Interview with A. Prof Donna Geddes
A. Prof Donna Geddes
Sucking dynamics of preterm infants in the NICU
Donna Geddes, DMU, is Associate Professor in the School of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of Western Australia. She is Senior Research Fellow, directing one of the most prestigious human lactation research groups in the world, founded by Emeritus Professor Peter Hartmann.
A Prof Geddes is internationally renowned for her novel work with ultrasound imaging, which has revolutionized our understanding of: the anatomy of the lactating breast; milk ejection and blood flow in the breast; infant sucking technique; infant suck-swallow-breathe co-ordination; infant gastric emptying; and the body composition of both the term and preterm infant. Her current research also delves into the composition of human milk and its impact on the growth and body composition of breastfed infants, the investigation of HM metabolites, and the effect of storage conditions on milk. She has published 98 peer-reviewed papers and 11 book chapters. She has received over 7 million dollars in research grants as principal investigator, and is currently supervising four Post-Doctoral Fellows, five PhD students and two Masters Students.
Donna has received several awards, including the Healthy Children Faculty Award (2007), the Early Career Research award from the International Society for Research in Human Milk and Lactation (2008) and the Certificate of Distinction for Innovative Research from the Raine Medical Research Foundation, Perth (2008) in recognition of her contribution to scientific research. She is a member of the Editorial Board for Breastfeeding Review and Secretary for the International Society for Research in Human Milk and Lactation.
