It is with extreme pleasure that I write to support the nomination of Lisa Ripp BSN, RN, IBCLC, for the DAISY Lifetime Achievement Award. I have known Lisa since 2003, when I joined the division of General Pediatrics at the Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU. At that time, Lisa was the Clinical Coordinator for the Pediatric Primary Care Clinics. She handled administrative responsibilities along with her clinical duties at the bedside. She began to see the challenges that breastfeeding mothers were facing and took the initiative to obtain certification as a lactation consultant. Along with her other responsibilities, she began to provide breastfeeding support to mothers and their children during well-baby visits with their providers. As my own clinic grew, I became interested in breastfeeding medicine. Lisa was there to help guide me through my certification and mentored me at the bedside. While observing her compassionate demeanor with these new and anxious families, I not only learned how to provide hands-on breastfeeding skills but also learned how to provide the emotional connection that is needed to instill confidence in new parents.

Over the years, we worked closely as a team to help these families with breastfeeding difficulties and meet their ultimate goal of feeding their babies. As the need grew, Lisa’s passion for caring for the breastfeeding dyad helped lead us to grow the breastfeeding medicine program into a full-service lactation clinic at the Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU. Our clinic is now comprised of a Physician, 4 Nurse Practitioners, and one Registered Nurse, Lisa Ripp, acting as the Program Coordinator and a lactation consultant. Lisa helped mentor our Nurse Practitioners to obtain their lactation certification and continues to mentor students and residents that rotate through the clinic. There are times when the pediatric residents and attendings seek Lisa’s assistance to help with newborns feeding in their clinics. Because of her devotion, she makes time for these patients in her busy schedule. Patients love her so much that they request to follow up with her in our clinics. Time and time again we receive comments from patients regarding Lisa’s invaluable compassionate care while she helps these families meet their feeding goals.

In the process of assisting a growing number of uninsured patients, she noticed that many of these mothers were unable to obtain a breast pump which impacted their milk supply and ability to feed their babies. She took it upon herself to advocate for these families and applied for a grant through the Hospital Auxiliary to obtain breast pumps. The grant has been renewed multiple times. These families were so grateful to have the opportunity to reach their feeding goals and continue their breastfeeding journey.

As our clinic grew and the exclusivity of breastfeeding was being recommended, we knew that we needed to work towards providing Pasteurized Human Donor Milk (PHDM) for infant supplementation to bridge the gap until mother’s own milk supply was established. Unfortunately, this is very expensive and not covered by insurance. To be able to provide equitable care for all patients, regardless of finances or backgrounds, Lisa knew that it was imperative to advocate for her patients and continued to put in the time and effort to make this a reality. She worked tirelessly coordinating between the numerous Hospital Departments and the Kings Daughter Milk Bank amid a transition to a new electronic medical record, during the height of COVID. She had to communicate with multiple teams including administration, information technology, risk management, nutrition, and purchasing. Once approval was obtained, she provided education sessions for both the inpatient and outpatient providers and team.

I have had the distinct benefit of learning and working with Lisa Ripp. She is the full package. She demonstrates true compassion for her patients, a drive for teaching, and for mentoring others. She brings out the best in others to strive for the highest quality of care and always keeps the breastfeeding dyad front and center. 

I would like to share several examples that demonstrate Lisa’s compassion toward her patients.

Example 1:
Lisa was called to see a patient in the resident clinic that had recently been discharged from the Newborn ICU after a traumatic birth and resuscitation at delivery. The mother desired to breastfeed her infant but due to the circumstances, had not been able to directly feed her infant. She was visiting from another country when the baby was born prematurely and had limited resources. Lisa took the time needed to comfort the mother, listen to her story, and reassure her that she would help support her through her breastfeeding journey.

She helped this mother latch her baby for the first time which brought tears to both the mother and Lisa. A feeding plan was developed in collaboration with the physician, which allowed the mother to practice feeding her baby at the breast while still receiving nutrition in a bottle. Lisa was able to obtain a loaner pump from a local health department for the mom to allow her to increase her milk supply until baby was fully breastfed. She followed her in clinic over time, working with the team to support the mother’s breastfeeding goals. After 2 months, the mother needed to return home with the child. Lisa helped her obtain a personal breast pump and breastfeeding supplies to help her on her journey back home. During the time overseas, she kept in touch with Lisa and sent updates. The mother was so appreciative that she invited Lisa to the child’s one-year birthday party when she returned for doctor’s visits in the US. She also sought Lisa out at the child’s specialty doctor visits to see her and share the progress of her child. Lisa made a lasting impression on this mom because of the compassion and caring that she demonstrates daily.

Example 2:
Lisa was called into the examination room by a provider after the recommendation was made to supplement with formula due to weight loss. The parents were distraught and reluctant to use formula. Lisa sat with the family, listened to their concerns, and came up with an alternative plan to help the family with their feeding goals. She knew that our donor milk would be arriving the next day and just needed to bridge the gap to when the clinic could provide additional support. She collaborated with the inpatient lactation consultant and went to the hospital to obtain donor milk. She provided the appropriate education and emotional support. She saw them the next day in clinic. The infant had gained weight and the mom had started producing more milk on her own. The mother was so appreciative of the care she was given by Lisa because she was able to continue her breastfeeding journey with the confidence that she had done what was best for her baby.

Example 3:
Lisa was called by the speech pathologist in the NICU to assist a mother of a 26-week gestational age infant with a problem regarding her breast pump. At the time, there was no inpatient lactation team member to assist with this patient, so she took the time out of her busy clinic schedule to go to the NICU and assist this mother. She provided her with emotional support and the tools she needed to be successful at increasing her milk supply without causing pain. As a result, the mother could continue to give her breastmilk to her critically ill child, which she felt was the only way she could contribute to her infant’s care in these circumstances.

There are many examples like these over her career that I could share with you. I have been lucky enough to have her by my side over the years and hope to continue to be able to learn from her compassionate care. It is without hesitation that I recommend Lisa Ripp for the DAISY Lifetime Achievement Award Nomination.

Note: This is Lisa's 2nd DAISY Award!