During World Breastfeeding Week, designated by the World Health Organization from August 1 to 7, an expert at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing can offer expert commentary.
Diane L. Spatz, PhD, RN, is a nurse researcher in lactation and an expert in the provision of human milk and breastfeeding in mothers who have infants with complex surgical anomalies.
She consults with families from around the world who relocate to Philadelphia to be cared for at the Center for Fetal Diagnosis and Treatment at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.
A fellow in the American Academy of Nursing (AAN), Dr. Spatz chairs its expert panel on breastfeeding and is the AAN's representative to the United States Breastfeeding Committee.
"The provision of human milk is a life-changing thing," says Dr. Spatz. "It can influence both the mortality of infants -- whether they live or die -- and also how healthy they are."
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