Ruth A. Lawrence, MD, a pediatrician and internationally recognized leader in breastfeeding science, passed away on October 12, 2025, at the age of 101. During a career spanning more than seven decades at the University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC), she helped propel breastfeeding from what was once considered a marginal field of medicine into mainstream discipline of clinical practice and scholarly inquiry.

“Dr. Lawrence’s work reshaped how we understand and support infant feeding, and her legacy lives on in every clinician, nurse, and researcher who carries forward her vision,” said Kathy Parrinello, RN, PhD, President and CEO of Strong Memorial Hospital. “Her spirit of persistence, mentorship, and compassion remains woven into the heart of URMC.”

Born in New York City in 1924, Ruth Lawrence graduated from Antioch College in 1945. Soon afterward, her career in medicine began; in an era when few medical institutions admitted women, she was accepted into the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry.

“During my final semester at Antioch, I applied to 10 medical schools,” Lawrence recalled in a 2019 Rochester Review interview. “Many didn’t want women back then. Rochester was the first to respond. I got a letter that said, ‘You must come for an interview. Time and money should be no object.’”

Ruth’s admission to medical school marked the start of both her professional journey and a lifelong partnership. While studying medicine at Rochester, she met her classmate—and future husband—Bob Lawrence. Both earned their medical degrees as members of the Class of 1949 and married the following year, on July 4, 1950. Soon after, Ruth became the first woman offered an internship at Yale University, while Bob was commissioned as a physician in a Mobile Army Surgical Hospital (MASH) unit during the Korean War.