About the Developer and Presenter of the
Breastfeeding Educator Program™

Debi Leslie Bocar holds Baccalaureate degrees in nursing and sociology from the University of Oklahoma . She holds an Associate degree in nursing from Oklahoma State University , a Masters degree in nursing from the University of Oklahoma and a Masters degree in health education from the University of Central Oklahoma . She has earned a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology from the University of Oklahoma .  Evaluation of educational programs was the topic for her dissertation.
 Dr. Bocar is an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC).
She served on the original panel of experts that developed the International Board of Lactation Consultant Examiners' certification process in 1984 for IBCLCs. She an invited participant to develop the American Nurses Association's Maternal-Child Nursing Certification Examination. In 1984, Ms. Bocar was awarded IBCLC certification for "outstanding contributions to the field of lactation". She has continued her certification as a lactation consultant through examination and continuing education.
 Debi compiled a prototype curriculum topical outline for basic educational preparation for lactation consultants. She has served as a consultant to and member of the Lactation Consultant Department of La Leche League International.
 She has taught in basic educational preparation programs at the University of Oklahoma for baccalaureate nursing students and in the Moore-Norman Career Track program for practical nursing students. Debi has developed numerous continuing education programs for health care providers and is a frequent presenter of short-term programs in Oklahoma City addressing optimal health and performance. Dr. Bocar is actively involved in community organizations such as Contact, PEACE, Medical Alliance, Church of the Servant, Healing Touch of Oklahoma, and Habitat for Humanity.
 For more than 30 years Debi has worked with families in all phases of lactation. She helped develop the Breastfeeding Resource Center at Mercy Health Center in Oklahoma City and is currently a perinatal and parent educator at Mercy where she teaches breastfeeding, baby massage, baby sitting, and parenting classes. She also facilitates a new parent support group and volunteers as a doula. Debi is the director of Lactation Consultant Services™, from which she provides continuing education programs for health care providers. She created the Breastfeeding Educator Program™ in 1987 and has revised and presented it more than 70 times throughout the United States , in the Philippines and Tiawan.
 Debi has presented at numerous professional educational conferences including, International Lactation Consultant Association Conference and Pre-Conference Workshop, Physician's Seminar of La Leche League International, AWHONN's National Conference, International Conference on the Theory and Practice and Human Lactation Research and Breastfeeding Management, AWHONN District Seven Conference, La Leche League Workshop for Lactation Consultants, Iowa Annual Breastfeeding Conference, Arkansas Parenting Education Network annual conference and numerous Oklahoma professional organizations' conferences. She has published in Journal of Human Lactation, JOGNN, Breastfeeding Abstracts, Breastfeeding & Human Lactation, Lactation Consultant's Topical Review, AWHONN's Clinical Issues in Perinatal Health, Breastfeeding Outlook and Journal of Perinatal and Neonatal Nursing. She co-authored a chapter (discussing breastfeeding education) in Breastfeeding and Human Lactation (Editions 1, 2 & 3).
 Dr. Bocar has participated in breastfeeding research projects and has published educational and support materials for breastfeeding families and health care providers. She has developed an Instructor Training Program for Focused Baby Massage™. She has been awarded grants to teach parenting in correctional facilities and alternative highschools.
 She is a member of Association of Women's Health, Obstetrical, and Neonatal Nurses (AWHONN), American Nurses Association, Sigma Theta Tau, La Leche League International, Doula Association of North American, International Childbirth Education Association, and Philippine Medical Association of Oklahoma. She is the founding president of the Oklahoma Coalition for Breastfeeding Advocacy. In 1998, she was named Nurse of the Year by the Oklahoma Section of AWHONN. She is a founding member of the International Lactation Consultant Association (ILCA). Debi is a member of ILCA's education committee and is a past member of the editorial review board of the Journal of Human Lactation.
 Debi lives with her husband (of 27 years), Nelson, and golden retriever, in Oklahoma City . Their daughters work in New York City and Chicago . In addition to assisting breastfeeding families, she enjoys walking, yoga, movies, reading, participating in adult education classes, exploring complementary health modalities (with special interests in labryinth walking and therapeutic touch), photography, videography, and gardening.