Lamaze Certified Childbirth Educator (LCCE), and a La Leche League International Accredited Leader. She holds or has held leadership positions in the American Public Health Association (APHA), United States Breastfeeding Committee (USBC), the American Breastfeeding Institute (ABI), the International Lactation Consultant Association (ILCA), and the International Board of Lactation Consultant Examiners (IBLCE). Linda serves as ILCA's liaison to the World Health Organization's Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative and as a consultant to Baby-Friendly USA and INFACT Canada/IBFAN North America. She has been an expert reviewer on several documents published by the US Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.