Natashia Conner &
B.R.E.A.S.T. 4 BABES
Black Breastfeeding
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HEAL Academy
Health Equity, Allyship & Lactation
Culturally congruent professional training that turns equity into everyday practice—preparing professionals to deliver inclusive, evidence-based care that dismantles barriers and honors the lived experiences of families.
Workshops • Certificates • IBCLC Pathway 3 Mentorship Support • Organizational Training
Built for lactation, maternal-infant health, perinatal support, and public health professionals committed to justice-centered care.
Training that strengthens practice—and changes systems.
HEAL Academy exists because families deserve providers who are clinically competent and equity-ready. We deliver culturally congruent education rooted in public health ethics, lactation science, trauma-informed care, and justice-centered leadership. Our learning experiences are built to support real-world application—from bedside practice to program leadership and policy work.
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Equity-centered frameworks that translate into measurable change
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Skills-focused learning (not just theory)
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Professional accountability, confidentiality, and ethical standards
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Practical tools, templates, and guided implementation
Programs built for professionals who serve families.
Certificates & Micro-Credentials
Structured learning experiences designed to strengthen cultural humility, clinical communication, and equity-centered care delivery.
Workshops & Conference Trainings
Live and on-demand learning for teams, coalitions, hospitals, nonprofits, and community-based providers.
IBCLC Pathway 3 Support (Education + Mentorship Systems)
Guidance, infrastructure, and documentation supports to help candidates meet pathway expectations with rigor, ethics, and accountability.
Organizational Capacity Building
Equity-informed coaching and technical assistance for program design, evaluation, community engagement, and implementation strategy.
Built for the people families trust most.
HEAL Academy serves professionals and organizations working across the maternal-infant health ecosystem, including:
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Lactation professionals and IBCLCs
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Doulas, perinatal support staff, and community health workers
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Nurses, midwives, physicians, and clinic teams
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Home visiting and early childhood professionals
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Public health professionals and program leaders
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Hospitals, nonprofits, coalitions, and health systems
You do not need more information—you need tools that work.
Strengthen Practice
Practical, scenario-based learning that improves counseling, communication, and clinical support.
Increase Equity Readiness
Move beyond awareness into actionable allyship, ethical decision-making, and structural competence.
Build Systems That Hold
Documentation, workflows, and training that can be operationalized across teams and programs.
Featured Workshop
We’re Still Dying to Feed Our Babies: Redefining Allyship in Human Lactation Equity for Marginalized Populations
A justice-centered professional training addressing disparities, systems-level barriers, ethical allyship, and actionable strategies to support marginalized families with rigor and cultural humility.
Through Their Eyes: Perceptions of Bias and Health-Seeking Behaviors in Lactation Care
Bias—whether subtle or overt—has real consequences for family engagement, trust, and breastfeeding outcomes. Through Their Eyes equips professionals with the language, frameworks, and strategies needed to respond ethically, build meaningful connections, and support families in ways that reflect their lived realities.
A learning experience designed for accountability and real-world application.
HEAL Academy programs are built to support implementation—not passive learning. Depending on the offering, participants receive guided instruction, reflective practice, applied assignments, and tools to use immediately in clinical and community settings.
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Clear learning objectives and competency-based outcomes
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Equity-centered case scenarios and guided reflection
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Tools: templates, scripts, checklists, and resource libraries
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Ethical standards: confidentiality, documentation integrity, and professionalism
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A learning environment grounded in respect, cultural humility, and truth-telling
Led by expertise. Grounded in community.
HEAL Academy is led by Dr. Natashia L. Conner, PhD, MPhil, IBCLC—a public health scholar-practitioner and equity strategist with experience across clinical, nonprofit, government, and academic settings. The Academy’s work integrates lactation science, health equity, program leadership, and applied training design to strengthen practice and shift systems.
Dr. Natashia L. Conner, PhD, MPhil, IBCLC