Our Fellows
Our Fellows
Class of 2026–2028
Evelyn Aboagye, M.D., M.P.H., IBCLC
Evelyn Aboagye, M.D., M.P.H., IBCLC is a pediatrician at the University of Virginia, driven by a profound belief that the earliest connections shape lifelong health. She is committed to advancing maternal and infant health through culturally responsive, evidence-based lactation care. Dr. Aboagye is passionate about building local capacity and bridging inequities in access to lactation medicine expertise in resource-constrained settings. Through the LILAC fellowship, she aims to integrate clinical, research, education and advocacy efforts, empower families, and strengthen community support for lactation, so that breastfeeding families have the necessary tools to thrive.
Bharathi Baranage, M.B.B.S.
Dr. Bharathi Baranage is a physician and breastfeeding specialist with over 10 years of clinical experience. She is the founder of Lactomama, a pioneering breastfeeding and maternal wellness initiative dedicated to empowering mothers through evidence-based education, hands-on support, and compassionate care. Through Lactomama, she leads prenatal programs that prepare mothers for breastfeeding success and provides a comfortable, nurturing space for postnatal support. Her work is centered on building a strong breastfeeding community where mothers can learn, share, and grow with expert guidance.
Shirley Birch, CPNP, IBCLC
Ruth A. Lawrence Scholar
Shirley deeply enjoys working with newborns to teens in the pediatric primary care setting as a pediatric nurse practitioner and providing lactation care as an IBCLC at Palo Alto Medical Foundation in Fremont, CA (Bay Area). She earned her undergraduate degree at the University of California, Berkeley and her masters in nursing degree at Yale School of Nursing. Shirley is passionate about teaching and has been precepting NP students from UCSF and USF school of nursing since 2023. Shirley has also received craniosacral training through the Upledger Institute and pediatric manual manipulation training through the School of Osteopathy at Michigan State University. Shirley is eager to provide integrative breastfeeding medicine care for the breastfeeding dyad, including body work for the breastfeeding dyad, tongue tie releases, comprehensive evaluations of the breastfeeding dyad, and managing complex maternal breastfeeding concerns.
Shirley enjoys hiking in the redwoods, doing yoga and dancing, painting, and making sourdough bread!
Leigh R. Campbell, M.D.
Leigh R. Campbell, M.D. is a board-certified pediatrician and neonatologist based in Ridgeland, Mississippi. Inspired by her experience breastfeeding twins, she founded Bloom & Grow Lactation in 2021, a breastfeeding medicine clinic providing physician-led lactation care and community support. She previously served as Director of Newborn Clinics at the University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC), where she helped establish the institution’s first hospital-based lactation clinic to strengthen evidence-based support across inpatient and outpatient settings—especially for families working to provide breast milk during NICU stays—and she maintains a part-time appointment at UMMC. Dr. Campbell serves on the Board of the Mother’s Milk Bank of Mississippi and the steering committee of the Mississippi Perinatal Quality Collaborative. She also facilitates a weekly Mississippi MILC League breastfeeding support group at her clinic. Outside of medicine, she is a perinatal yoga instructor and founder of Sunshine Studios Yoga, offering prenatal and postpartum classes that support physical and emotional well-being during pregnancy and early parenthood
Kylie Doyle, M.D., M.P.H.
Kylie Doyle, M.D., M.P.H., is a family doctor from the west coast of Canada with training in rural and remote medicine. She developed a passion for lactation medicine after recognizing the need for improved access to high-quality care in this field. She also holds a Master of Public Health from Simon Fraser University and enjoys contributing to projects that drive population-level change.
Sarah Early, M.S.N., FNP-BC, IBCLC
Sarah Early, M.S.N., FNP-BC, IBCLC has over 30 years of experience in healthcare with a career dedicated to advancing women’s health through a holistic, mind-body-spirit approach. She began her nursing career in Maternal-Child Health at a high-volume Maryland hospital, where she developed a passion for supporting new families and addressing gaps in lactation and infant feeding care. This led her to earn her IBCLC credential in 2011 and to found Lactation Room in 2014, now one of the most established lactation practices in the DMV region, serving thousands of families through a multidisciplinary team of clinicians.
A recognized leader in collaborative care, Sarah co-hosted the first DMV conference on tongue and lip ties in 2016, bringing together healthcare professionals across disciplines to improve outcomes for infants and families. She has presented widely on team-based models of care and infant feeding dysfunction to professional organizations, hospitals, and therapy practices.
Sarah completed her Master’s in Nursing and Family Nurse Practitioner training with high distinction and was inducted into Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society for Nurses. In 2023, she founded Peony Women’s Integrative Health, where she practices as a Board-Certified Family Nurse Practitioner using an integrative and functional medicine approach to address root causes of disease and promote long-term wellness. Her clinical focus includes women’s health across the lifespan, low milk supply, breast health, autoimmune conditions, and pre- and postnatal care.
Sarah is an active member of AANP, ILCA, USLCA, IATP, AHNA, and MBC, and remains committed to patient-centered, evidence-based, and collaborative care that empowers women and families to achieve optimal health.
Katia C. Lizárraga Torres, M.D., IBCLC
Dr. Katia C. Lizárraga Torres is a Mexican pediatrician currently residing in Panama, and the mother of two children. She completed her medical training and specialization in Pediatrics at the Instituto Nacional de Pediatría in Mexico, where she developed a strong clinical and academic foundation in child health.
She holds a Master’s degree in Pediatric Nutrition from the University of Granada, Spain, and since 2020 she has completed postgraduate training in Human Milk Banks in Autonomous University of Barcelon, Spain and is certified as an IBCLC since 2020. Her professional interests focus on pediatric nutrition, breastfeeding medicine, and early-life interventions with long-term public health impact.
Since relocating to Panama, she has actively contributed to the strengthening of national health policies related to breastfeeding and human milk banking. Her work has included technical and advisory participation in the development and improvement of public health strategies, including contributions to the current national breastfeeding legislation. Through clinical practice, education, and policy advocacy, Dr. Lizárraga Torres remains committed to improving maternal and child health outcomes in the region.
Cara Riek, DNP, FNP-BC, IBCLC
Dr. Cara graduated from Arizona State University with a Doctor of Nursing Practice degree. She is a board-certified Family Nurse Practitioner in addition to having her IBCLC certification. Dr. Cara is also a diplomate of the American Board of Laser Surgery, specializing in “Oral Surgery in Infants, Toddler, and Adults.” She is a Breathe Institute Ambassador and has additional training as a Certified Specialist in Orofacial Myology (CSOM). She has additional certification in Perinatal Mental Health (PMH-C) through PSI International and a micro credential in Osteopathic Manual Manipulation (OMM) through the University of North Texas. In 2023, Dr. Cara was accepted as a Fellow of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners. In addition to being a Fellow of the American Laser Study Club, in 2024 she was awarded the Kumar Patel Prize in Laser Surgery for Outstanding Contributions to Laser Frenectomy Education.
Outside of work life, Cara enjoys spending time with her husband, Brian and three children: Benjamin, Madalyn, and Lillian. She has delved into the world of sourdough bread making on weekends and considers herself a foodie at heart. She is always up for a culinary adventure.
Paola Vallarino, M.D., IBCLC, CBS
Dr. Paola Vallarino, M.D., IBCLC, CBS is a physician and IBCLC with over 6 years of clinical experience in Lactation Medicine. She has an extensive experience managing complex breastfeeding and infant feeding cases, including low milk supply, relactation, and infant oral dysfunction. Paola has worked closely with pediatricians and pediatric dentists, including clinical experience alongside Dr. Jack Newman at the International Breastfeeding Centre in Toronto, and holds diplomas in Child Nutrition and Perinatal & Pediatric Clinical Nutrition. She is currently licensed in Mexico, providing telemedicine and in-person medical care, and offers lactation care internationally.
Class of 2025–2027
Miranda Acosta Prieto, M.D., IBCLC
Miranda is mom of a girl born in 2014. She has a Medical Degree by the Universidad Autonoma de Guadalajara and is a general practitioner. She obtained the IBCLC certification since 2018, and has a Certification in Orofacial Motor Treatment with Rego-Torró method. She also a member of the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine (ABM). She has several Formations in Sleep Childcare, Perinatal Mental Health, and an Advanced Formation in Care During Childbirth. At the moment, she is Head of the Lactation service at Leon General Hospital and Technical Secretary of their Breastfeeding Committee. She is also a teacher at the Breastfeeding Online Diplomat of the Universidad Anahuac del Mayab and a Profesor invited of Universidad de Guanajuato, Faculty of Medicine. In her free time she likes to read, exercise and being with her family. Miranda lives in Leon, Guanajuato; Mexico, where she practices lactation medicine in the private and institutional settings.
Jennifer Callaway, D.O.
Jennifer Callaway, DO, is a family medicine physician practicing as part of a Women's Health Clinic of the Cherokee Nation in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. Her practice is predominantly prenatal and postnatal care, incorporating breastfeeding medicine. As a physician with the Cherokee Nation, she provides services to any Native citizen residing within the Nation's boundaries and beyond, resulting in a patient population homogeneous in ethnicity but wildly diverse in many other characteristics. Her most important roles are wife and mother. She spends her spare time holding endless loads of laundry for her three small children while watching cheesy romance movies.
Miranda Chacon, M.D.
Miranda performed her undergraduate studies in Exercise Science at the University of Pittsburgh and her medical studies at Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine. She subsequently completed two years of General Surgery Residency training and two years of research fellowship in the Department of Pediatric Surgery before matriculating into the Preventive Medicine program at the University of Rochester where she has focused on preventive care and public health. Miranda is very passionate about medical education, lifestyle management, and the social determinants of health, specifically in maternal and pediatric populations. She serves on the Resident and Fellow Council for Graduate Medical Education as well as on their Policy subcommittee to make meaningful change for her fellow learners. She is also involved in the Rochester Regional Breastfeeding Coalition and has worked toward several breastfeeding-friendly initiatives in New York State, creating educational materials for business owners and others who may be interested in creating more welcoming spaces for those who choose to and are able to breastfeed. Outside of medicine, Miranda loves spending time with fellow toddler-moms, exploring new places in nature, and cooking up new recipes with her 2-year-old son.
Petagaye English, D.O.
As a physician mother of two, I understand the importance of breastfeeding from a personal as well as professional standpoint. Unfortunately, I have come to realize that physicians have not had the best training in lactation or breastfeeding medicine. In turn, medical trainees and patients are exposed to misinformation or bad advice. I have both given and received bad information regarding lactation. It is my goal to gain knowledge but to impart what I learn to those under my care. Additionally, I hope to share this passion with others!
Maria R. Fisher, C.N.M., M.S.N., M.P.H., IBCLC
Maria has been employed at Stony Brook Medicine in Stony Brook, NY since 2009 as a certified nurse-midwife. In 2014, she started an outpatient breastfeeding service which has grown from 4 hours per week to 16 hours per week of dedicated clinical time for lactation/breastfeeding medicine services. Maria has trained 2 other midwives to work along side her and is now training a third with students and residents that rotate through their service. Prior to her employment at Stony Brook, she had a private practice conducting home visits for lactation while she was on maternity leave (and breastfeeding). She also practiced midwifery for 10 years in Brooklyn before retreating to the suburbs. In Brooklyn, she cared for a large orthodox Jewish community with high breastfeeding rates. Breastfeeding was definitely the cultural norm. Maria's research experience with regard to lactation began in graduate school at University of Pennsylvania, where she conducted a study of breastfeeding initiation and duration of 100 postpartum women that she followed for a 6-month period. Her work was published as a poster presentation with the support of her professor and mentor Dr. Diane Spatz. Most recently she has worked on a project for the National Perinatal Association developing "best practices" for infant feeding. This three-part series is awaiting publication in the Journal of Perinatology.
Hayley Hoffman, M.S.N., C.N.M., FACNM, IBCLC
Hayley Hoffman, M.S.N., C.N.M., FACNM, IBCLC, is a certified nurse midwife and lactation consultant who has practiced full-scope midwifery since 2014, providing care from adolescence through menopause. She became an IBCLC in 2017 and is dedicated to helping families overcome breastfeeding challenges through evidence-based, compassionate care. As both a CNM and IBCLC, she is uniquely positioned to diagnose, treat, and coordinate care for both mothers and infants. Hayley is a Fellow of the American College of Nurse Midwives (FACNM), a founding and current member of the ACNM Midwives in Lactation Committee, and former Secretary of the Maryland Affiliate of ACNM. She has also completed training in Perinatal Mental Health.
Her clinical interests include tethered oral tissues in newborns, perinatal mental health, diabetes in pregnancy, fourth trimester care, and breastfeeding medicine. Her current research focuses on insulin resistance and its impact on maternal milk supply, and she is currently pursuing a clinical fellowship in Breastfeeding and Lactation Medicine. Outside of work, Hayley enjoys spending time with her three children, gardening, crafting, cooking, and being outdoors.
Ariana Komaroff, D.N.P., IBCLC
Ariana Komaroff is a doctoral prepared family nurse practitioner working in primary pediatric care at the Center for Advanced Pediatrics (TCFAP) in southern CT. She is a board-certified family nurse practitioner, international board-certified lactation consultant and holds a perinatal mental health 
certification. She obtained her Master of Science in Nursing from Columbia University School of Nursing and her Doctor of Nursing Practice from the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston. She is the Clinical Director of the Breastfeeding and Lactation Program at TCFAP. In her current clinic role, she works with patients and their families providing general pediatric primary care, breastfeeding support to new mothers and parents, and medical management of lactation disorders. Ariana recently opened a private lactation practice in Westchester, NY providing fourth trimester care for new parents and infants. She accepts insurance and hopes to grow her new practice partnering with local pediatricians and obstetricians to expand access for community-based lactation services. Ariana is committed to family-centered care, honoring the cultures, traditions, and expertise that families bring to the provider-patient relationship. She has participated in several research and quality improvement initiatives surrounding infant growth, development, nutrition, and breastfeeding. Ariana is also an Assistant Professor at Columbia University School of Nursing teaching graduate nursing students in the family, pediatric, midwifery, and women’s health programs. She is passionate about nursing education and has a long history of mentoring students in the clinical setting. She is known for her clinical innovation and dissemination of best clinical practices through her knowledge of evidence-based practice.
Angelique Lahoz, M.D., DPPS
Ange is a general pediatrician from the Philippines who completed training at the largest government tertiary hospital in the country, Philippine General Hospital. She practiced general pediatrics for a year in her local community before deciding to pursue subspecialty training. Currently, she’s one of the two fellows from The Medical City Hospital’s pioneer Breastfeeding and Lactation Medicine program in her country.
Bryan Presno, M.D., DPPS
Dr. Bryan Presno graduated from the University of the Philippines under the prestigious Intarmed Program. He gained medical experience at the Philippine General Hospital and completed his Pediatric residency at the Chinese General Hospital and Medical Center where he served as Chief Resident. Currently, Dr. Bryan is part of the pioneering fellowship program for Lactation Medicine at The Medical City which is one of the leading tertiary hospitals in the Philippines.
Katie Wolter, M.D., IBCLC
Katie Wolter is a wife, mother of 7, general pediatrician, IBCLC, and founder of the Nourish Foundation and Nourish Wellness, which is a nonprofit pediatric breastfeeding and lifestyle medicine clinic for the prevention and treatment of obesity and other lifestyle illnesses. This service includes the provision of fresh produce to families experiencing food insecurity to increase access to healthy foods in our patients. She also is the Discipline Chair of Pediatrics at VCOM Auburn and the founder of Nourish Blooms, a regenerative cut flower farm. In her spare time, she loves to spend time with her family out in nature.