UR Medicine Launches Outpatient Lactation Medicine/Breastfeeding Practice

UR Medicine is launching the area’s first physician-led outpatient practice dedicated to lactation medicine and breastfeeding. The practice will provide women with medical care and support for breastfeeding issues before conception, during pregnancy, and after childbirth.

Casey Rosen-Carole, M.D., M.P.H., MSEd, is Medical Director of UR Medicine’s Lactation Services and Programs and will lead the new UR Medicine Breastfeeding practice. Two office locations will be offered for outpatient breastfeeding consultations: University OB/GYN at 125 Lattimore Road and Strong Perinatal Associates, 500 Red Creek Drive. Rosen-Carole also provides inpatient consultations at Strong Memorial Hospital for mothers and newborns.

“Establishing this practice fills a need for patients who require breastfeeding help after their hospital discharge,” said Rosen-Carole, who specializes in breastfeeding medicine and pediatrics. “Rochester hospitals do a good job of helping mothers establish breastfeeding, but often issues surface later, when mom and baby are in the home environment. Growing a robust outpatient support community in Rochester is critical to help these women.”

The practice also provides essential medical supervision and support for complex medical issues that can make breastfeeding challenging. Some of these include babies born prematurely, or with cleft palate or ankyloglossia (“tongue-tie”), and mothers undergoing treatment for chronic illnesses, including cancer, who still wish to breastfeed.

“We know the benefits of exclusive breastfeeding for the optimal health and well-being of babies, mothers, and communities,” Rosen-Carole said. “But each woman has her own unique goals and challenges for breastfeeding her child. My role is to provide the appropriate medical services and support to help her reach those goals.”

Rosen-Carole is the first physician to complete a formal fellowship in the still-evolving field of breastfeeding medicine. The specialized training was developed by Ruth A. Lawrence, M.D., the Northumberland Trust Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Rochester and  an internationally recognized expert in breastfeeding medicine.

Rosen-Carole earned her joint medical degree and master’s degree in public health at New York Medical College School of Medicine and completed a residency in Pediatrics at Yale New Haven Children’s Hospital. She was a practicing community pediatrician and residency faculty from 2008-2009 at Yale, then directed a pediatric practice and served as Chair of Pediatrics in New York's Hudson Valley as faculty for the Mid-Hudson Family Medicine Residency program from 2009-2014. She relocated to Rochester to pursue the fellowship in Breastfeeding Medicine and General Academic Pediatrics.

Rosen-Carole’s research focus has been in systems change for breastfeeding education and support. Other areas of interest include community organizing to address social determinants of health, programming for diversity and equity, and obesity prevention and management. She is fluent in Spanish and French.

To schedule an appointment, call UR Medicine Breastfeeding at (585) 276-MILK (276-6455).

For more information, visit UR Medicine Breastfeeding’s web site: www.urmc.edu/breastfeeding.