Dr. Nancy Brent, Medical Director of the Breastfeeding Center of Pittsburgh and a pediatrician at Kids Plus Pediatrics in Pittsburgh, has been named one of Baby Talk magazine’s seven national Pediatric Heroes for 2012. The award, announced at the recently concluded American Academy of Pediatrics National Conference and Exhibition in New Orleans, honors “the most innovative and inspiring doctors” in the country.
Dr. Brent was honored as a Pediatric Hero for her nationally acclaimed work in promoting and supporting breastfeeding, and in training physicians to do the same. A board-certified pediatrician since 1984 and an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) since 1990, Dr. Brent has spent more than two decades at the forefront of Breastfeeding Medicine, leading the way both locally and nationally to bring critical, often hard-to-find services and support to breastfeeding mothers and babies, as well as to the doctors who care for them.
Ellen Rubin, an IBCLC who works at the Breastfeeding Center says,
“As a relatively new IBCLC, I could not have asked for any better opportunity than to work with Dr. Nancy Brent. She’s an an IBCLC-Pediatrician and an amazing teacher who always takes the time to share her knowledge and experience with me and the many residents and medical students who visit our clinic. Dr. Brent’s approach to breastfeeding is very well-rounded. While addressing each baby’s needs and well-being, she also takes into account each mother’s experience in the nursing relationship. Her medical expertise is a great asset, especially when babies are not gaining weight or are consistently fussy. So many complications are erroneously blamed on breastfeeding, and it makes a big difference when a medical professional can get to the root of a problem before breastfeeding is disrupted.”
Since 2006, Dr. Brent has served as the Medical Director of the Breastfeeding Center of Pittsburgh, the region’s leading resource for front-line breastfeeding medicine, support, and clinical care. Dr. Brent’s hard work and leadership have helped make the Breastfeeding Center of Pittsburgh a nationally recognized model in lactation services, and the first and only Advisor to the United States Breastfeeding Committee. Before joining Kids Plus Pediatrics and helping to create the Breastfeeding Center of Pittsburgh, Dr. Brent worked for 20 years in the department of Pediatrics at Mercy Hospital. During her time at Mercy, she created and directed the Maternal Infant Lactation Center, which provided patient care, research, and professional education for pediatric residents. Many of the pediatricians she trained in her time at Mercy are now her colleagues at Kids Plus: IBCLC pediatricians and a staff of Lactation Consultants who, under her direction, provide consults and medical care through the Breastfeeding Center of Pittsburgh.
Dr. Brent is a member of ILCA, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Academic Pediatric Association, the Pittsburgh Pediatric Association, and the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine. She is co-chairperson of the Allegheny County Breastfeeding Coalition and a member of the Pennsylvania Breastfeeding Coalition.