Currently Dean of the School of Continuing Education and Public Service and Professor of Family and Consumer Sciences at Ball State University, Dr. Roepke will share her expertise on nutrition and breastfeeding with visitors to Breastfeeding.com as a member of the Breastfeeding.com medical advisory board.

Dr. Roepke said she joined Breastfeeding.com, "to share with new mothers the best and most current information about nutrition and lactation. There are a lot of  'shoulds' and 'should nots' that women hear about nutrition and breastfeeding. I hope that I can demystify a lot of this."

Dr. Roepke also has first-hand breastfeeding experience. She nursed her first child, a daughter born prematurely, for eight weeks. "I was successful initiating breastfeeding, but just did not know how to continue once I went back to work," she said.

It was after the birth of her second child, who she nursed until he was two, that Dr. Roepke became a La League Leader. "I loved being a La Leche League leader and found it very inspiring," she said. "It was amazing to me how empowering the experience of nursing was for new mothers."

Dr. Roepke said that most women were flabbergasted at how simple breastfeeding was, once they received teaching and support. She credits much of the work she does, even today, to the education she gained being a La Leche League leader. "It was the women I helped, and my own children who helped me appreciate how very valuable breastfeeding is to both the baby and the mother - really, to the whole family."

In the early 1970s Dr. Roepke entered graduate school at Purdue University, where she earned her doctorate in nutrition, with a specialty in perinatal nutrition. During her years as a doctoral student, Dr. Avanelle Kirksey, who was conducting cutting-edge research on human milk at the time, mentored Dr. Roepke. Dr. Roepke became part of Kirksey's research team, and went on to write her dissertation on the effects of prior oral contraceptive use on a mother's Vitamin B₆ status at delivery, and how this affected the newborn and the mother's early milk. A key finding from her study was that infants born to women with low Vitamin B₆ status (who also had poor Vitamin B₆ status themselves) had lower Apgar Scores at birth. Additional research conducted by Dr. Roepke, Dr. Kirksey and their colleagues found that providing mothers with Vitamin B₆ supplements during pregnancy and lactation helped those babies who might have been at risk of Vitamin B₆ deficiency.

In 1972, Dr. Roepke joined the faculty of Ball State University where she has been ever since. She is planning to retire from her position as dean and professor at Ball State this June and join the public speaking circuit.

Dr. Roepke is frequently asked to do lectures on the nutritional status of mothers, how a mother's nutrition affects breast milk, and the impact of this on infants. Even with over 30 years of experience, this is a challenge. "There is still so much that we do not know," she said. In 2001, she plans to do a series of presentations about vitamin nutritional status and human milk composition.

Dr. Roepke is also on the professional advisory board of La Leche League International and is currently president-elect of the International Board of Lactation Consultant Examiners. Her professional and personal experiences have taught Dr. Roepke that breastfeeding is not intuitive. "New mothers should be well-informed about breastfeeding. Women should read what they can about breastfeeding, but should also seek out knowledgeable professionals or support persons who can help them learn to breastfeed successfully."