MELISSA BARTICK, MD, MS, MPH, FABM

Melissa Bartick, MD, MS, MPH, FABM, is a leader in maternal and child health, recognized nationally and internationally for her work as a physician, researcher, advocate, and writer. Dr. Bartick is a trusted expert in breastfeeding policy and clinical care, with a focus on hospital practices, public health, and health equity.

As a practicing hospitalist and Assistant Professor in Medicine at Mount Auburn Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Dr. Bartick brings both clinical expertise and a deep commitment to advocacy. She chaired the Massachusetts Breastfeeding Coalition from 2002 to 2014, served on the Board of the U.S. Breastfeeding Committee from 2009 to 2015, and was the founding chair of the American Public Health Association Breastfeeding Forum. From 2018 to 2021, Dr. Bartick served on the Board of the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine, where she co-authored several key protocols and position statements, including those on hospital breastfeeding support and breastfeeding and bedsharing.

Dr. Bartick’s research includes work on breastfeeding, economics, and sleep-related infant death, and she has authored numerous peer-reviewed publications that have informed national policy and practice. Dr. Bartick earned her MS from the University of California, Berkeley, her MD from the University of California, San Francisco, and her MPH in epidemiology from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

Dr. Bartick’s passion for research and writing is driven by her commitment to shaping systems that better support women and children. She shares, “The health and well-being of women and children have been marginalized and undermined and dictated by others, much to the detriment of both, and it’s beyond time for women to control the narrative about our own health and well-being and those of our children, and to have the funding to pursue this. The inequities in maternal and child health in the U.S. deserve urgent attention and policy changes, but sadly we seem to be moving in the opposite direction now.”

CHEER is honored to celebrate Dr. Bartick as our CHAMPion of the Week and recognize her immense contributions to breastfeeding advocacy, research, and public health.