GOLD Speakers

Panel Discussion 1

• Speaker Type: 2026 Main Presentations
• Country: GOLD

Biography:

Mariana Cortina Cortes, MD, IBCLC
Mariana was born in Mexico City, and from an early age she was interested in holistic health, art and respecting nature. She studied medicine at the National University of Mexico (UNAM), and found her passion as a pediatrician doing residency at the National Pediatric Institute and further on she specialized in Infectious diseases in the Children's Hospital of Mexico "Federico Gómez" in Mexico city. She lives in Metepec and works in private practice combining prenatal care, pediatrics, infectious diseases management as well as holistic and integrative care. She has two homebirth children and breastfed for over seven and a half years including tandem feeding. Her passion in lactation begun as a La Leche League Leader and continues in that organization since 2016. Certified as a Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) in 2019. She is a member of the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine and the National Lactation Consultant Association of Mexico (ACCLAM). Co-founder of the International Feeding Choices Forum for People Living with HIV (INFORM+), which aims to address critical challenges in providing accurate and balanced feeding choice advice to people living with HIV, advance medical research in this area, and promote evidence-based clinical practice amongst providers.
She has spoken at national and international conferences, co-published articles and is always interested in breastfeeding projects as well as collaborating with midwifes, doulas and a fierce advocate of respectful birthing experiences. Her commitment is to protect humanized birth, focus on promoting a woman-centered, evidence-based and respectful approach to childbirth and breastfeeding while empowering families to make decisions about their health in a holistic informed way that respects our planet.

Sonya Boersma, BN, MScN, RN, IBCLC
Sonya has supported new families for over 25 years. She runs a busy, independent practice, Lactation Care (Canada), supporting parents with infant feeding, and delivering breastfeeding workshops for professionals. Sonya has a broad range of experiences supporting healthcare professionals to provide evidence-based care. As a provincial Health Promotion Consultant, Sonya assisted health care organizations to implement the WHO’s Baby-Friendly Initiative, coordinated development of provincial breastfeeding protocols including Informed Decision Making: Infant Feeding, and led the creation of widely used resources such as Infant Formula, What You Need to Know, adapted in four provinces. She facilitated numerous workshops all around the province of Ontario, strengthening the skills and confidence of healthcare providers.
As an RN/IBCLC, Sonya’s career spans the whole peri-natal continuum from major urban centers to the far north, from publicly funded to independent practice. Her experiences range from serving as a birth doula, to teaching residents and physicians about breastfeeding, with ongoing care for clients throughout. On her website, she offers free resources available for parents and professionals, such as a swaddling resource for parents and its companion for professionals. In her spare time, she’s likely with family in Ottawa, or outside hiking, cycling, gardening, or cross-country skiing.

Charlotte Treitl, BSc, IBCLC
Charlotte Treitl is an IBCLC and parent educator based in the North West of England, UK, with years of experience as a peer supporter and volunteer coordinator. Charlotte works tirelessly to support, protect, and promote breastfeeding. Her passion comes from her own difficult experience breastfeeding her son, Leo, which led to breastfeeding grief and trauma. Charlotte was able to successfully breastfeed Leo past infancy after accessing the right support, which galvanised her to work towards her IBCLC accreditation. Charlotte provides infant feeding support to families in a variety of settings, and frequently takes part in providing training and education for other baby and childcare professionals on a variety of infant feeding topics.