Wendy Slusser, MD, MS

Assistant Clinical Professor, Pediatrics

Director, Breastfeeding Resource Program

Co-director, CHAT

Wendy Slusser, MD, MS is assistant clinical professor of pediatrics, director of the UCLA Breastfeeding Resource Program, and co- director of the Community Health and Advocacy Pediatric Residency Training (CHAT) Program. Dr. Slusser graduated cum laude from Princeton University and received her masters degree in science from the Institute of Human Nutrition at Columbia University and her medical degree from the College of Physicians and Surgeons at Columbia University. She completed her internship and residency in pediatrics at Babies Hospital, Columbia University Medical School.

Dr. Slusser joined the UCLA faculty in 1995 and over the past eight years has been involved in community, school, and family-based policy and program evaluation research. Her research has focused on infant and child nutrition. She is currently the co-principal Investigator for the evaluation of the Nutrition Network Los Angeles Unified School District project, the co-investigator on the development of a Nutrition Friendly School criteria, and as principal investigator just completed an evaluation of the CIGNA Corporation's national program called Working Well Mom.

Her leadership positions have included the conception and implementation of the National Breastfeeding Policy Conference that pulled together over 100 national leaders from different sectors and formulated a series of breastfeeding policy recommendations. This policy conference triggered the preparation of the Surgeon General’s HHS Blue Print for Action on Breastfeeding, and provided the framework for the US National Breastfeeding Committee’s Strategic Plan. Dr. Slusser is also providing technical assistance at a local level to LAUSD and at a national level to USDA and the National Cancer Institute regarding increasing the fruit and vegetable consumption among children in the United States.

Dr. Slusser is interviewed frequently by the Los Angeles Times and other news media on pediatric and infant nutrition stories. Dr. Slusser is board certified in pediatrics, a fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics, and practices general pediatrics at the Venice Family Clinic.

Education

MD, Columbia University

MS, Columbia University

BA, Princeton University

Projects

Breastfeeding Resource Program

CHAT