Dr. Sylvia R. Pager, a Honolulu pediatrician and national expert on breast-feeding, died Sunday following a severe stroke that occurred just after she testified at the state Legislature on Thursday.
Pager, 74, was born in Australia, graduated from the University of Melbourne Medical School and came to Hawaii in 1968 with her husband, David Pager, who had joined the computer science faculty of the University of Hawaii.
Sylvia Pager opened a private practice in 1976 in the Queen’s Physicians Office Building and also served as clinical associate professor at the UH school of medicine, chief of pediatrics at the Queen’s Medical Center and a consultant to the state Health Department.
The pediatrician had a passion for breast-feeding education and for helping hundreds of new mothers to overcome the challenges of nursing.
A tribute to Pager was posted Monday on the Facebook page of Breastfeeding Hawaii, where she was a founding member and on the nonprofit organization’s board: "Sylvia was a passionate supporter, promoter and protector of breastfeeding families in our state."
Pager, who was also on the board of Hawaii Mothers’ Milk Inc., was the first international board-certified lactation consultant physician in Hawaii. She was also a fellow of the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine and American Academy of Pediatrics.
She was active at the Legislature, helping to pass laws on breast-feeding in public, and working and breast-feeding. On the day she fell ill, Pager had just testified in support of the Paid Family Leave Bill.
Pat Bilyk, a board-certified lactation consultant, said Pager was passionate about the benefits of breast-feeding long before most people understood them.
Pager is survived by her husband, a UH professor emeritus; her brother, Rodney Topor, professor emeritus at Griffith University in Brisbane, Australia; her sons, Sean Pager, associate professor at Michigan State University, and Dr. Chet Pager, medical officer at Princess Grace Hospital in London; her daughter, Devah Pager, professor at Harvard University; and three grandchildren.
A celebration of life will be at 2 p.m. Sunday at the Elks Club, 2933 Kalakaua Ave., in Waikiki. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Breastfeeding Hawaii Inc., P.O. Box 30142, Honolulu, HI 96820; breastfeedinghawaii.org.