CFF Welcomes Lauren Ema as a Faculty Partner!

The Center for Families is pleased to welcome Dr. Lauren Ema, Clinical Assistant Professor in the Purdue School of Nursing, as its newest Faculty Partner. Dr. Ema joined the Purdue faculty in 2021 and practices as a primary care pediatric nurse practitioner and lactation consultant at Purdue’s Center for Healthy Living, where she helped build integrated pediatric and lactation health services for Purdue employees and their families. Her research interests include pediatric health promotion, pediatric illness and injury prevention, lactation support for working families, and the healthcare of the young family.

For Lauren, that research is never far removed from the exam room. “My clinical background as a primary care pediatric nurse practitioner and lactation consultant inspires me to connect my patient and family encounters to research needs and community engagement opportunities,” she says. It’s an approach that has already led to studies on lactation support for student-parents, the mental health of working parents who are breastfeeding, and pediatric vaping prevention education.

That family-centered instinct goes back to the start of her career. “As a pediatric nurse practitioner, care and collaboration with the family is absolutely essential for achieving desired health outcomes,” Lauren explains. “I take personal and professional interest in supporting the parents and caregivers, as they are key players in the wellbeing of their children.”

It’s a lesson she’s also learned at home. Lauren and her husband, also a nurse practitioner, care for opposite ends of the age spectrum: he works in family practice, and she works in pediatrics and lactation. “We see the whole lifespan,” she says. Between raising young children and caring for aging parents, she and her husband know firsthand how demanding those family roles can be, even for two clinicians. “When I encounter challenges in these family roles, I consider how difficult it can be for other families as well, especially those needing additional social support or clinical knowledge. I hope to be a resource to families, both in clinical practice and in research.”

As a Faculty Partner, Lauren is looking to build exactly that kind of network. “I would like to connect with other faculty researchers interested in the health and safety of young families and children, so we can combine our efforts for research with wider impact,” she says. “I would also like to find more ways to share my clinical expertise and engage with interdisciplinary community efforts for the health of young families and children.”

Please join us in welcoming Dr. Ema to the Center for Families!

Learn more about CFF Faculty Partners and the Faculty Partner Program.