About
Florida Craniofacial Institute offers private lactation consultation services to help support breastfeeding mothers and their babies.
Team
Michelle Faoro, RN and an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) with Craniofacial Surgeons, Dr. Ricalde and Dr. Palermo will provide a full range of breastfeeding solutions.
Insurance Accepted
Appointments can be billed directly to your insurance.
Let us introduce ourselves
WHO WE ARE
Our team is committed to providing honest, research-based clinical lactation support and compassionate breastfeeding care to all Tampa Bay families. Florida Craniofacial Institute is excited to offer 1 to 1 hands on help for mothers and their babies.
Appointments can be billed directly to your insurance. We are contracted with most insurance plans and our staff will assist with insurance.
What is an IBCLC?
International Board Certified Lactation Consultant
The International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) credential identifies a knowledgeable and experienced member of the maternal-child health team who has specialized education, training and skills in the clinical management of breastfeeding and lactation. The International Board of Lactation Consultant Examiners is currently the only credentialing agency that offers an internationally recognized board certification in breastfeeding and lactation. IBCLCs have passed a rigorous examination that demonstrates the ability to provide competent, comprehensive lactation and breastfeeding care.
Michelle Faoro
Registered Nurse, International Board Certified Lactation Consultant
Michelle’s interest in lactation was sparked in nursing school by a nursing instructor that was also a Board Certified Lactation Consultant. As she began her nursing career, she saw first hand the lifesaving benefit of breastmilk for the sickest and tiniest of infants. After graduating from nursing school in 2008, Michelle began working at the University of Maryland Medical Center’s NICU with a variety of premature, surgical and critically ill infants, as well as assisting mothers with pumping, building supply and feeding. Her interest in lactation grew and eventually she became an IBCLC in 2013 and began working as a hospital based lactation consultant in the Baltimore area. Michelle has experience working with preterm and full term infants, as well as, infants with tongue and lip ties, mastitis and post-breast surgery patients.
As a mom of 3, with ages ranging from 7 to 30, Michelle knows her own breastfeeding experience was similar to many other mothers’. With little to no resources at the time of her first child’s birth, Michelle gave up quickly. The support available to breastfeeding mother’s has improved since then but, still needs improvement. Michelle is bilingual, she is fluent in speaking English and Spanish. Michelle is a member of the Tampa Bay Cleft and Craniofacial Center team, and excited to be a part of Florida Craniofacial Institute’s mission to support breastfeeding moms. Her goal is to provide you with compassionate care to help you reach your individual breastfeeding goals.
Pat Ricalde, MD, DDS, FACS
Oral Maxillofacial and Pediatric Craniofacial Surgeon
Pat Ricalde, MD, DDS, FACS is an oral and maxillofacial surgeon, specializing in cleft and craniofacial surgery. She is from Ann Arbor, Michigan. She completed her undergraduate training at Eastern Michigan University, then attended both dental and medical school at the University of Maryland in Baltimore. Dr. Ricalde continued her education in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at the University of Maryland. She then completed a fellowship with Dr. Jeffrey C. Posnick in Pediatric Craniofacial Surgery. Dr. Ricalde is Board Certified by the American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons.
Dr. Ricalde is the author of numerous publications, and lectures both nationally and internationally on the subject of pediatric craniofacial anomalies. She is the lead investigator in clinical research projects to improve surgical care for patients, and is a Collaborative Associate Professor, Clinical, with the Department of Pediatrics at the University of South Florida. She is also the Director of the Fellowship for Cleft and Craniofacial Surgery at the Florida Craniofacial Institute, and the Director of Tampa Bay Cleft and Craniofacial Center.
She has volunteered with many international non-profit organizations, and is the founding Board Member of Every Smile Has A Story, a Tampa Bay non-profit dedicated to improving the lives of children with facial differences.
Victoria Palermo, MD, DDS
Oral Maxillofacial and Pediatric Craniofacial Surgeon
Victoria Palermo, MD, DDS is an Oral Maxillofacial and Pediatric Craniofacial surgeon. She is a graduate of State University of New York at Buffalo School of Dental Medicine, where she received Magna Cum Laude designation.
Dr. Palermo completed her Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery residency at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia, PA, where she also pursued her medical degree at Thomas Jefferson Medical College and completed a post-graduate internship in General Surgery. Her training and experience include the management of orthognathic and obstructive sleep apnea cases, in addition to a full scope of oral and maxillofacial surgery. Dr. Palermo brings multifaceted experience in the surgical management of cleft and craniofacial patients, orthognathic surgery cases, surgical management of trauma, resection of benign tumors of the head and neck with emphasis on reconstruction, as well as implant rehabilitation, with strengths in virtual case analysis and planning, among others. She is board certified in Pediatric Craniomaxillofacial surgery. Her attention to detail and empathy with children are skills unmatched.
Dr. Palermo’s experience includes rotations at Nemours Alfred I. Dupont Hospital for Children in Wilmington, DE, where she fostered her love of and dedication to helping pediatric patients. Dr. Palermo is also passionate about providing medical care to underserved populations and has participated in medical, dental and surgical missions to the Appalachian region of the US, Mexico and Vietnam. She is a surgical team member of the Tampa Bay Cleft and Craniofacial Center.