First research center on breast feeding established in Shanghai

The nation’s first research center focusing on the epidemiology of breast feeding was established in the city under the cooperation of Fudan University, Tongji University and the Switzerland-based Family Larsson Rosenquist Foundation on Wednesday.

The newly established Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation Shanghai Breastfeeding Research Center will conduct epidemiological investigations with a global focus into critical questions surrounding breastfeeding-related physiology, as well as best practices linked to the long-range health of mothers and children.

In association with the Children’s Hospital of Fudan University and the Shanghai First Maternity and Infant Hospital, the center will focus on the importance of breastfeeding and breast milk on maternal and child health globally. 

It will also support the local government in policies, professional training and health services that encourage breast feeding, said Huang Guoying, president of the Children’s Hospital of Fudan University, which set up the city’s first breast milk bank for premature babies in 2017.

The Family Larsson Rosenquist Foundation will endow a total of 11 million Swiss francs (US$11 million) to the new center to help professionals conduct large-scale, comprehensive and internationally relevant epidemiological studies that have the potential to generate significant impact around the globe, the foundation said.