Director
Anne Merewood, PhD, MPH, IBCLC, is Director of the Breastfeeding Center at Boston Medical Center, and an Associate Professor of Pediatrics at the Boston University School of Medicine. Anne gained her undergraduate degree in English at Cambridge University, England, and came to the US in 1987. After 15 years working as a journalist, she changed fields, to began working at BMC in 1996, and became an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant in 1999. Anne worked as Director of Lactation Services and Director of Research for the Breastfeeding Center, and became Director of the Breastfeeding Center in 2006. In the same year she gained a Masters in Public Health at the Boston University School of Public Health, she then gained her PhD from Cambridge in 2010. Anne is widely published in the medical literature, Chairs the Research Committee of the International Lactation Consultant Association, is Associate Editor of BioMed Central Pregnancy and Childbirth, and on the Editorial Review Board of the Journal of Human Lactation. She has co-authored several books including Breastfeeding, Conditions and Diseases (2001), and wrote the breastfeeding section for an edition of Our Bodies, Ourselves. Anne describes her work style and her office style as “Informal and fun, but with an absolutely rigorous approach to research. If we achieve the latter, we can get away with the former."
Assistant Director
 Xena Grossman MS, RD, is a Research Associate and Assistant Director of The Breastfeeding Center. Xena is also an instructor of Pediatrics at Boston University School of Medicine. Xena received a BA from Barnard College in Environmental Science and completed her MS in Nutrition from Boston University in 2006. She became a board certified dietitian in 2007. Xena is a board member of the Massachusetts Breastfeeding Coalition and a member of the International Lactation Consultant Association and American Public Health Association.
Research Assistants
 Magdalena Buczek is an undergraduate at Georgetown University, class of 2013. She is studying government with a minor in theology and on the premed track. Magda worked at the Breastfeeding Center May-August 2010 and is planning on returning in May 2011. Magda worked on two studies, "How exclusive is exclusive breastfeeding?" and "Introducing solids before 6 months: How accurate is maternal recall at 1 year?" Both of her studies were accepted for the 2011 ILCA conference!
Amy Li currently attends Boston Latin Academy and works for the BMC through the Summer of Opportunity program. Amy has yet to decide which lucky college she will attend, but presumes that she will be majoring in nursing.
Elyse Kadokura started working here during the fall semester in 2009. She is a senior in Sargent College of Health and Rehabilitation at BU. Currently Elyse is obtaining a B.S. in Dietetics and a minor in Business Administration.
Angella Koritsaris started working at BMC in August and is a student in the Graduate Medical Sciences program at BU. Angella went to BU for her undergraduate degree and majored in Biological Anthropology. She is currently working on her graduate thesis at The Breastfeeding Center. Angella is also applying to medical school and eventually wants to work in pediatrics, and possibly neonatology.
 Gregory Makrigiorgos is an undergraduate at BU and is currently studying for a dual degree in psychology and advertising. Greg has worked for BMC since November of 2009, has recently submitted work that has been accepted at the 2011 ILCA conference, and is the current editor of this website!
Stephanie Matlak started working at BMC in December 2010. Stephanie currently has a master's in social work from Simmons College and is interested in how public health research can inform advocacy and policy, and lead to social change.
 Emily Sanchez started working at The Breastfeeding Center since January 2010. Emily is an undergraduate student at Boston University and is studying dietetics with a minor in public health. In the future Emily hoped to work in a clinical setting focused on maternal/child health. Since she began working at The Breastfeeding Center, Emily has contributed to the Ban the Bags Trends Paper and is currently enrolling moms for additional studies.
Stephanie Santana started working at The Breastfeeding Center in the Spring of 2009. She is working toward a BA in Biology. Stephanie's study titled, "Ban the Bags, What's that?" was accepted for the 2011 ILCA conference and she plans to present it in front of 1100 people during the summer!
Lauren Sowa started working at BMC in August 2010 and has been at BU in the Division of Graduate Medical Sciences since fall 2009 pursuing her Masters in Medical Science, which she will receive this May. Lauren mentions she is excited to begin medical school in the fall, though even with her workload she will continue to study modern dance and ballet as she has for 20 years!
Georgina Toledo started working at BMC during the Fall semester of 2010. She is a junior majoring in Health Science at Sargent College of Health and Rehabilitation at BU. She will be applying to Medical School and hopes to work in pediatrics in the future.
Lena Wang started working at BMC in October of 2010. She is currently a high school student at Boston Latin School, class of 2011. In the future Lena plans to major in Biochemistry, though she has yet to decide which college she will attend!
Alumni
Radha Sadacharan BA, worked at the Breastfeeding Center from September 2008 to July 2010. While here Radha was working towards an MPH in Biostatistics, was on the obesity and ban the bags studies, and did data work for the Vitamin D study. Currently Radha is a first year medical student at Jefferson Medical College, PA and hopes to ultimately practice as a family med doc and continue research in community health and advocacy. Rahda had a presentation at the 2010 ILCA conference ILCA conference titled: Banning the bags: Encouraging trends in hospital-based formula sample pack distribution. Radha also worked on a publication titled: US Hospitals Violate WHO Policy on the Distribution of Formula Sample Packs: Results of a National Survey that was published in September of 2010
Julia Coit BA, worked at BMC from September 2009 until January 2011 and was studying for a Masters in Public Health at Boston Univ. She is currently in distant La Paz, Bolivia right now working on an internship for her MPH.
Mariana De Coste Calla worked at BMC from September 2009-September 2010. While working here, Mariana mostly did enrollment and follow-up calls for the Obesity study. Over the summer in 2010, Mariana visited Spanish speaking mothers who had enrolled in the studies. Mariana plans to graduate in May of 2011 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and a minor concentration in Biology. Mariana also plans to take a year off, and is interested in pursing a Masters that incorporates 2 years of Peace Corps with the MPH. When asked what strange or interesting things she has observed while working at BMC, Mariana mentioned the wide range of foods parents give to their babies before the age of 1.
Adiana Castro BS, MS, worked at BMC from May 2008 to January 2010. Adiana has recently recieved a Master of Science in Clinical Nutrition. While here, Adiana was a senior research assisant who worked on the obesity study, ban the bags website, methylation and the joint study with New Jersey about hospital formula bags (formula vs no formula).
Baba Vandermeer worked in the Breastfeeding Center for six weeks between the months of July and August. While here, Baba worked mainly on three studies; the Breastfeeding vs. Formula Feeding study, the methylation study, and the glutamine study outside the Breastfeeding Center. Baba did a lot of data entry work, but remembers that what he liked most was home visits to the new moms and having the person to person interaction. Baba is attending Umass Amherst and plans to soon major in Biochemistry.
Kerri Murray BA, MPH worked at The Breastfeeding Center from May 2010-December 2010 while completing the MPH program at BU. Kerri finished my MPH degree and is currently woring at Children's Hospital Boston doing research in the orthopedics department
Dan Djondo BA, began working with us in 2008 as part of his Master's thesis in Medical Sciences at Boston University School of Medicine. His undergraduate degree is in Anthropology and was awarded from Notre Dame in 2007.
A-Ruem Han BS, MPH is working on her Masters in Medical Nutrition at Boston University School of Medicine. Her interests are focused in nutrition and oral health.
Tony Pomales, BA began working for the Breastfeeding Center in April 2007 as a research assistant. Tony is currently in a PhD program for medical anthropology
Patricia Francisco worked at the Breastfeeding Center from 2004-2008. Patricia's daughter was born in the summer of 2006 and gave Patricia the chance to work on breastfeeding at a personal as well as a professional level!
Kimberly Niles Newton, MPH worked at The Breastfeeding Center from 2005-2007. She moved to North Carolina where she intends to enroll in medical school
Reginald Fonrose, BS, worked with us from 2006-2007. He intends to enroll in graduate school in which he will pursue a career in the medical field.
Jessica Abrams, MPH worked with us from 2006-2007. She is currently working at Dana Farber.
Stephanie Love, MPH, worked with us in 2006. In 2007, she took the Childbirth Picture Book to Uganda.
Simone Neuwelt MPH, worked with us from 2006-2007. She is currently in medical school in Puerto Rico.
Tina Navidi BS, worked with us in 2006. She is currently at medical school at UVA.
Lisa Hunegs BS, worked with us from 2005-2006.
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