Professor Donna Geddes

Why did I become a Professor of Human Lactation

I herald from a medical imaging background specialising in ultrasound. I have always had a passion for learning and began to seek new opportunities for growth in the university system. In short I met the Eminent Lactation Researcher Professor Peter Hartmann who offered me a chance to apply my imaging skills to breastfeeding women. I was literally able to see the true anatomy of the lactating breast and visualise milk ejection as ducts opening and milk flowing before my very eyes. I then pursed a PhD and quite frankly I was hooked. Everything from the human milk being a juicy live fluid full of 1000’s of molecules that have evolved over time to unravelling the mysteries of how babies actually breastfeed (ultrasound was the window again) was and still is fascinating. Studying women and babies struggling to breastfeed has perhaps impacted me the most. I firmly believe that our research can assist in understanding some of the causes of breastfeeding problems and also allow us to design good solutions for mothers and babies. 

What do I do

I am proud to lead a large group (Geddes Hartmann Human Lactation Research Group) of innovative and dedicated scientists and students that have a passion for developing measurements of lactation and breastfeeding and then applying them to make a difference to clinicians and breastfeeding families. Not only do we publish our findings in scientific journals but we spread our information via free online articles and social media (Facebook, Twitter, Linked In).

I have dedicated my career to advancing our understanding of human lactation and maternal-infant health. Having several leadership roles including, Director of the UWA Centre for Human Lactation Research and Translation, Director of the Australian Breastfeeding Research + Lactation Research and Science Translation Network, Head of the Geddes Hartmann Human Lactation Research Group, Milk Sensor Lead and ARC Industrial Transformation Training Centre for Next-Gen Technologies in Biomedical Analysis.

Where are we

We are situated at The University of Western Australia in Perth.

On this website you will find various resources that I hope will peak your  interest, raise awareness and even help you if you are presenting about breastfeeding.