Dr. Mariana Colmenares Castaño

Mariana Colmenares Castaño was born in Mexico City, and from an early age was fascinated by animals and nature. She studied medicine at the National University of Mexico (UNAM), and found her passion as a pediatrician doing her residency at the National Pediatric Institute. With the birth of her first child, Mariana witnessed the lack of knowledge and commitment with breastfeeding and nutrition within the medical profession. This was her impetus to specialize in breastfeeding medicine. 

Certified as a Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) in 2011 by the International Board of Lactation Consultant Examiners (IBLCE), she is currently a member of the International Lactation Consultant Association, the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine and a proud founding member of the National Lactation Consultant Association of Mexico (ACCLAM), where she served on the board of directors as education coordinator (2014-2019), regional coordinator for the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine for the Región of Latinamerica (2018 to date) and board director for the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine for three years (2019-2022). As part of her continuing professional training she studied at the International Breastfeeding Clinic, in Toronto CA.

Mariana has 17 years of professional experience and is a member of the team for Breastfeeding Country Index BFCI, a project from Yale University and Universidad Iberoamericana and a member of The International Society for Research in Human Milk and Lactation (ISRHML). A frequent speaker at national and international conferences (plenary speaker at ILCA 2018), she has published numerous articles and co-authored a chapter for the National Academy of Medicine. To contribute to a medical profession better prepared to support breastfeeding, she teaches medical students at the National University of México and serves as a consultant for the National Health Institute and UNICEF.