In this episode of Behind the Latch, Margaret Salty interviews Gabriela Alvarado, MD, maternal health policy researcher at the RAND Corporation and current Pathway 2 student. Drawing from both her professional expertise as a physician and researcher, and her personal experience as a breastfeeding parent, Gaby shares insights from her recent qualitative study exploring Latina parents’ experiences with telelactation support—part of a larger randomized controlled trial on telehealth lactation services.

Together, they explore how telelactation fits into the broader landscape of breastfeeding support, the “breastfeeding support escalation protocol” her team identified, and what this research reveals about accessibility, cultural responsiveness, and the evolving role of IBCLCs in telehealth. Gaby also shares how her equity-centered research approach shaped the study design and offers practical takeaways for lactation professionals supporting diverse families.

They discuss:

• How Latina parents navigate different sources of breastfeeding support—from Google to family to IBCLCs—through a natural “escalation” process.
• The convenience and limitations of telelactation, including the need for “support to get support” during virtual visits.
• How messaging platforms and asynchronous communication could enhance lactation care.
• The impact of telelactation access on breastfeeding outcomes and parental confidence.
• Opportunities for pediatric practices to integrate telelactation services to improve continuity of care.
• The importance of cultural humility, linguistic accessibility, and authentic engagement in research and clinical care.
• Policy implications for equitable telelactation access and Medicaid coverage.

👩‍⚕️ Guest Info

Gabriela Alvarado, MD

🌐 RAND Corporation

💼 LinkedIn: Gaby Alvarado

https://doaj.org/article/947b3c1d6b424a2ca093e35ceb59ae5c

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/08903344241274760

https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/full/10.1089/tmj.2022.0159

📝 Connect with Margaret

📧 Email: hello@margaretsalty.com

📸 Instagram: @margaretsalty

📘 Facebook: Margaret Salty

🎙 Hosted by: Margaret Salty

🎧 Guest: Gaby Alvarado, MD

🎵 Music by: The Magnifiers, My Time Traveling Machine

#BehindTheLatch #LactationResearch #Telelactation #IBCLC #BreastfeedingSupport #LatinaParents #CulturalHumility #MaternalHealth #LactationConsultant #HealthEquity #RAND

🎧 Listen now on your favorite podcast app—and don’t forget to subscribe and leave a review!