Mary Rose Tully Training Initiative receives CAAHEP reaccreditation

The Carolina Global Breastfeeding Institute’s Mary Rose Tully Training Initiative (MRT-TI) Pathway 2 Lactation Training program received reaccreditation by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) upon the recommendation of the Lactation Education Accreditation and Approval Review Committee (LEAARC) on September 16, 2022. The accreditation is approved through 2032.

“We are incredibly proud of this achievement,” said Catherine Sullivan, MPH, RDN, LDN, IBCLC, RLC, FAND, CGBI Director and Assistant Professor. “Our program has continued to thrive despite the challenges presented with the pandemic and health care staffing shortages.”

Established in 2009, MRT-TI became the first accredited Pathway 2 lactation consultant training program in the United States in 2016. Housed within the Maternal and Child Health department at UNC Chapel Hill’s Gillings School of Global Public Health, MRT-TI students receive a solid foundation in breastfeeding and human lactation, as well as exposure to a broad spectrum of practice experience in health care environments.

The IBCLC credential is the premier and only certification for lactation consultants. IBCLCs demonstrate competence and are an essential part of the maternal-child health team that protect, promote and support breastfeeding, and the well-being of women, children and families worldwide.

“We are honored to be a part of the learning journey for so many talented students as they embrace both didactic and clinical experiences, while applying public health and leadership core principles on a weekly basis. Our program is aligned with the Gillings Inclusive Excellence Plan, and we believe it will modernize the field of lactation practice, meeting the needs of all communities,” said Sullivan.

Since 2008, LEAARC has been promoting the establishment of a structured, competency-based didactic standard that reflects the profession’s core curriculum. A nonprofit, LEAARC reviews and recognizes didactic courses as well as accredited lactation programs in postsecondary institutions.

Established in 1994, CAAHEP is largest programmatic accreditor of the health sciences professions education.

The Carolina Global Breastfeeding Institute seeks to promote increased quality of care and create an optimal breastfeeding norm through research, service and training. Our comprehensive approach prioritizes the reproductive health continuum, an intergenerational approach and the “Three B’s” (birth, breastfeeding, birthspacing) and includes attention to local, national and global health issues that impact the mother and child dyad.

Learn more about the Mary Rose Tully Training Initiative and Carolina Global Breastfeeding Institute.

October 14, 2022