Linda J. Smith, MPH, IBCLC

Owner/Director

Bright Future Lactation Resource Center Ltd.

Education and Certification

· MPH (Global Health), Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine, 2011.

· BSE in Education, State University of New York at Cortland, 1968.

· International Board of Lactation Consultant Examiners: International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC), 1985; recertified continuously 1991-present.

· Lamaze: Certified Childbirth Educator (LCCE), 1981; Recertified continuously.

· La Leche League International Accredited Leader, 1974. Active status.

Honors and Awards

· Delta Omega Honorary Society, Wright State University 2010

· Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society, Wright State University 2010

· Fellow of the International Lactation Consultant Association (FILCA), 2009

· Fellow, American College of Childbirth Educators (FACCE), 1991

Professional Activities and Positions Held – Consulting / advising

· Expert Panel, Baby-FriendlyUSA, 2018-2021

· Board of Directors, La Leche League International 2016 –2019

· Expert Panel, World Breastfeeding Trends Initiative report for the USA, 2016 and 2017.

· Consultant to World Health Organization’s BFHI Program, 2006 – present.

· Invited Technical Expert, Informal Meeting of BFHI National Coordinators in Geneva, June 2-4, 2008 and 2010.

· La Leche League International Liaison to WHO/UNICEF BFHI program, 2018 – 2022.

· La Leche League International representative to Global Breastfeeding Collective, 2018-2022.

· Board of Directors, United States Breastfeeding Committee, 1998-2002 and 2004-2008

· International Lactation Consultant Association liaison to WHO/UNICEF BFHI program, 2006 – 2018.

· Director of Perinatal Policy, American Breastfeeding Institute, 2000-present

· Chair, ILCA International Code Committee, 2013-2019

· Lead Faculty/Course Director, INFACT Canada’s Lactation Education program, 2003 – present.

Professional Activities and Positions Held – Education

· Adjunct Instructor, Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine, Department of Population and Public Health Sciences, Dayton OH; 2012-present.

· Affiliated Faculty, Union Institute and University, Cincinnati OH; 2017-present

· Owner and director, Bright Future Lactation Resource Centre, Dayton OH. 

· Breastfeeding Coordinator, Division of Maternal and Child Health, Ohio Department of Health, 1991-1992. Oversee breastfeeding promotion and clinical training programs for Bureau of Maternal-Child Health and Bureau of Women, Infants, Children (WIC).

· Health Education Supervisor, Peninsula Health District, Virginia Department of Health, 1988-89.

· Inservice Instructor, Baptist Memorial Hospital System Institute of Health Education, San Antonio TX 1986-87.

Publications

· Chapin, E. M., Chen, C.-H., Dumas, L., MacEnroe, T., Smith, L. J., Begin, F., & Grummer-Strawn, L. (2021). The Paradigm Shift in BFHI Step 2: From Training to Competency Verification. Journal of Human Lactation, 0890334421995098. https://doi.org/10.1177/0890334421995098

· Competency Verification Toolkit: Ensuring Competency of Direct Care Providers to Implement the Baby-friendly Hospital Initiative. Geneva: World Health Organization and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), 2020. License: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO. Geneva: World Health Organization, 2020. (Authors: Elise Chapin, Chao-Huei Chen, Louise Dumas, Trish MacEnroe, Linda J. Smith). https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240008854

· Comprehensive Lactation Consultant Exam Review, 5th Edition. Sudbury MA: Jones and Bartlett Learning, 2024.

· Chapter. 3: Impact of Birth Practices on Infant Suck. In Supporting Sucking Skills in Breastfeeding Infants, 4th Edition, Catherine Watson Genna, ed. Jones & Bartlett Learning, 2024.

· Chapter 8: Postpartum Considerations. In Breastfeeding and Human Lactation 6th Edition, Karen Wambach, ed. Jones & Bartlett Learning, 2019 (7th edition in press)

· Chapter 35: Breastfeeding and the Mother-Newborn Dyad. Varney’s Midwifery, 6th edition. Jones & Bartlett Learning, 2019.

· Sweet Sleep: Nighttime and Naptime Strategies for the Breastfeeding Family. La Leche League International, Weissinger, D., West, D., Smith, L. J., & Pittman, T. (2014). New York: Random House/Ballantine Books.

· Impact of Birthing Practices on Breastfeeding, Second Edition. Sudbury, MA: Jones and Bartlett Learning, 2010.

· Biochemistry of Human Milk and Immunology, Infectious Disease, and Allergy Prophylaxis in Core Curriculum for Lactation Consultant Practice, Second Edition and Third Edition.

Ed. Marsha Walker, Rebecca Mannel and Patricia Martens. Sudbury, MA: Jones and Bartlett Publishers 2007 and 2013.

· The Lactation Consultant in Private Practice: The ABC's of Getting Started. Sudbury, MA: Jones and Bartlett Publishers, 2003.

· Coach's Notebook: Games and Strategies for Lactation Education. Sudbury MA: Jones and Bartlett Publishers, 2002.

· Zakarija-Grkovic, I., Pavicic Bosnjak, A., Buljan, I., et al. (2019). The IBLCE exam: candidate experience, motivation, study strategies used and predictors of success. International Breastfeeding Journal, 14(1), 2.

· Okeke, J., Raymond, I., Paton, S. J., Smith, L. A. J., & Khalil, N. (2017). Association of Maternal Demographic Characteristics with Breastfeeding of Low Birth Weight Infants in Ohio in 2012. Clinical Lactation, 8(1), 22-27.

· Bartick, M., & Smith, L. J. (2014). Speaking Out on Safe Sleep: Evidence-Based Infant Sleep Recommendations. Breastfeed Med. doi: 10.1089/bfm.2014.0113

· Rogers, N. L., Abdi, J., Moore, D., Nd'iangui, S., Smith, L. J., Carlson, A. J., & Carlson, D. (2011). Colostrum avoidance, prelacteal feeding and late breast-feeding initiation in rural Northern Ethiopia. Public Health Nutr, 14(11), 2029-2036.

· Smith, L. J. (2007). Impact of birthing practices on the breastfeeding dyad. J Midwifery Womens Health, 52(6), 621-630.

· Morgan, K. H., Groer, M. W., & Smith, L. J. (2006). The Controversy About What Constitutes Safe and Nurturant Infant Sleep Environments. Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic, & Neonatal Nursing, 35(6), 684-691.

· Smith, L. J. (1995). A score sheet for evaluating breastfeeding educational materials. J Hum Lact, 11(4), 307-311.

· Smith, L. J. (2011). Gaps and Strengths in US Policies on Infant and Young Child Feeding: An Analysis based on the Global Strategy for Infant and Young Child Feeding. Master of Public Health, Wright State University, Dayton OH.

· Curriculum in Support of the Ten Steps: An 18-hour Interdisciplinary Breastfeeding Management Course for the United States. Co-authored with Karin Cadwell, Cynthia Turner-Maffei, and Lois Arnold. United States Dept of Health and Human Services (Order #98-0264P), January 1999.

Linda J. Smith is the sole author of Comprehensive Lactation Consultant Exam Review. The 5th edition contains 1120 practice exam questions with answers and rationales, more than 400 clinical photos, and 20 complex case studies with questions. The book is organized by knowledge areas consistent with the knowledge areas on the 2023 IBLCE Detailed Content Outline. An entirely new chapter is based on the 2018 WHO-UNICEF Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative  Competency Verification Toolkit competencies and performance indicators. The author receives royalties for sales of this book. It may be purchased from the publisher at https://www.jblearning.com/nursing-medicine/nursing/lactation-breastfeeding/productdetails/9781284198287