Diane L. Spatz, PhD, RN-BC, FAAN, FAWHONN is Professor of Perinatal Nursing & the Helen M. Shearer Professor of Nutrition at University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing with joint appointment as a nurse scientist-lactation at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) in the Center for Pediatric Nursing Research and Evidence Based Practice. Dr. Spatz is the Founder of the CHOP Mothers’ Milk Bank.

Dr. Spatz is an active researcher, clinician, and educator who is internationally recognized for her work in human lactation. Dr. Spatz has been PI or co-investigator on over 50 research grants, including several from the NIH. She has authored and co-authored over 280 peer-reviewed publications and written numerous book chapters related to human milk and breastfeeding. Dr. Spatz has authored or co-authored position statements for the International Lactation Consultant Association, the Association of Women’s Health Obstetric & Neonatal Nursing (AWHONN), the Society of Pediatric Nurses (SPN) and the National Association of Neonatal Nurses. She has also written the clinical practice guidelines on human milk and breastfeeding for AHWONN and SPN.

In 2004, Dr. Spatz develop her 10-step model for human milk and breastfeeding in vulnerable infants. This model has been implemented in NICUs throughout the United States and other countries worldwide (Thailand, India, China, Mexico, Japan, Chile). Dr. Spatz has been named a prestigious “Edge Runner” for the American Academy of Nursing. Her nurse driven models of care are critical in improving human milk & breastfeeding outcomes and thus the health of women and children globally.

Dr. Spatz was the only PhD nurse appointed to the Congressional Taskforce on Research Specific to Pregnant Women and Lactating Women. She also served for the World Health Organization Taskforce on donor milk and milk banking globally. Dr. Spatz was inducted as an inaugural Fellow of AWHONN in June 2023. Dr. Spatz is the treasurer for the International Society for Research in Human Milk and Breastfeeding. In 2024, she was appointed to the National Academies of Science Engineering and Medicine Breastfeeding Analysis Study. In June 2025, Dr. Spatz received the Lifetime Achievement Award from AWHONN