Professor Peter E. Hartmann
Peter Edwin Hartmann achieved his PhD in 1967 at the University of Sydney, Australia. Subsequently, he acquired experience in the dairy industry during his work at the National Institute for Research in Dairying, Reading, UK and at the University of Pennsylvania, USA. He returned to Australia in 1968 and took a position with the University of Sydney. His move to the Department of Biochemistry at The University of Western Australia in 1972 coincided with the breastfeeding experience of his wife with their first child, Melinda, born in September 1971. Fascinated by the complexity of lactation as well as the similarities between species his work soon encompassed the entire lactation cycle: pregnancy, initiation of lactation, established lactation and weaning.
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Peter Hartmann was appointed Head of the Department of Biochemistry in 1984, a position he held until 1990, when he became Dean of the Faculty of Science which he held from 1990 to 1992.
Almost all of his research at the University of Western Australia has been carried out with postgraduate students to which Peter Hartmann provided the initial innovation and research direction. The result is a wealth of publications on maternal health and lactation.
Peter Hartmann is a well known figure at International Conferences and Workshops and has been an invited speaker at meetings in the USA, Europe, Asia and Australia. Most notable among these are his recent presentations as a Keynote speaker at the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine's Conference in Chicago, 2003, the Amarillo Lactation Conference, Human Lactation: Current Research and Clinical Perspectives, in 2004 and the 52nd Annual Meeting of the Society for Gynecologic Investigation in Los Angeles, 2005.
In the early 90's, the Computerized Breast Measurement System was developed at The University of Western Australia. This allowed the measurement of short term rates of milk synthesis, the physiological storage capacity of the breast for milk and the degree of fullness of the breast in women. It is the first time that structured light techniques have been used successfully in biological investigations. By working with Professor Hartmann, Medela gains extensive access to the newest technology in assessing lactation. At the same time, this cooperation allows Peter Hartmann's students to expand their experience to breastpumps and also increases their basic understanding of human lactation.