Sonia Lai
Biography
Sonia grew up in NC and completed her undergraduate degree at UNC Charlotte. She was an elementary school teacher for 5 years before marrying a soldier and beginning a life of travel for the next 18 years. Sonia had her first child while living in Japan, and found herself thrown into the world of parenthood with little support, it was then that she learned about a profession in lactation. Sonia completed her Master’s degree in Health Science with a focus in Community Health Education. She later completed the lactation training program at UNC Chapel Hill.
As an IBCLC, Sonia has worked in postpartum care, the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and outpatient lactation clinics. Sonia has been a preceptor for lactation students, led quality improvement projects for feeding premature infants, presented at national conferences, and received a March of Dimes award for her work improving feeding outcomes for premature infants while living in WA. Sonia has been an instructor with the lactation program at Portland State for 5 years and took over as the program director in the Fall of ’25. Sonia is passionate about helping families achieve their individual feeding goals. She strives to provide personalized and compassionate care.
Outside of work Sonia is an avid sports fan. She is a mom to two active teenagers and is enjoying having her spouse around now that he has retired from the Army after 21 years.
Education, Degrees
BA Elementary Education
MS Health Science
¹ CEPH Primary Instructional Faculty
² CEPH Non-Primary Instructional Faculty
Experienced Faculty With Diverse Backgrounds
More than 150 faculty members work within the OHSU-PSU School of Public Health. They have a wide range of expertise, from monitoring and assessing health risks and opportunities in populations, to helping build health-supporting social environments through policy, advocacy, and programs. They are educators, advisors, researchers, practitioners and community leaders. They come from backgrounds in quantitative, behavioral, environmental and social sciences, policy and government, exercise and health sciences and anthropology, among many other areas. They all work in collaboration with each other and with community partners, and are especially focused on the training and education of future leaders and practitioners in the public health fields.
Have Questions About Our Faculty?
Contact us to learn more about our expert faculty and their experience in improving public health in the community.
Get In Touch