Hi! I'm Dr. Chiamaka

Sooooo if you are in any way a curious person like I am — and you are not African :) — you are probably thinking, "That’s a loooong name!"

You're right! I am Nigerian and am SUPER proud of my culture. Nigeria has three major tribes, one of which is the Ibo tribe where I am from. ‘Chi’ in my language means ‘God’. My name, Chiamaka, means ‘God is beautiful/good.’ I mostly go by the abbreviated part of my name — Amaka, which means ‘beautiful’ (no vanity here, I promise!)

I was born in Houston, TX, and moved back to Nigeria (as an infant) where I lived until I was about sixteen years old. I relocated to the US in 2001 with my younger sister and we started college shortly afterwards. I went to George Mason University in Fairfax, VA for college (shout out to all my Patriots!) where I graduated with a degree in Biochemistry. I went to med school at Ross University School of Medicine and had my core courses on the beautiful island of Dominica. I had my Pediatrics training at Albert Einstein Healthcare Network in Philadelphia and had my first two daughters while in training.

I am absolutely passionate about children and have quite a few clinical interests within Pediatrics. Some of them include early childhood education, child advocacy and child development. My current, most pressing clinical interest is breastfeeding. So, I decided to write a book about it. Click here to read more about the inspiration for Ziora's Quest: Mommy's Milk Rocks!

Front and back cover of Ziora's Quest children's book with illustrations of Ziora and her family

I really believe in mentoring children to be the best version of themselves no matter their economic situations, so that they can rise above adversity. My parents realized the importance of a great education and invested in that from Day 1- for my siblings and I! I am forever indebted to them. That investment has spurred and ignited my continued passion for early childhood education, and education as a whole. I always say that education is a leveler, because a great education gives you a great start in life and overrides your economic background. My greatest advice to parents would be to invest in the education of your child, and create a passion in them for learning. They (and you) will reap the fruits of your investment.

Read Dr. Nnamani's Professional Bio

Diverse group of people in an audience listening to a presenter

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Photo Gallery

Dr. Amaka Nnamani stands with two other women inside the Capitol in Harrisburg, PA holding a pink sign that reads "Of the 165,802 recorded pregnancies in Pennsylvania in 2018, 111 resulted in maternal death during or up to a year after the pregnancy"

Dr. Amaka Nnamani stands in the Capitol in Harrisburg holding a pink sign that reads "Protect Black Mothers"

Dr. Nnamani sitting on a couch on the set of Good Day PA! with the show's host

Dr. Nnamani standing with another woman of color standing in front of a sign for Black Maternal Health Week 2023 in Harrisburg, PA

Dr. Nnamani and her two young girls in the WITF studio for their Smart Talk segment

Dr. Nnamani and her two young girls in the WITF studio for their Smart Talk segment standing along with the show's host

Dr. Nnamani and her two daughters meet fellow Nigerian American author, Ms. Nnedi Okorafor at a book signing

Dr. Amaka Nnamani Reading Ziora's Quest Book with Microphone

Dr. Amaka Nnamani holding her book, Ziora's Quest in front of a banner about the book and a cardboard cutout of the character, Ziora

Dr. Amamaka Nnamani with fellow female author Kate Baer at the Chocolate Town Book Festival holding each other's books

Dr. Amaka Nnamani and her daughter sit at a table with copies of her book Ziora's Quest displayed, ready to be signed

Favorite Resouces

Favorite Resources

Breastfeeding Benefits

Below you can find Dr. Nnamani's hand-picked list of free resources for physicians, mothers and communities interested in learning more about breastfeeding.

lacted.org - This is a helpful resource for physicians looking to gain breastfeeding knowledge
Dr. MILK (Mothers Interested in Lactation Knowledge) - This Facebook group is exclusive to female physicians interested in learning more about lactation for themselves and/or their patients
kellymom.com - Helpful resources for breastfeeding moms
firstdroplets.com - Great videos on hand expression and other helpful resources for the breastfeeding mom
physicianguidetobreastfeeding.org - Evidence based breastfeeding guidance for physicians and communities
wicbreastfeeding.fns.usda.gov/- WIC has one of the most structured breastfeeding resources in the US. Click this link to learn more about the breastfeeding support that WIC provides.
pabreastfeeding.org - Pennsylvania Breastfeeding Coalition (PABC) provides a variety of resources for breastfeeding resources for parents and caregivers, health care professionals and PABC members

Note: Dr. Amaka Nnamani does not take responsibility for the accuracy of information shared on any external websites and the information on such sites should not be considered medical advice from Dr. Nnamani.