Dr Lisa Daniels (second from left) with collaborators at the research coordination meeting, which gathered at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna, Austria.
EDOR researcher Dr Lisa Daniels attended a Research Coordination Meeting at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna, Austria, in December 2025.
This was the first meeting of a new five-year international project, “Optimising human milk intake research using the DTM method: enhanced data and maternal breastfeeding predictors”, commencing in 2026.
The meeting brought together research teams from Fiji (which Dr Daniels is involved in), Brazil, Ethiopia, Lebanon, Uruguay, and Morocco to present and refine their proposed studies. Dr Daniels is working alongside Associate Professor Gade Waqa at Fiji National University. This partnership has secured IAEA funding to investigate human milk intake with a particular focus on environmental influences such as temperature, humidity, and maternal stress.
Dr Daniels was invited to the meeting to share her experience using the dose-to-mother (DTM) technique in her New Zealand studies. A key focus of the meeting was optimising the DTM methodology and harmonising data collection approaches across countries to improve comparability and data quality.
Early updates on methodological developments were especially valuable and will help ensure that Dr Daniels' ongoing and upcoming studies align with international best practice in measuring breast milk intake.