PASADENA, CA--(Marketwired - Sep 8, 2016) - The fourth annual International Conference on Human Milk Science and Innovation is being held in Pasadena, Calif., Sept. 7-9, bringing together world-renowned scientists, researchers and clinicians to present the latest scientific evidence and clinical research on human milk applications. This year's conference centers on potential human milk applications for the gut and microbiome in premature infants and other patient populations.

The keynote address was given by human lactation and breast milk pioneer Ruth Lawrence, M.D., University of Rochester Medical Center, for whom the Ruth A. Lawrence Investigator Award for Research in Human Milk Science is being established in her honor. The annual award is dedicated in Dr. Lawrence's name to recognize a medical fellow or postdoctoral scholar for their research in the science of human milk. The winner will be invited to present their research at next year's International Conference on Human Milk Science and Innovation.

Over the past four years, the International Conference on Human Milk Science and Innovation has become the premier forum for thought-leaders and medical experts to share and discuss the newest biological, clinical and applied aspects of human milk and human milk-based nutrition. William Rhine, M.D., Stanford University School of Medicine, and J. Bruce German, Ph.D., UC Davis Foods for Health Institute, are serving as co-chairs for the fourth consecutive year, delivering the opening and closing remarks for the conference.

"Since the inception of this conference, there has been an incredible evolution in the scientific advancements surrounding human milk," said Dr. Rhine. "This year, we're honored to have Ruth Lawrence at the conference. As a pioneer in the field of human lactation, Ruth was the first to champion the benefits of human milk and we stand on her shoulders as we continue to unlock the power of human milk in the NICU and beyond."

The International Conference on Human Milk Science and Innovation program includes the following presentations from experts in their respective fields:

• Ruth Lawrence, M.D., University of Rochester Medical Center: "Science Discovers Mother Nature"
• Grace Aldrovandi, M.D., Children's Hospital Los Angeles: "Mom's Milk and Microbes"
• Jonathan Braun, M.D., Ph.D., UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine: "Monitoring and Manipulating the Intestinal Microbiome - Lessons from IBD"
• Max Ryadnov, Ph.D., National Physical Laboratory: "Old Friends and New Foes: From Breast Milk to Antimicrobial Discovery"
• Olav T. Oftedal, Ph.D., Smithsonian Environmental Research Center; Alan Lucas, M.D., University College London; and Victoria Niklas, M.D., Prolacta Bioscience: "Breast Milk as a Critical Determinant of Diverse Biological Functions: Perspectives from an Evolutionary Biologist, Dr Olav Oftedal, and a clinical psychologist, Prof. Alan Lucas"
• Nicholas D. Embleton, M.D., Newcastle University: "Mechanisms Affecting the Gut of Preterm Infants in Enteral Feeding Trials (MAGPIE): A Clinician's Perspective on the Use of Omic Technology to Better Understand Mechanistic Actions in Nutrition Studies"
• Nancy Rodriguez, Ph.D., APN, North Shore University Health System: "Oropharyngeal Mother's Milk for Preterm Infants: State of the Science"
• Bradley Warner, M.D, Washington University: "Short Bowel Syndrome in Children - Surgical Options and Basic Opportunities"
• Diane L. Spatz, Ph.D., RN-BC, University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing and The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia: "Improving Human Milk and Breastfeeding Outcomes for NICU Infants with the Spatz 10 Step Model"
• Paul MacLean, Ph.D., University of Colorado-Denver: "Overview of Mouse Models as They Form Our Understanding of Nutrition, Diet and Lactation"
• Lewis P. Rubin, M.D., El Paso Children's Hospital and Texas Tech University Health Science Center - El Paso: "Exclusively Human Milk Diets for Preterm Infants: Three Year Outcomes"

About International Conference on Human Milk Science and Innovation
The International Conference on Human Milk Science and Innovation (humanmilkscience.org) is the premier forum covering the latest in scientific and clinical research related to human milk. Renowned scientists and clinicians from around the world attend this annual event to present and discuss the scientific potential of human milk and raise awareness of its clinical applicability. The conference is sponsored by Prolacta Bioscience.