Emily C. Swisher-Rosa, MSN, WHNP-BC, CNM, IBCLC

Emily C. Swisher-Rosa, MSN, WHNP-BC, CNM, IBCLC, is a certified nurse-midwife (CNM), women’s health care nurse practitioner (WHNP-BC), and lactation consultant at Boston Medical Center (BMC), where she also directs the Breastfeeding and Lactation Medicine Center. She is also an Assistant Professor of Obstetrics & Gynecology at the Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine.

Before pursuing nursing, Emily worked in migrant education and as a translator. She earned her Master of Science in Nursing degree and women’s health care certification from Boston College Connell School of Nursing. Before joining BMC, she spent five years providing a full range of gynecological and obstetrical care and serving as a point person for lactation concerns at the busy East Boston Neighborhood Health Center.

Emily’s long-term interest in lactation science led her to broker a partnership between New England Mothers First (NEMF), a breastfeeding medicine practice owned and run by nurse practitioners, and the Brockton Neighborhood Health Center, in order to expand language access to breastfeeding medicine services in both home and office settings.

Emily completed a post–master’s certificate in midwifery and joined the midwifery practice of BU Medical Group in July of 2020. Connecting breastfeeding medicine with midwifery is a significant focus of Emily’s work, and in August 2021 she co-founded the BMC Breastfeeding Equity Center together with Drs. Bobbi Philipp and Katherine Standish and fellow nurse and lactation consultant Wilberthe Pilate. The goal of the multidisciplinary center, whose staff has expertise in family medicine, midwifery/obstetrics, pediatrics, and nursing, is to provide a breastfeeding medicine clinic within BMC’s OB/GYN department—the BMC Breastfeeding and Lactation Medicine Center—and an evidence-based foundation for improved hospital systems, research projects, and advocacy to improve breastfeeding outcomes for all people.

At BMC, Emily continues to provide prenatal care as well as breastfeeding medicine specialty care, and teaches residents on both the labor and postpartum floors as well as in the Center. She also co-directs the breastfeeding medicine elective for fourth-year medical students.

Emily is passionate about working with patients and families from all backgrounds and is especially interested in immigrant healthcare. She is deeply committed to bringing language and racial equity to the forefront of her work. In addition to English, Emily is fluent in Spanish and Portuguese.

Emily lives south of the city and enjoys playing the violin, singing in a choir, and spending time with her husband, who grew up on a farm in Brazil, as well as her four boys, three dogs, and many chickens.