Nominations for Position: Treasurer
Diane Spatz (USA)
University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing
Diane Spatz is running unopposed for her second three year term as Treasurer and member of the Executive Board of ISRHML. Diane has served the society well as Treasurer, finding us a National Bank which allows transparency in all financials (income and expense) and modernizing the accounting. Diane is a Professor of Perinatal Nursing & the Helen M. Shearer Professor of Nutrition at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing sharing a joint appointment as a nurse scientist in lactation the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) in the Center for Pediatric Nursing Research and Evidence Based Practice. Dr. Spatz is the Founder of the CHOP Lactation Program & Mothers’ Milk Bank. Dr. Spatz is an active researcher, clinician, and educator who is internationally recognized for her work surrounding the use of human milk and breastfeeding particularly in vulnerable populations. Dr. Spatz has been PI or co-investigator on over 75 research grants, included several from the NIH. She has authored and co-authored over 275 peer-reviewed publications and written numerous book chapters related to human milk and breastfeeding.
Nominations for Position: Councilor (3 positions available)
Rebecca Hoban (USA)
University of Washington
As a human milk (HM) researcher and neonatologist, ISRHML has helped my career grow since my first meeting in 2014. I was introduced to ISRHML by my mentors and colleagues Paula Meier and Aloka Patel, who have been involved in the group for many years and encouraged me to further my participation beyond conference invited speaking engagements and research presentations. My experience in HM research includes prospective studies in biomarkers of secretory activation in pump dependent mothers of preterm infants (funded in Chicago and Toronto, currently enrolling in Seattle), a prospective intervention study of intranasal HM for intraventricular hemorrhage in preterm infants, cohort studies of predictors of lactation success, and assessment of HM inflammatory markers. I have collaborated with HM researchers from around the world, including groups with ISRHML ties such as Rush, University of Florida, University of Toronto, and University of Western Australia. Along with Drs Meier and Leslie Parker, I mentor a group of junior PhDs who are deeply involved in HM research with a unifying theme of secretory activation, most of whom were able to attend ISRHML’s most recent meeting. I hope on the executive committee to contribute to ISRHML’s future and further grow the HM community.
Michael Ross (USA)
Harbor-UCLA Medical Center
As an ObGyn physician, lactation and breastfeeding are intrinsic to our patient care. My laboratory has explored developmental factors which impact on offspring weight gain and neurobehavioral function, investigating both the fetal and newborn environments. Lactational programming is a process by which maternal interaction and milk nutrition impacts newborn development. Our studies demonstrate marked variability in breast milk composition, dependent upon time of day, weeks of nursing, foremilk-hindmilk, maternal nutrition and body habitus. We strongly support the multitude of benefits for maternal nursing, though we recognize that “all milk is not created equal”. Our studies aim to understand the mechanisms which regulate milk composition, with a focus on fat content, including Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids, milk oligosaccharides and the infant microbiome. We are exploring dietary and pharmacologic approaches to optimize and personalize breast milk in response to infant requirements (eg, preterm, macrosomic) and are developing methods to quantify breast milk intake so as to provide a complete picture of infant nutrient intake. The ISRHML is the perfect forum for collaboration, interaction and presentation of studies on lactation and infant nutrition. I look forward to contributing to the Society’s success and the advancement of science and clinical practice surrounding lactation.
Richmond Aryeetey (Ghana)
University of Ghana School of Public Health
Richmond Aryeetey is a Professor of Public Health Nutrition at the University of Ghana School of Public Health. He has over two decades of experience as a public health nutrition expert. He is in the Department of Population, Family, and Reproductive Health. In 2022, Professor Aryeetey was inducted into the fellowship of the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences. Professor Aryeetey’s interdisciplinary research intersects Human Nutrition, Public Health, Food Systems, and Public Policy, across the entire life course. However, his work places much emphasis on the nutrition of young children; he is especially passionate about breastfeeding and complementary feeding of young children, and the drivers and barriers of young child feeding. He is a committed member of ISRHML. His research has contributed to breastfeeding policy in Africa Ghana and beyond. He joined ISRHML about 2 decades ago. He is interested in promoting greater inclusion and diversity in ISRHML by championing participation of researchers outside of North America in ISRHML as well as mentorship of students and early career lactation and breastfeeding researchers. I look forward to continuing this interest as a councilor
Aleksandra Wesolowska (Poland)
Warsaw Medical University
I am honored to have been nominated for Councilor of the Executive Committee of the International Society for Research on Human Milk and Lactation and I am grateful for the Nominations Committee confidence in considering me for this position. I have been fascinated by human milk biochemistry for more than 15 years as a researcher at Warsaw Medical University. My personal difficult experiences with of my daughter's hospital stay after birth led me to the field of human milk banking and support for breastfeeding mothers of premature babies. As the founder of the Human Milk Bank Foundation and head of the Laboratory of Human Milk and Lactation Research, I integrate social, patient, and scientific perspectives to promote breastfeeding and advance research for the benefit of society. I believe that the area of milk banking and donor milk innovation, in which I have experience, can be one of the directions of ISRHML development. In addition, I would like to spread ISRHML activities to my colleagues in Europe and encourage them to become members. I take the opportunity to serve society as a Councilor very seriously, and if elected, I will work with devotion with ISRHML networking to improve our specialty globally. Thank you for your support !
David Newburg (USA)
University of Cincinnati College of Medicine
David Newburg: BS in Chemistry, University of Massachusetts1970; PhD in Biochemistry (minors in Nutrition and Neuroscience) 1976. Initial research, nutritional requirements during early brain development. During a meeting in Oaxaca, Mexico in 1984, Dr. Newburg introduced the human milk community to the potential biological activity of human milk oligosaccharides; this was the meeting in which we created ISRHML. Since then, Dr. Newburg has presented research results on: the ability of the human milk oligosaccharides to inhibit pathogen binding to the mucosal cell surface, protecting the newborn from contagious diseases; their ability to stimulate the growth of symbiotic bacteria of the intestinal microbiota; the pathways utilized in communication between the intestinal mutualists and the immature gut; and the ability of oligosaccharides to restore homeostasis in the dysbiotic gut. Since participating in its founding, Dr. Newburg has served on the executive committee of ISRHML, organized an ISRHML meeting in Plymouth, Massachusetts that was scientifically and fiscally successful, and edited a book that emanated from this meeting which focussed on the bioactive substances of human milk. Dr. Newburg is currently a professor at University of Cincinnati College of Medicine directing a research program on the prebiotic mechanisms of human milk oligosaccharides.
Katherine Gregory (USA)
Boston College
I am enthusiastically submitting application materials to be placed on the ballot for the upcoming open councilor position on the ISRHML Executive Council (EC). I am seeking the opportunity to serve on the ISRHML EC because I am committed to advancing research in human milk and lactation, with the goal of improving health outcomes during pregnancy, lactation, infancy and early childhood. I lead a program of research focused on infant nutrition, gut health, and microbiome science. We have conducted several studies of the influence of human milk on preterm infant outcomes, including necrotizing enterocolitis. In addition, my lab has explored specific aspects of human milk such as pH and microbial composition, and factors that influence these attributes of human milk. We have completed a series of studies in mouse models in follow-up to our human studies to better understand the influence of maternal nutrition on the composition of human milk. My lab includes undergraduate and graduate students, as well as post-doctoral fellows, as I hope to not only generate new knowledge in human milk and lactation science, but also to educate and train the next generation of researchers who will advance the field. Thank you for your consideration.
Ryan Pace (USA)
University of South Florida
I am an Assistant Professor at the University of South Florida with a strong commitment to advancing research and knowledge on human milk and lactation. My research program uses a combination of experimental and bioinformatic approaches to study maternal and child health, with an emphasis on the microbiome and human milk and lactation. I have been an active/enthusiastic member of ISRHML since joining as a trainee in 2019. Since then, I have served as a member of the Strategic Steering Committee and Chair of the Membership Committee. Currently, I serve as Chair of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusivity Committee. ISRHML has played an instrumental role in my career, connecting me with a global network of experts, and inspiring me to meaningfully contribute to human milk and lactation research. I strongly believe ISRHML plays an essential role in helping us to drive innovation and improve maternal and child health worldwide. As an Executive Councilor, I look forward to working with fellow members of the Executive Committee to support efforts that will expand our global membership, promote education and career development, and enhance collaboration. I am excited to serve our society in this new role and continue to contribute to its mission.