The Early Nutrition Journey and MFGM: Evidence for Improving Cognitive Outcomes

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This education is about:

The science and structure of MFGM
Benefits of MFGM for infant neurodevelopment
MFGM production, manufacturing, and implications for infant formula

Why it matters:

The structure and function of the brain develops at an astonishing rate during the first 1,000 days of life, and nutrition has been shown to play a key role in this process. Milk fat globule membrane (MFGM)—a complex 3-layer membrane structure found in human milk—contains key lipids and proteins that play a role in supporting early neurodevelopment. Understanding the science, structure, and evidence supporting the neurodevelopmental benefits of MFGM is important for all clinicians and researchers interested in supporting cognitive outcomes in formula-fed infants.

A companion interprofessional learning PDF is available here.

Target Audience:

This activity was developed for pediatricians, pediatric subspecialists, pediatric nurses, dietitians, and other healthcare providers who treat infants and children.

Course Credit:

1.50 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits^TM
1.50 ANCC Contact hour(s)
1.50 CA-BRN Contact hour(s)
1.50 CDR Contact hour(s)

Dates:

Opens: 2025-05-14
Closes: 2027-05-14

This activity is supported by an educational grant from Mead Johnson Nutrition.

Complete Continuing Education Details

Michaela Berroya, MSN, RN, RNC-NIC

Michaela Berroya, MSN, RN, RNC-NIC, is a nurse clinician at New York-Presbyterian Hospital in New York City. She also serves as an adjunct pediatric clinical instructor at the New York University Rory Meyers College of Nursing, also in New York City. She received her master of science in nursing/nursing education degree from the University of Phoenix, Arizona.
Ms. Berroya is a charge nurse in a 60-bed, level IV neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), one of the busiest and most highly regarded in the country. Her responsibilities involve overseeing the nursing care for critically ill infants and for educating and orienting new staff to the unit. She serves on the hospital’s Developmental Care Committee representing the needs of the NICU team, its patients and their families, and on several other committees.
Recognizing the special concerns of parents whose infants spend time in the NICU, the hospital offers multidisciplinary developmental monitoring and nutritional support for the first three years of life—six years in the case of high-risk infants—through periodic follow-up milestone visits and evaluations.

Michaela Berroya, MSN, RN, RNC-NIC

Nurse Clinician
Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
New York-Presbyterian Hospital
New York, New York
John Colombo, PhD

John Colombo, PhD, is director of the Schiefelbusch Institute for Life Span Studies, and a professor of psychology at the University of Kansas (KU) in Lawrence, Kansas. Dr. Colombo received his doctorate from the State University of New York at Buffalo.
In addition to being an active participant in the Brain, Behavior, and Quantitative Science doctoral program in the Department of Psychology at KU, Dr. Colombo is affiliated with three interdisciplinary doctoral programs: Child Language, Clinical Child Psychology, and Neuroscience. He has also served as director of the KU research institute for many years and the principal investigator on numerous clinical trials funded by the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, as well as private companies and foundations.
Dr. Colombo’s research studies have included the measurement and evaluation of neurocognitive development in infancy and early childhood in both typically developing as well as at-risk populations of infants and young children. In recent years he has worked to include innovative laboratory measures of neurodevelopment into clinical trials evaluating the effects of nutrients and micronutrients on the development of cognitive function.
The International Congress of Infant Studies (ICIS) recently honored Dr. Colombo with the organization’s Translational Research Award for his more than three decades of research. ICIS is the largest scientific society in the world dedicated to the study of human development during infancy and early childhood. The award honors scientists who have successfully moved basic research findings on early human development from the laboratory to the applied world. Dr. Colombo was recognized not only for his own research accomplishments but also for mentoring, over the years, the many scientists whose research has had a significant impact on enhancing the lives of infants and their families.
Dr. Colombo has authored or coauthored six books, more than 100 peer-reviewed chapters and articles, and has been an invited speaker at national and international symposia. He serves on the editorial boards of several medical journals including the International Journal of Pediatrics, Infancy, Child Development, and Infant Behavior and Development.

John Colombo, PhD

Professor of Psychology
Director of the Schiefelbusch Institute for Life Span Studies
University of Kansas
Lawrence, Kansas
Sean Deoni, PhD

Dr. Deoni received his PhD in medical biophysics from the University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada, and postdoctoral research fellowships at the Centre for Neuroimaging Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, King’s College London, and Oxford University UK.
Dr. Deoni is an associate professor of pediatrics (research) and associate professor of diagnostic imaging (research) at Brown University. As a physicist by training, his research interests focus on understanding the biological basis of the MRI signal and developing novel techniques to investigate brain tissue and microstructure. As a neuroscientist, I have strived to use those techniques to characterize healthy and atypical child neurodevelopment and decipher the complex environmental interactions that shape patterns of growth and outcome. And as a parent, I’ve sought to use that information to help children become their most confident, curious, and healthy self no matter where they live, play, and grow.
Dr. Deoni has authored more than 120 peer-reviewed journal articles.

Sean Deoni, PhD

Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Radiology
Director, Advanced Baby Imaging Lab
Warren Alpert Medical School
Brown University
Pawtucket, Rhode Island
Kirsten Frank, RD, CSPCC, LDN, CNSC, IBCLC

Kirsten Frank, RD, CSPCC, LDN, CNSC, IBCLC, is a neonatal dietitian at the Betty H. Cameron Women’s and Children’s Hospital of Novant Health New Hanover Regional Medical Center in Wilmington, North Carolina. She graduated magna cum laude from Syracuse University with a bachelor of science degree in coordinated dietetics. She received additional pediatric/neonatal education in high-risk infant nutrition at the Medical University of South Carolina and the Nestlé Nutrition Institute’s Advanced Nutrition Program.
Ms. Frank is a registered dietitian and licensed dietitian/nutritionist. She holds board certification as a specialist in pediatric critical care; as an international lactation consultant; and as a nutrition support clinician.
As a neonatal dietitian in the hospital’s 45-bed level III neonatal intensive care unit, Ms. Frank is a member of an interdisciplinary care team. She provides medical nutrition therapy, lactation support and manages the unit’s quality improvement nutrition initiative to enhance the use of feeding protocols and neonatal malnutrition diagnosis. She also assists with research studies and data collection, and is responsible for patient and medical student education.
Ms. Frank is the primary author of a conference abstract titled “The Impact of a Newly Formulated Human Milk Fortifier on Growth Velocity and Tolerance in Preterm Very Low Birthweight Infants,” published in the July 2023 issue of Current Developments in Nutrition. The abstract describes a study to determine if a new non-acidified liquid human milk fortifier provides similar weight gain and growth patterns, as well as similar or better tolerance and morbidity, compared to an acidified liquid human milk fortifier. Data from the study suggest that the new fortifier is a suitable alternative.
Ms. Frank is a member of several organizations including La Leche League International, American Society for Nutrition, Mead Johnson NICU Advisory Board, US Breastfeeding Committee, Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, North Carolina Dietetic Association, and she is a frequently invited speaker at professional conferences throughout the United States.

Kirsten Frank, RD, CSPCC, LDN, CNSC, IBCLC

Neonatal Dietitian
Betty H. Cameron Women’s and Children’s Hospital
Clinical Nutrition
Novant Health New Hanover Regional Medical Center
Wilmington, North Carolina
Rafael Jiménez-Flores, PhD

Rafael Jiménez-Flores, PhD, is the JT 'Stubby' Parker Endowed Chair in Dairy Foods and a professor in the Department of Food Science and Technology at The Ohio State University (OSU). He received his MS degree from Cornell University, and his PhD degree in food science and agricultural chemistry from the University of California, Davis.
At OSU, Dr. Jiménez-Flores develops and teaches graduate and undergraduate courses focused on dairy foods, and engages in dynamic research and outreach programs. His research work has involved developing novel methods for dairy processing, characterization of the milk fat globule membrane, surface interactions of milk components and lactic acid bacteria, spore incidence in dairy processing plants, and biological activity of milk components.
Dr. Jiménez-Flores has developed strong relationships with representatives of the dairy foods industry. He serves as vice president of the American Dairy Science Association, an international organization of educators, scientists and industry representatives, and has held a number of other board, committee and editorial positions with the organization.
Dr. Rafael Jiménez-Flores holds six patents, has authored 10 book chapters and more than 150 peer-reviewed journal articles. He was the recipient of the prestigious International Dairy Foods Association Research Award in Dairy Foods Processing.

Rafael Jiménez-Flores, PhD

J.T. Parker Endowed Chair in Dairy Foods
College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences
Department of Food Science and Technology
The Ohio State University
Columbus, Ohio
Brian K. Stansfield, MD

Brian K. Stansfield, MD, is vice chair for research and an associate professor in the Department of Pediatrics at Augusta University in Georgia. He completed his residency in pediatrics at Children’s Hospital of Georgia, followed by a fellowship in neonatal-perinatal medicine and a postdoctoral pediatric research fellowship at Indiana University.
Dr. Stansfield’s research on early life growth is robust and includes factors affecting human milk composition, human milk fortification, and the effects of prematurity and other neonatal factors on adult diseases. Dr. Stansfield has published more than 100 journal articles, abstracts and book chapters on these and other topics related to neonatology, pediatrics, and biochemistry.
At Augusta University, Dr. Stansfield’s academic responsibilities encompass curriculum development in neonatal physiology, research study design, and professional development. He serves as a section editor on the editorial board of Pediatric Research, as a reviewer for the Journal of Perinatology and Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences, and an ad hoc reviewer for numerous other medical journals.

Brian K. Stansfield, MD

Associate Professor and Vice Chair of Research
Department of Pediatrics
Member, Vascular Biology Center
Medical College of Georgia
Augusta University
Augusta, Georgia

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Learning Objectives

Describe the molecular structure of MFGM as it relates to its key biological functions, including its role as a bioactive component in human milk.
Identify the clinical significance of MFGM in early life nutrition and its impact on neurodevelopment and brain structure and function.
Discuss the longitudinal benefits of early life MFGM supplementation on cognitive outcomes, measures of intelligence, and executive functioning
Evaluate the role of the healthcare team in providing nutrition for optimal nutrition and growth