Press Releases
DUARTE, Calif., August 2, 2022 – Prolacta Bioscience®, the world’s leading hospital provider of 100% human milk-based nutritional products for critically ill, premature infants, announced today that neonatologist and breastfeeding advocate Erin Hamilton Spence, MD, IBCLC, has been appointed director of clinical education and professional development.
Hamilton Spence brings more than 14 years of clinical experience as a board-certified neonatologist and lactation consultant to Prolacta’s Medical Science Liaison team, having practiced at multiple hospital neonatal intensive care units (NICUs), including Cook Children’s Medical Center and Baylor Scott & White Health-Andrews Women’s Hospital.
At Pediatrix Medical Group of Texas, Hamilton Spence has been an attending neonatologist and lead physician for the breast milk continuous quality improvement (CQI) initiative. At Cook Children’s Medical Center, Hamilton Spence currently chairs the Department of Critical Care. She founded the Gastrointestinal Rehabilitation Adaptive Care & Education (GRACE) team in 2020. Since 2010, Hamilton Spence has also served as associate medical director of the NICU at Baylor Scott & White Health- Andrews Women’s Hospital leading QI efforts, including as lead physician for multidisciplinary round as well as its Uber Preemie Team, caring for infants less than or equal to 24 weeks gestation, since 2016.
“Dr. Erin Hamilton Spence is an experienced neonatologist with a demonstrated history of clinical leadership in some of the country’s top NICUs,” said Melinda Elliott, MD, chief medical officer at Prolacta. “Her extensive NICU and milk banking experience makes her perfect for the role of educating other neonatologists about the importance of an Exclusive Human Milk Diet (EHMD). Her leadership will be key to ensure that more critically ill, premature infants can benefit from human milk when they need it most.”
A noted human milk researcher, Hamilton Spence has authored or co-authored studies published in the Journal of Perinatology, PLOS One, Gut, and the Journal of Human Lactation. She has presented her work at numerous conferences, including those of the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine, the Pediatric Academic Societies, the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and the Human Milk Banking Association of North America.
Hamilton Spence holds an academic appointment as a clinical assistant professor at Texas Christian University School of Medicine. She served as the co-medical director and past president of the Mother’s Milk Bank of North Texas and is a member of the Texas Breastfeeding Coalition. Additionally, Hamilton Spence serves on the faculty of both the Scott & White Annual Neonatology (SWAN) Conference and the NEO Conference.
“I’m honored to join Prolacta’s Medical Science Liaison team. I’ve witnessed the lifesaving value of Prolacta’s products in our NICUs. This position for Prolacta marries all my strongest interests in human milk nutrition research, education, and quality,” Hamilton Spence said. “Prolacta has led the way in advancing human milk-based nutritional care for premature infants in the NICU, and I am thrilled to make a difference beyond my own NICU for the most vulnerable infants and their families.”
A fellow of the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine and the American Academy of Pediatrics, Hamilton Spence completed her fellowship and pediatrics residency at the University of Texas Health Science Center – Houston. She graduated from medical school at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston.
About Prolacta Bioscience
Prolacta Bioscience® Inc. is a privately held, global life sciences company dedicated to Advancing the Science of Human Milk® to improve the health of critically ill, premature infants. Prolacta's 100% human milk-based nutritional products have been evaluated in more than 20 clinical studies published in peer-reviewed journals. More than 80,000 premature infants have benefited from Prolacta’s nutritional products worldwide to date.1 Established in 1999, Prolacta is the world’s leading provider of human milk-based nutritional products for hospital use and is also exploring the therapeutic potential of human milk across a wide spectrum of diseases. Prolacta maintains the industry’s strictest quality and safety standards for screening, testing, and processing donor human milk. Operating the world’s first pharmaceutical-grade human milk processing facilities, Prolacta uses vat pasteurization and a patented, FDA-reviewed manufacturing process to ensure pathogen inactivation while protecting the nutritional composition and bioactivity of its human milk-based products. Prolacta is a global company with headquarters in Duarte, California, and can be found online on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
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Media Contact:
Loren Kosmont
Lkosmont@prolacta.com
310-721-9444
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