Open Call for Entries for the Ruth A. Lawrence Investigator Award for Research in Human Milk Science

The International Conference on Human Milk Science and Innovation (ICHMSI) announced today that applications are now being accepted for the Ruth A. Lawrence Investigator Award for Research in Human Milk Science. The award was created to encourage original research in the area of human milk science and breastfeeding medicine, and to support the advancement of emerging researchers in this vital area of science. Entries are due by June 1, 2017.

This annual award was established by the ICHMSI in 2016 in honor of Ruth A. Lawrence, M.D., a pioneer in the field of human lactation and breast milk. Dr. Lawrence is among the first to champion the benefits of human milk and breastfeeding as optimal for infant health and well-being. The award winner will receive $10,000 plus travel expenses, and an invitation to present his or her research at the 5th Annual ICHMSI to be held in Pasadena, Calif. on September 6-8, 2017.

Award applicants must be trainees (students, post-graduate trainees/residents/fellows) or physician/academic researchers who are within the first five years of completion of their postgraduate training. Research must be original, and related but not limited to:

1. biologic activities of human milk or its components,
2. applications of human milk or its derivatives to clinical medicine, and/or
3. the impact of environment (broadly speaking) on breast milk production, lactation or breast milk content.

Laboratory studies involving non-human breast milk or model systems will not be considered. The research must have been published no more than the preceding 12 months, or accepted for publication in a journal indexed in Medline or EMBASE.

Applications must be submitted electronically to humanmilkscience.org/award and must include:

• An abstract of the manuscript that has been published or accepted for publication.
• A maximum 200-word summary of how the Award will be used to further the research.
• A one-page CV and a one-page personal statement.
• The submitted manuscript or published version of the article.

About Dr. Ruth A. Lawrence

Dr. Ruth A. Lawrence received her M.D. from the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry at a time when few women pursued degrees in medical education. Dr. Lawrence completed her residency in Pediatrics at Yale New Haven Hospital and returned to the University of Rochester in 1960 to found the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Rochester's Strong Memorial Hospital. She was instrumental in the launch of mechanical ventilators in support of newborn and pediatric respiratory illness. She also developed the Poison Control Center concept and has served as the medical director of the Finger Lakes Regional Poison Center for over 50 years. In addition to these appointments, she served as the distinguished professor of Neonatology, Obstetrics, and Gynecology at the University of Rochester Medical Center School of Medicine and Dentistry, and the medical director of the Breastfeeding and Human Lactation Study Center. She also holds the Northumberland Trust Chair in Pediatrics.

About the International Conference on Human Milk Science and Innovation

The International Conference on Human Milk Science and Innovation 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. For more information, please visit: www.humanmilkscience.org.

Media Contact

Kimberly Capwell
kimberly@capwellcomm.com
(949) 999-3303