Prof Diane L. Spatz
Getting it right: The critical window for establishing lactation
Diane L. Spatz, PhD, RN-BC, FAAN 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 researcher and director of the lactation program at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and the clinical coordinator of the CHOP Mothers’ Milk Bank. In the university portion of her job, she teaches an entire semester course on breastfeeding and human lactation to undergraduate nursing students and in the hospital portion of her job, she developed the Breastfeeding Resource Nurse program.
Dr. Spatz has been PI or co-investigator on over 40 research grants. She has authored over 100 peer-reviewed publications and written numerous book chapters related to human milk and breastfeeding. Dr. Spatz has authored/co-authored position statements and clinical practice guidelines for five professional organizations and as well as a technical brief for the USAID on human milk and breastfeeding in developing countries.
In 2004, Dr. Spatz developed her 10-step model for human milk and breastfeeding in vulnerable infants. This model has received the prestigious “Edge Runner” designation from the American Academy of Nursing based on the model’s outcomes. Dr. Spatz is the recipient of numerous awards including the 2016 Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Association of Neonatal Nurses.
