Iran established The Human Milk Bank Association (Committee) of I.R. Iran (HMBAI) to promote breastfeeding and human milk banks in the country

The Human Milk Bank Association of I.R. Iran (HMBAI) was established on 28 April 2024 with the collaboration of the Iranian Scientific Breastfeeding Promotion Society (I.R.I BFPS ). Iran have 13 active human milk banks (and two will be added shortly) in different parts of the country in 2024 and it is the first in the number of milk banks in the Middle East. There is a plan for increasing the number of milk banks as a need to decrease the mortality and morbidity of infants as a national need.

During a meeting with the participation of directors of all human milk banks of the country, Dr. Mohammadbagher Hosseini (Neonatologist and head of Human Milk Bank of Tabriz) was chosen as the director of  HMBAI.

The mission of HMBAI is to promote safe and equitable access to Mother’s Own  Milk for all Iranian infants and Donor Human Milk (as the second choice) for preterm infants, support milk banks across Iran, and ensure quality standards. The main goals of HMBAI  are breastfeeding support, developing standardized protocols, and facilitating research and development in human milk banking. The objectives of the HMBAI as  a nonprofit organization are to promote social and health-related activities:

• Promoting breastfeeding (as the main aim) in all parts of Iran and collaboration with 

• I.R.I BFPS

• Donation of human milk to Human Milk Banks (HMB) in all parts of Iran

• Utilization of donor human milk for premature infants and other infants with specific

• needs who do not have access to their mother’s milk

• Milk banking and the establishment of new human milk banks

• International cooperation between HMBs and National Associations/Groups of

• Human Milk Banks around the globe; and specialty EMBA

Discover other related EU-funded projects!

GAPP (facilitatinG the Authorisation of Preparation Process for blood, tissues and cells) is a Joint Action aimed at facilitating the development of a common and optimal approach to assess and authorize preparation processes in blood and tissues establishments

GAPP-PRO Joint Action builds on the GAPP initiative by piloting risk assessment and authorization methods across EU member states. Key objectives include refining guidelines, enabling joint assessments, and expanding the EuroGTP II tool for new SoHO applications, ensuring safety and accessibility. 

EGALITE (European Group for Accreditation and Liaison of Blood-Tissues and Cells Establishments) aims to promote the harmonization of practices among Donation Centres and Blood and Tissue Establishments, encourage the collaboration among stakeholders and the implementation of strategies required to improve accessibility and sufficiency of SoHO at European level. 

IMAGINE-HMB Project Kick-off Meeting

Date: September 10–11, 2024 | Location: Biomedia, Via Temolo 4, Milan

We are excited to announce the successful launch of the IMAGINE-HMB Project during our Kick-Off Meeting held in Milan. This two-day event brought together leading experts, partners, and stakeholders to outline our ambitious objectives and set the foundation for a collaborative journey. 

Day 1 Highlights

The first day focused on the project overview, objectives, and work plan, with sessions dedicated to establishing the Expert Forum, drafting guidelines, planning implementation, designing a training programme, and outlining dissemination and communication strategies.

Day 2 Highlights

The second day addressed administrative and financial management, provided insights from project officers, and facilitated discussions on the Consortium Agreement and open points.

Looking Ahead

This meeting laid the groundwork for collaboration and progress. We are excited to begin implementing the project’s vision and look forward to achieving impactful results.

Stay connected for updates!

8th International Congress European Milk Bank Association

The 8th International Congress of the European Milk Bank Association (EMBA) is set to take place in the historic city of Venice from 16th to 17th October 2025. This prestigious event will convene experts, practitioners, and advocates from across Europe and beyond, focusing on advancements in the field of human milk banking and the utilisation of donor human milk.

Participants will engage in a range of sessions, including keynote speeches, panel discussions, and workshops that address the latest research, clinical practices, and ethical

EMBA – Medela Webinar: More human milk in the Neonatal Unit – yes, but how?

More human milk in the Neonatal Unit –  yes, but how? Leadership aspects in driving practice change

Thursday, 27 June 2024, 3pm – 4:40 pm (CEST)

Introduction to the topic

Exclusive human milk feeding should be a priority when it comes to protecting, promoting, and supporting breastfeeding for all infants. To achieve this goal, European neonatal units are creating supportive environments and are adapting their clinical practice to meet the specific needs of the “mother-milk-infant triad” and improve access to human milk and exclusive breastfeeding.

Inspired by their clinician-led initiatives in Germany and Spain and by the discussion held during the Medela Breastfeeding and Lactation Symposium in 2023, the invited speakers for this webinar will share the advantages of opening a donor milk bank using an integrated approach (i.e. ensuring improved breastfeeding and lactation support in parallel). The attendees will also get insights about a national pilot plan to assess the status quo of preterm infants´ human milk feeding in a cluster of hospitals.

Join passionate leaders Sven Wellmann and Miguel Sáenz de Pipaón in this webinar session to learn first-hand from their experiences about best practices for more human milk in the neonatal unit. The discussion panel will be moderated by EMBA president Prof. Sertac Arslanoglu, who will enrich the discussion with her own experience on a neonatal unit.

Register now to secure your spot!

Learning objectives:

• Overview of practical solutions to increase human milk feeding in the neonatal unit, with a more in depth review of the Spanish experiences.

• Examples of practices that can lead to increase the availability of Donor Human Milk and Mother´s Own Milk in late preterm infants, including leadership aspects of driving practice change.

Event details

Date             27. June 2024

Duration      1:40 hour

Language    English

Time            3pm – 4:40 pm (CEST)

Click here to register for the webinar.

This webinar is free of charge.

Presenters

Lactation and breastfeeding in late preterm infants: a quality improvement initiative

Prof. Sven Wellmann, MD, MBA

Head of the Department of Neonatology, University Perinatal Centre Regensburg, Hospital St. Hedwig of the Order of St. John, Germany

Prof. Sven Wellmann is trained in Pediatrics and Neonatal Medicine. He worked at the university hospitals in Berlin (Germany), Basel and Zurich (Switzerland). He established recently a donor milk bank at his hospital in Regensburg and initiated a quality improvement initiative for specialised breastfeeding and lactation support in late preterm infants. His research focus is on the first 1000 days of life, with main research areas in foetal and neonatal stress response and neuroprotection. He is the founding director of the European School of Neonatology (ESN).

Practical solutions to overcome barriers to increase human milk feeding in the neonatal unit

Prof. Miguel Sáenz de Pipaón

Neonatology Service, La Paz Hospital-Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid

Miguel Sáenz de Pipaón Marcos is physician of the Neonatology Department of Hospital La Paz,  Professor of the Department of Pediatrics of the Autonomous University of Madrid and  Coordinator of the Pediatric Nutrition course of the Nutrition Degree. He is also coordinator of the Gastroenterology, Nutrition and Metabolism section of the European Society for Pediatric Research. Furthermore, he is member of the Nutrition Committee of the European Society of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition and President of the Nutrition Committee of the Spanish Society of Neonatology. Last but not least member of the Nutrition Committee of the Spanish Pediatric Association. He is author of more than 100 publications in impact factor journals and principal investigator of several projects.

4th International Donor Milk Research Congress

The 4th edition of the EMBA’s International Donor Milk Research Congress has been held on 17th of June in Milan.

Following the warm welcome by the EMBA President Prof. Sertac Arslanoglu, the first Session started. In this Session chaired by the EMBA Vice President Clair-Yves Boquen, EMBA Working Groups presented their work and plans fort he future. A short presentation regarding EMBA’s new european Project- IMAGINE has been also included.

This year EMBA hosted two distinguished speakers; Stefaan Van Der Spiegel, from the DG-Sante, European Commission; and Jacinto Sanchez, from the European Directorate fort he Quality of Medicines & Healthcare (EDQM). Donor human milk is being regulated under the name of SoHO for the first time and inputs from these two lectures have been of utmost importance. While Stefaan spoke about the new legal framework with respect to donor human milk in the context of the new european reagulation on SoHO; Jacinto gave us insights why the EDQM Tissues and Cells Guide is of interest for human milk banks. The discussion following these 2 talks have been remarkably committed and fruitful.

The Research Congress continued with selected Oral Communications and Posters from France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Türkiye, United Kingdom, and United States. Human milk and its impact on neonatal morbidities, breastfeeding management in specific maternal diseases and cultural contexts, human milk composition changes by time and with different sources of fortifiers, human regulation, the methodology of the systematic reviews as aid to WHO guidelines, digitalization and softwares have been the discussed topics.

The EMBA Research Congress ended following the General Assembly.

We thank all our audience, speakers, presenters, and sponsors for their contribution. And say… “See you in Venice next year at the EMBA International Milk Banking Congress!”

“Save the date: 16-17 October 2025”.

Participation in the European Commission Conference

EMBA is invited to participate in the European Commission Conference on the new Regulation on Substances of Human Origin

On Monday 24th of June a high level Conference is being organised by the European Commission. In this Conference the new SoHO regulation will be presented and discussed. Human milk being considered a SoHO and regulated for the first time at the european level; EMBA has been invited to a moderated panel discussion and will be represented by the current EMBA President, Prof. Sertac Arslanoglu.

The Conference will focus particularly on the safety and quality issues, innovation and continuum of the supply.

Please find the Conference Agenda and the link to watch it live online.

Link of the related EC website

Link of the webstreaming