Under the heading ‘New Horizons in Human Milk Banking’, the 6th EMBA Congress recently took place, providing new insights into current research topics, discussing updated recommendations and inspiring us all anew to the work around donor milk banks. Read more >>
The EMBA Task Force on COVID-19 is constituted by the Neonatologists present in the Board of Directors of the Association: Sertac Arslanoglu (Turkey), Enrico Bertino (Italy), Corinna Gebauer (Germany), Radmilla Mileusnic Milenovic (Serbia), Guido Moro (Italy), and Jean Charles Picaud (France). Read more >>
Aleksandra Wesolowska, member of the EMBA Board has received the title of habilitated doctor of health sciences from Polish Promotions Committee based on scientific accomplished entitled “ Qualitative and quantitative management of human milk in the neonatal intensive care unit including milk from human milk bank” Read more >>
2020 International Donor Milk Conference: Notice of Cancellation
Regretfully, HMBANA’s 2020 International Donor Milk Conference in Austin, Texas is now cancelled due to concerns related to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). Read more >>
COVID-19 is an emerging acute respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus SARS CoV-2. Current knowledge is evolving rapidly and is largely based on what is known about similar coronaviruses. Questions arise concerning breastmilk donors and the treatment of breastmilk in human milk banks. Read more >>
If you receive an email that appears to be from the EMBA President (or other EMBA colleague) requesting help including asking for money please IGNORE and DELETE. Do not reply.
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Dear Members, Dear Friends,
We are happy to inform you that the 5th EMBA International Congress, organised in Turin in the period October 10th -11th, 2019 , has been a great success both for the scientific programme and the social aspect. The number of attendees was extremely high, with more than 220 delegates from 45 countries, 22 of them from outside Europe. Read more >>
The gift of breastmilk is often celebrated by the staff and users of human milk banks. However in 2010 a special day was chosen to ensure that human milk donation is celebrated throughout the world in recognition of how these special donations facilitate the safe provision of breastmilk to the many thousands of infants who benefit globally. Originally, this day came about in response to Brazil’s successful national milk donation day that started in 2004. Once the idea of a global day had begun, it started to spread from its largely South and Central American roots, to become a truly global event. Read more >>
The work and findings of the three EMBA working groups that have met several times a year for the past 3 years have now been published as part of the research topic; Human Milk in the Feeding of Preterm Infants. Read more >>
PATH has developed and recently launched a free toolkit for all those with an interest in establishing and operating human milk banks. Entitled Strengthening Human Milk Banking: A Resource Toolkit for Establishing and Integrating Human Milk Bank Programs and is aimed at a global audience. Members of the EMBA board have contributed to the development of these documents and will continue to support and promote their use. Read more >>
The EMBA Board send congratulations to Gillian Weaver (EMBA Co-founder and former President) and her Hearts Milk Bank and Human Milk Foundation co-founder Dr Natalie Shenker on their recent ‘Points of Light’ award from UK Prime Minister Theresa May. Read more >>
The 2018 EMBA Annual Meeting was held in Milan on Tuesday 6th November. The members elected the following to be Board of Director members for the next three years: Read more >>
The main aim of this 1-day event was to provide a new opportunity to present relevant research whilst enabling delegates to network and potentially form collaborations for future projects. Read more >>
Only around two dozen out of a total of over 200 perinatal centres in Germany can feed their premature patients with milk from donor milk banks. Mother’s milk gives premature infants and sick newborns an optimal start in life, but when they cannot have their own mother’s milk, a donor milk bank can save lives. The recently established Donor Milk Bank Initiative (FMBI, after the German acronym) calls on politicians, authorities, health insurance companies and hospitals in Germany to ensure that all patients in need are able to benefit from safe donor milk. Read more >>
EMBA were delighted to hear from Olga Loukoyanova of the opening of a second milk bank in Russia in the city of Ufa in the Republic of Bashkortosan. Read more >>
The organisers of the EMBA Congress always aim to maximize both its educational and its networking potential. One of the established ways in which we do this is to promote and support the presentation of posters. Read more >>
Joint WHO, UNICEF, PATH policy brief launched in recognition of World Prematurity Day 2017 Read more >>
In India, only 42 percent of babies are breastfed in the first hour of birth and only half are exclusively breastfed for the first six months. However India recently achieved a major milestone when the government launched the “National Guidelines on Lactation Management Centres in Public Health Facilities.” Read more >>
Early July 2017 saw the INA Conference come to Europe again – this time it was held in Cite Internationale, Lyon, France in the same location as the previous EMBA Conference (in 2015). It seemed very fitting then that a pre-conference workshop dedicated to human milk banking worldwide kicked off the meeting and that donor milk was also featured several times on the main conference programme. Read more >>
March 8th, 2017 the second Donor Milk Bank opened at Vilnius University Children’s Hospital Neonatal Centre, Vilnius capital city of Lithuania. Vilnius Perinatal Centre is one of two Perinatal Centres in Lithuania where women with high risk pregnancies are concentrated as well as majority of sick and premature babies undergo medical care. Read more >>
The Polish National Health Service has established a financial 'correction factor' (which can be interpreted as a form of incentive) for hospitals where human milk (mother’s own or donor milk) is the dominant way of feeding preterm infants. The sum of money provided covers the running costs of the milk bank. Read more >>
ATH has released ‘A workshop for developing a Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points plan for your human milk bank’ to be used globally for all current and future human milk banking programs to ensure quality and safety. Read more >>
The recent removal from circulation of 500 and 1000 rupee notes throughout India led to queues at all the country's ATM's. In the milk bank in Pondicherry however a different type of ATM is attracting lots of good publicity as it helps babies in hospital. Read more >>
The first milk bank opened on the 30st of November 2016 in Kaunas, the second biggest city in Lithuania.
This human milk bank has been settled at the hospital of Lithuanian University of Health Sciences Kaunas Clinics, one of the two perinatal centers of Lithuania.
One doctor neonatologist and two nurses will work in the bank. The director of this bank is Professor Rasa Tameliene, Head of the Department of Neonatology. Read more >>
The first human milk bank in Iran was recently opened in the Alzahra Teaching Hospital of TABRIZ affiliated to Tabriz University of Medical Sciences ( TUOMS). TABRIZ is the capital city of East Azerbaijan province in the North West of Islamic Republic of Iran. Read more >>
A new model of milk bank for the UK is expected to be operational by the end of the year. The milk bank is a social enterprise (ie not for profit company) that has been established to provide assured and equitable access to donor milk for premature and sick infants in hospital neonatal units throughout London and the South East of England. Read more >>
From Friday 9th September Tanya is the MSCA Fellow of the Week and later this month her research project is being showcased at the Science is Wonder-ful event in Brussels on the 28 September 2016 at the Parlamentarium (the EU Parliament’s visitor centre). Read more >>
In January 2015 EMBA, in collaboration with the Human Milk Bank Association of North America (HMBANA) issued a statement advising families about the possible risks of buying or sharing breastmilk obtained via the internet. The statement can be viewed here...
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Beginning online on September 1, 2016, iLactation and EMBA (European Milk Bank Association) join together to bring you Breastfeeding: passion and biology, our online breastfeeding and human milk banking conference. Read more >>
Keep up to date with our EMBA officers and board members... Read more >>
EMBA directors were very happy to hear from Dr Arunas Liubsys, who is the Director of the Neonatal Center at Vilnius University and works at Vilnius University Children's Hospital where he is hoping to establish a donor milk bank. Read more >>
ISBT 128 is the global standard for the identification, labelling, and information processing of human blood, cell, tissue, and organ products across international borders and health care systems... Read more >>
Congratulations to all involved in the development of New Zealand’s first milk bank which opened on the 4th February 2014 in Christchurch Women’s Hospital Neonatal Unit... Read more >>
We are pleased to announce that the decision of the Director of the Polish Centre for Research and Development on October 14, 2014 has been to award funding for the project entitled ‘Lactotechnology as an answer to special nutritional requirements of preterm infants’... Read more >>
