Lauren Ema joins team at Center for Healthy Living as pediatric nurse practitioner, lactation consultant

Lauren Ema
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Lauren Ema, CPNP-PC, RNC-NIC, IBCLC, CLC, recently joined the Center for Healthy Living (CHL) on Purdue’s West Lafayette campus as its first primary care pediatric nurse practitioner and international board-certified lactation consultant. Along with other CHL providers, she is within the Tier 1 HealthySync network (most affordable, less out-of-pocket cost).

Ema is currently available for lactation consultation appointments (including via telephone) for benefits-eligible employees and spouses covered on a Purdue health plan.

Appointments for dependents age newborn to 18 years covered on a Purdue health plan will begin in December; however, appointments can be scheduled now for December and 2023 for the following services:

• Pediatric wellness visits.
• Pediatric sports physicals.
• Pediatric sick visits.
• Pediatric chronic condition management appointments.

Ema’s professional nursing experience has spanned care for patients of all ages in outpatient, inpatient and international volunteer settings, including primary care pediatrics, post-anesthesia recovery, neonatal intensive care and adult medical-oncology and hospice.

Offering comprehensive care in conjunction with other CHL providers, Ema enjoys being a part of the support system for children and their families at Purdue.

“I value children as individuals by involving them in their own wellness from an early age,” Ema said. “It’s also important to me to empower caregivers, reminding them that they are doing a great job raising their children.”

Her services at the CHL further enhance the family-friendly practices already in place at the university, which include a lactation support program. Ema hopes that additional lactation services available on campus will help Purdue families better navigate the challenges of infant feeding during parental leave and after return to work. Research has shown that employer-based lactation support programs decrease employee sick time and increase employee productivity, retention and satisfaction.

“Infant feeding affects a family’s everyday life,” Ema said. “Whether they are breastfeeding, mixed feeding or formula feeding, families and their children are more likely to flourish when they have a knowledgeable clinician guiding them and supporting them in their decisions along the way.”

To schedule with Ema, call the CHL at 765-494-0111 or utilize the patient portal.