Dr. Spatz, PhD, RN-BC, FAAN, FAWHONN is professor of Perinatal Nursing & the Helen M. Shearer, professor of nutrition at University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing with joint appointment as a nurse scientist-lactation at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) in the Center for Pediatric Nursing Research and Evidence Based Practice. She is the founder of the CHOP Mothers’ Milk Bank.

Dr. Spatz is an active researcher, clinician, and educator who is internationally recognized for her work in human lactation. Dr. Spatz has been PI or co-investigator on over 50 research grants, including several from the NIH. She has authored and co-authored over 235 peer-reviewed publications and written numerous book chapters related to human milk and breastfeeding. Dr. Spatz has authored or co-authored position statements for the International Lactation Consultant Association, the Association of Women’s Health Obstetric & Neonatal Nursing (AWHONN), the Society of Pediatric Nurses (SPN) and the National Association of Neonatal Nurses. She has also written the clinical practice guidelines on human milk and breastfeeding for AHWONN and SPN.

Dr. Spatz was the only PhD nurse appointed to the Congressional Taskforce on Research Specific to Pregnant Women and Lactating Women. She also served for the World Health Organization Taskforce on donor milk and milk banking globally. Dr. Spatz is the current treasurer for the International Society for Research in Human Milk and Breastfeeding. She has been selected to serve on the National Academies of Science Engineering and Medicine Study on Breastfeeding in the United States.

In 2004, Dr. Spatz developed her 10-step model for human milk and breastfeeding in vulnerable infants. This model has been implemented in NICUs throughout the United States and other countries worldwide (Thailand, India, China, Mexico, Japan, Chile). Dr. Spatz has been named a prestigious “Edge Runner” for the American Academy of Nursing. Her nurse-driven models of care are critical in improving human milk and breastfeeding outcomes and thus the health of women and children globally. Dr. Spatz was inducted as an inaugural Fellow of AWHONN in June 2023.

In 2024, she was appointed to the National Academies of Science Engineering and Medicine Breastfeeding Analysis Study.

Prof. Geddes DMU, PostGrad Dip. (Sci), PhD is a globally recognized for her human lactation and breastfeeding research. She is the Director of the UWA Centre for Human Lactation Research and Translation, ABREAST, and the West Australian Human Milk Biobank. Donna’s work is dedicated to addressing challenges in lactation, including the identification of factors contributing to low milk production and the development of diagnostic tools and effective treatments for lactating women.

Prof Geddes team takes an innovative approach to the application of techniques to provide a holistic understanding of the dynamics of human lactation. She has used ultrasound to explore the physiology of lactation, providing groundbreaking insights into breast anatomy, milk ejection, and infant feeding behaviour. Her team is also committed to advancing our understanding of human milk composition, investigating its microbiome, immune proteins, macro- and micronutrients, and hormones to uncover their roles in maternal and infant health.

As Sensor Lead for the ARC Biomedical Analysis Training Centre, she is involved in the integration of cutting-edge technologies into the development of point of care sensors for clinicians. She also advises for the International Milk Composition Consortium (iMiC) and the Mothers, Infants, and Lactation Quality (MILQ) project, where she contributes to advances in global lactation science.

Prof. Campbell-Yeo PhD, NNP-BC, MN, RN is a neonatal nurse practitioner, clinician scientist, and a full professor at the School of Nursing, Faculty of Health, Dalhousie University. She holds cross appointments in the Department of Pediatrics, and Psychology and Neuroscience. Her Canada Foundation of Innovation funded research lab, MOM-LINC (Mechanisms, Outcome and Mobilization of Maternally-Led Interventions to Improve Newborn Care) examines interventions to improve outcomes of medically at-risk newborns specifically related to pain, stress, and neurodevelopment.

Kuhn, MD, PhD, is a senior neonatoogist and a professor of paediatrics at the University Hospitals of Strasbourg, France, and an invited researcher at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden. Prof Kuhn conducts research in neonatology and developmental neuroscience also in the CNRS. His work focus on the interactions between the early environment of NICUs and sensory system development, the impact of early life adversities in neurodevelopment, pain modulation in the broad topic of infant and family centered developmental care and on the evaluation of neonatal care & outcomes of preterm infants. Prof. Kuhn was awarded as Neonatologist of the Year 2021 by the French Society of Neonatology (Société Française de Neonatalogie. He is a the president of its Scientific Committee and is coordinating the Group of Reflection and Evaluation of the Environment of Newborn infant (GREEN) in France. In addition, he is the chair of the topic expert group on Infand and Family Centred Developmental Care of the European Foundation of the Care of Newborn Infant (EFCNI) Standard of Care for Newborn Infant.

Prof. Barroso, MD is Head of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Prof. Doutor Fernando Fonseca Hospital in Portugal. With over 20 years of clinical experience in neonatology, she was President of the Neonatal Portuguese Society (SPN) from 2013 until 2016. Her areas of research interest include nutrition and infection and the link between these two. Dr. Barroso has received the “Prémio da Qualidade Maria Amélia de Mello” and the "Prémio Bial de Medicina Clínica" awards for her work in neonatology. Prof. Barroso´s work has been instrumental in the development and implementation of key Quality Improvement initiatives in Portugal, and in 2023 lead the Update of the Guidelines for enteral nutrition in infants born preterm by the SPN.

Prof. Taylor is a distinguished neonatologist dedicated to investigating the short and long-term impacts of in-hospital nutrition. Her pioneering work on determining vitamin D sufficiency for bone mineralization in very preterm infants has evolved into a comprehensive study of how nutrients, diseases, and social exposures influence their growth and neurodevelopment. Her research also addresses the relationship between feeding practices and gastrointestinal development in preterm infants, focusing on intestinal permeability and strategies to optimize feeding methods. These efforts aim to enhance infant development and reduce the high risk of inflammatory diseases among this vulnerable population. In addition to her nutrition research, Prof. Taylor explores factors affecting women's ability to meet their lactation goals. She has identified modifiable risk factors, particularly among Black Americans, women with diabetes and cardiovascular disease, and mothers of preterm infants.

Prof. Arslanoglu is an experienced neonatologist and head of the Division of Neonatology at the Istanbul Medeniyet University. She is also scientific coordinator and member of the board of directors of the Italian Association of Human Milk Banks (AIBLUD) and current president of the European Milk Banking Organisation (EMBA). In her role as EMBA president, she advocates for an EU regulation on standards of the quality and safety of donor human milk, and set up specific EMBA working groups to drive improvements, aiming to support the further development of European guidelines that create a legal framework for the use of donor milk in Europe. Prof. Arslanoglu has conducted extensive research on neonatal nutrition, human milk, donor milk, and prebiotics and has authored more than 120 scientific publications in peer-reviewed journals.

Ms. Mader has been a passionate and influential advocate for maternal and newborn health for over 25 years. As a former patient with HELLP syndrome and mother of preterm babies at week 25 (twin boy survived at 515 grams, twin girl deceased), she built on all of her personal experience to improve care for parents, preterm babies and sick newborns. Care that hardly existed at the time. She knows from her own experience that a strong partnership between health professionals and parents is the best way to face the emotional roller coaster ride of a preterm or sick baby and to overcome the obstacles. This led to establishing EFCNI – European Foundation for the Care of Newborn Infants in Munich 2008 where she acts as Chairwoman and founding member. One of the major achievements of the foundation was the establishment of World Prematurity Day, the development as well as the implementation of The European Standards of Care for Newborn Health and the founding of the Global Alliance for Newborn Care (GLANCE). In April 2025, EFCNI transitioned to the Global Foundation for the Care of Newborn Infants (GFCNI), reflecting the expanded global mission to advocate for newborn health worldwide.

Silke Mader is Chairwoman and founding member of EFCNI as well as author and editor of many publications on topics related to maternal and newborn health and received several national and international awards and medals for her engagement. In June 2024 she also received received the Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany.

Dr. Lilliesköld is a pediatric nurse, currently working as head nurse at the Department of Neonatology at Karolinska University Hospital and affiliated to the Department of Women´s and Children´s Health at Karolinska Institutet. She has extensive experience in the development and implementation of Infant-and Family-Centered Developmental Care for preterm or sick newborns and their families in the NICU, with a special focus on conceptualizing and working with Mother-Newborn Couplet Care within this framework.

Dr. Lilliesköld is an active researcher within the field of neonatology and neonatal nursing. Her research interests include early interventions to foster parent-infant closeness and support the parent-infant relationship after a preterm birth. A such, her PhD thesis was on immediate parent-infant skin-to-skin contact after a very preterm birth. She has ongoing activity in national and international expert working groups relating to improving the care for preterm or sick newborns and their parents.

Dr. Keller is a Senior Physician at the Clinic and Polyclinic for Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, within the Division of Neonatology and Pediatric Intensive Care at the University of Cologne. His research interests lie in Pediatrics, with a particular focus on exploring the neuroprotective effects of mother's milk.