Stephanie DeVane-Johnson was recently featured in an article entitled "Centuries-Old Caricature Drives Divide in Breastfeeding Rates" published by NOVA on pbs.org. 

Despite decades of “breast is best” efforts, there remains a disconcerting divide in breastfeeding rates in America. National data show that only about 60 percent of African-American women breastfeed, compared with 80% of white and Hispanic women. In some states, namely in the South and Midwest, the gap is even wider.

A researcher in North Carolina may have recently uncovered a centuries-old source to the entrenched disparity—one with ugly origins.

For over 20 years, as a nurse and certified midwife, Stephanie Devane-Johnson delivered babies for women of all racial and ethnic backgrounds in the South. During this time, she found that when the topic turned to how her patients planned to feed their babies after birth, her African-American patients were more likely to default to formula feeding. In fact, most weren’t open to even talking about breastfeeding.

Read the full article here. 

NOVA is the most-watched prime time science series on American television, reaching an average of five million viewers weekly. Now in its fourth decade of production, the series remains committed to producing in-depth science programming in the form of one-hour documentaries and long-form mini-series, from the latest breakthroughs in technology to the deepest mysteries of the natural world.