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Certificate in Human Lactation

The School of Public Health provides lactation education and training for undergraduate students to increase their lactation knowledge and to meet the certification requirements to become an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC).

Your Program Essentials

Find everything you need to know about our Human Lactation Certificate program

Program Prerequisites

View the requirements for the IBCLC Health Sciences Education and more.

See Requirements

Course Information

Review the information for each course in the Lactation program.

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Lactation Advising

We offer Advising for prospective students with questions about our Lactation program.

Schedule Advising

Application Information

Learn more about the Lactation program application process.

Apply Now

Clinical Lactation Experience

Find the pathway is right for you to obtain your clinical lactation experience?

Clinical Options

Tuition & Fees

Learn about tuition and fees of the lactation program, practicum, and exams.

Tuition Fees

Passing Rates

See the success rates of our Lactation program graduates.

Program Outcomes

Frequently Asked Questions

Get answers to the frequently asked questions about our Lactation program.

FAQs

Lactation Research

Read the latest research articles about breastfeeding and lactation.

View Research

Financial Aid & Scholarships

Financial aid and scholarship opportunities for Lactation Education students.

Scholarships

Lactation News

Latest news stories about the updates in lactation and breastfeeding health.

Read Articles

Have Questions About Our Program?

 

Request Lactation Program Information

Contact lactation@pdx.edu or schedule an appointment with our lactation advisors if you have more questions or would like to receive more information about our program.

Schedule an Appointment

Fill Out The Form To Apply

 
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Lactation Program Events

Become A Lactation Consultant

JUMPSTART A CAREER

With 300 hours of mentorship with experts in the field, you will build skills and connections that will help you land a new job in this emerging field.

Lactation course student participating in an online class from the SPH

FLEXIBLE EDUCATION

We offer the 100 hours of required IBLCE education in a live distance learning or recorded course format.

Career Opportunities

We offer a competitive practicum, summer orientation and hands on experience in hospital and clinical settings around the country.

Lactation Consultant holding a baby

EXAM PREPERATION

The Certificate of Human Lactation grants you the ability to apply to take the IBCLC exam. *Our graduates have a 100% passing rate.

*as of May 2024

OHSU-PSU School of Public Health Lactation Certificate

Our undergraduate Lactation Certificate program Provides students with advanced practice clinical lactation care for families in a variety of settings. Preparing students to sit for the International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) exam.

Watch our short overview video to understand more about the lactation certificate program.

“I really enjoyed the entire [program] experience, close interpersonal instruction, and supervision. I found what I was looking for.”

Rebecca, Lactation Practicum 2022

“I feel right where I’m supposed to be!”

Debbie, Lactation Practicum 2022

Start Your Lactation Certification Process

You must complete four steps to become an IBCLC:

  1. Obtain your Health Sciences Education
  2. Obtain your Lactation Education
  3. Obtain your Clinical Experince
  4. Pass the IBLCE Certification Exam

Watch our short IBCLC overview video to learn more about the IBCLC process.

Becoming a Lactation Consultant

Hear how our graduate Liz decided to make a career towards becoming a Lactation Consultant (IBCLC).  You can learn more about her lactation journey at this YouTube channel.

Watch Video

Donate To The Lactation Fund

This is a great way to help prospective lactation consultants realize their goal of helping breastfeeding families in their community.

Select “Marilyn and Dick Whetsell Lactation Certification Fund” as your designated donation.

Donate Today

Lactation Research

Adherence to Infant Feeding Guidelines in the First Foods New Zealand Study

Infant feeding guidelines provide evidence-based recommendations to support optimal infant health, growth, and development, and exploring adherence to guidelines is a useful way of assessing diet quality. The aim of this study was to determine adherence to the recently updated Ministry of Health “Healthy Eating Guidelines for New Zealand Babies and Toddlers (0–2 years old)”.

Read The Article

Breastfeeding with Lactation Anaphylaxis: A Case Study

Lactation anaphylaxis (LA) is a rare, life-threatening condition which causes an allergic reaction during lactation in response to the let down reflex.[1] Case reports of LA have appeared in a wide variety of healthcare publications including lactation, allergy and immunology, obstetrics and gynecology, anesthesiology, critical care, and acute care. This illustrates the broad range of healthcare providers who may identify and treat a person with this condition.

Read The Article