With a career devoted to understanding and elevating human milk, Dr. Kelley Baumgartel brings clarity, credibility, and compassion to every collaboration dedicated to advancing human milk science and its applications.
Many families stop breastfeeding early simply because they don’t receive the support they need.
Most nurses report low confidence in providing breastfeeding support.
Healthcare professionals strongly shape a mother’s decisions about starting and continuing breastfeeding.
The evidence is clear: human milk saves lives—but only when healthcare professionals have the knowledge and confidence to support its use. Across clinical and academic settings, inadequate preparation in lactation remains one of the greatest barriers to breastfeeding success and infant health. Studies consistently show that many nurses report limited confidence in providing breastfeeding support and that early cessation is often linked to insufficient professional guidance.
I work at the intersection of human milk science, education, and innovation. My work includes educating nurses and future nurses on the latest clinical and research evidence in human milk and lactation through accredited continuing education and specialized lectures on the anthropology of breastfeeding and human milk as medicine. I provide strategic consulting to academic, nonprofit, and health-focused organizations advancing human milk programs and products. I also serve as an expert witness in legal cases involving breastfeeding or human milk and create personalized, evidence-based for clinical, academic, and industry audiences.
Advances human milk science and lactation research through pioneering, discovery-driven scholarship that has reshaped understanding of human milk as a biologically active therapy across maternal–infant health and survivorship.
