Dr. Miriam Harriet Labbok

Dr. Miriam Harriet Labbok (1949-2016)
Pittsboro, NC
Miriam Harriet Labbok, M.D., M.P.H., an internationally respected and influential expert on breastfeeding and maternal and child health, died on August 13, 2016. Faced with a sudden and demanding health challenge, she continued to inspire family and friends with her tenacity, fortitude, and sense of humor.
Born in Trenton, NJ, Dr. Labbok graduated from the University of Pennsylvania and received her M.D. and M.P.H. degrees from Tulane University. In her distinguished 40-year career she promoted the health and developmental benefits of breastfeeding, particularly in the developing world, improving the lives of countless mothers and children worldwide. Dr. Labbok recently retired from her posts as Professor of Maternal and Child Health at the University of North Carolina Gillings School of Global Public Health and as Director of the School’s Carolina Global Breastfeeding Institute, of which she was the founder. She previously held positions at UNICEF, USAID, and at The Johns Hopkins and Georgetown Universities. A prolific researcher and writer, Dr. Labbok contributed to many textbooks on maternal and child health and was an author of more than one hundred fifty scholarly articles.
Dr. Labbok was a gifted and dedicated teacher and mentor, giving generously of her skills and knowledge to students and colleagues in the US and abroad. She traveled the world, spreading her commitment to healthy mothers and happy, thriving babies. Her home was decorated with paintings and pottery she loved to collect, and the many creative–and sometimes tasty–souvenirs she loved to buy in the course of her travels.
Dr. Labbok was a much-loved cousin, friend, and godmother, known for her incisive intelligence, her ready laugh, and her ceaseless generosity. She is survived by her loving sister Dorothy Labbok, also of Pittsboro, and many relatives, friends, and colleagues.
Her funeral service will be held on Monday, August 15 at 2 PM at Judea Reform Congregation, 1933 West Cornwallis Road, Durham, NC 27705.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in her honor to the The Miriam Labbok Program Research CGBI Acceleration Endowment Fund at the Carolina Global Breastfeeding Institute. Checks can be written to the Public Health Foundation and sent to SPH Advancement, UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health, 107 Rosenau Hall, Campus Box 7400, Chapel Hill, NC 27599. Please note “In Memory of Miriam Labbok” on the check’s memo line.