We are delighted to celebrate the achievement of Renee Kam, who has completed her PhD entitled An Exploration of Breast Hypoplasia and Insufficient Milk Production. Renee was a recipient of the Nancy Millis Award for her doctoral thesis by La Trobe University; her examiners considered the thesis to be in top 5% of theses. She determined that women with low supply often lacked pregnancy breast growth, have at least one irregular-shaped breast and experience frustration and confusion to grief and despair. The findings emphasise the importance of sensitive individualised support. Congratulations, Dr. Kam, on this significant milestone and the impact your work will undoubtedly have in the field!
Here are some of the publications from Renee’s thesis:
Kam RL, Bernhardt SM, Ingman WV, Amir LH. Modern, exogenous exposures associated with altered mammary gland development: A systematic review. Early Human Development. 2021;156:105342. https://doi:10.1016/j.earlhumdev.2021.105342
Kam RL, Amir LH, Cullinane M, Ingram J, Xia L, Nommsen-Rivers LA. Breast hypoplasia markers among women who report insufficient milk production: A retrospective online survey. PLOS ONE. 2024;19(2):e0299642. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0299642
Kam RL, Bennetts SK, Cullinane M, Amir LH. "I didn't want to let go of the dream": Exploring women's personal stories of how their low milk supply was discovered. Sexual & Reproductive Healthcare, 2024;40:100953. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.srhc.2024.10095
The results were also shared with the general public via The Conversation: