Congratulations to the 2015 winners and finalists!
The winner of the inaugural Terry Jo Curtis Award is Delicia Shimkoski, BSN, RN, IBCLC.
Delicia was nominated by her colleague Julie Lee, who says that Delicia is a role model for nurses, midwifery students and lactation consultants, teaching them how to support mothers and enable them to meet their breastfeeding goals despite the many barriers they may face. Delicia herself has overcome many barriers professionally, in order to keep lactation services available to all women despite racial, financial, or medical inequities in her Detroit, Michigan community. She is active in the Michigan Association of Lactation Consultants, Michigan Breastfeeding Network, and Wayne County Breastfeeding Coalition and is a proud member of USLCA. USLCA thanks Delicia for all she does to promote and support our profession for the health of mothers and babies.
This year’s finalist is Linda Smith, MPH, IBCLC.
Linda has donated at least one exam prep course to a woman of color each year and has partnered with ROSE to do a train-the-trainer for fourteen women of color who will, in turn, each train ten more. Linda is committed to increasing access to our profession.