About

Deneen Marie Spatz, MD, is an Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine in the Department of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania's Perelman School of Medicine. Her clinical expertise includes hospital medicine, with specific interests in cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging, point of care ultrasound (POCUS), and heart failure management, focusing on readmissions, pathways, length of stay, and guideline-directed therapy at discharge. She is based at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and has been involved in research related to advanced imaging techniques and cardiovascular health. Her educational background includes a BS with an Honors Major Thesis in Statistics and a BS in Biology from Villanova University, both completed in 2003, and an MD from Temple University in 2007. Dr. Spatz has contributed to numerous research publications, particularly in the field of cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging, and has presented her work at various professional conferences. Her work emphasizes the application of innovative imaging techniques to improve diagnosis and treatment in cardiovascular medicine.

Research topics

• Medicine
• Nursing
• Pediatrics
• Family medicine
• Psychology

Selected publications

• Mothers’ Satisfaction with Breastfeeding Assistance from International Board Certified Lactation Consultants: An Integrative Review

  Breastfeeding Medicine · 2026-01-10

  articleSenior author

  INTRODUCTION: Use of International Board Certified Lactation Consultants (IBCLCs) is associated with higher breastfeeding rates. However, little is known regarding mothers' perceptions of satisfaction with IBCLC encounters. METHODS: Database and ancestry searches resulted in 511 reports published between 2000 and 2025 about qualitative research conducted in the United States. Forty-one articles progressed to full review, and six articles satisfied all inclusion criteria for this integrative review. RESULTS: All research teams used the descriptive qualitative design to analyze data collected between 4 weeks and 8 months postpartum across a diverse representation of U.S. mothers. The body of evidence reveals that the assistance received from IBCLCs is multifaceted, because various aspects play crucial roles in ensuring that mothers feel supported. DISCUSSION: Findings highlight the importance of IBCLCs' practical expertise, hand in hand with their reassuring support. Mothers perceived satisfaction with consultation when the IBCLC offered sufficient time, provided encouragement, demonstrated knowledge, addressed their concerns, showed empathy for their struggles, and shared information that empowered them to breastfeed their infants with confidence.

  PublisherDOI

• Developing and implementing a family-led infection prevention bundle for hospitalized neonates

  Antimicrobial Resistance and Infection Control · 2026-02-18

  articleOpen access

  BACKGROUND: For many neonatal units in resource-limited settings, family involvement in patient care is both a logistic necessity and a cultural norm. However, incorporating families into hospital infection prevention and control (IPC) activities remains under-implemented and under-studied. We developed a family-led infection prevention (FLIP) bundle for a neonatal unit in Botswana and evaluated its impact on multidrug-resistant organism (MDRO) colonization, bloodstream infection (BSI) incidence, and all-cause mortality. METHODS: The FLIP bundle was developed with input from a multidisciplinary group of stakeholders including subject matter experts, staff, and families. The bundle components consisted of staff-led family orientation on (1) hand hygiene, (2) twice-weekly neonatal skin cleansing with 2% aqueous chlorhexidine gluconate, (3) lactation support, and (4) skin-to-skin contact. The bundle was implemented over 18 months (August 2023-January 2025) at a 33-bed neonatal unit in Botswana during which time it was iteratively revised based on process metric performance. MDRO colonization was assessed twice-monthly using perirectal and skin swabs to detect extended-spectrum cephalosporin-resistant and carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales and Acinetobacter spp. BSI incidence was determined from growth on neonatal blood cultures, excluding contaminants. In-hospital mortality data were extracted from hospital records. Colonization, BSI, and mortality rates were compared before and after pilot and continuation phases using two-proportion z-tests and Chi-square tests. RESULTS: Implementation of the FLIP bundle was temporally associated with a significant relative reduction in all-cause mortality by 28% across the unit, decreasing from 15.4% (165/1069) pre-FLIP to 11.1% (208/1866) during FLIP (p < 0.001). BSI incidence decreased modestly from 11.3% (121/1069) to 9.7% (181/1866) during FLIP (p = 0.14). MDRO colonization trends showed mixed results, with initial improvements to Acinetobacter spp. colonization but an overall 9.4% increase in skin MDRO colonization observed (p < 0.001) in the implementation period. CONCLUSION: Implementation of the FLIP bundle demonstrated the potential of systematically engaging families in neonatal IPC programs, with a notable improvement in infant survival observed. The lack of clear improvement in BSI incidence and MDRO colonization prevalence may reflect incomplete adoption or poor impact of the bundle and highlights that FLIP should be used in conjunction with robust healthcare worker-led IPC measures.

  PublisherDOI

• Professional Roles in Provision of Breastfeeding and Lactation Support

  MCN The American Journal of Maternal/Child Nursing · 2025-06-27 · 3 citations

  articleSenior author

  BACKGROUND: The United States lacks a comprehensive framework to describe how multidisciplinary efforts to support breastfeeding and lactation fit together. The purpose of this article is to assess the roles of perinatal health care professionals in providing breastfeeding and lactation support (BFLS) along the perinatal care continuum and to offer a preliminary conceptual framework. STUDY DESIGN: We conducted a scoping review to examine the breadth and depth of published position statements by perinatal care professional organizations about BFLS. METHODS: Methodology for scoping reviews outlined by Peters et al. (2020) was used. We identified nine professions as primarily implicated in provision of perinatal care in the United States, seven of which had national professional organizations. We searched PubMed and a generic web engine to identify position statements from those organizations. We used thematic analysis to create an adapted framework of the perinatal care continuum illustrating how BFLS from perinatal health care professionals can be mapped onto the care continuum. RESULTS: Some overlap in roles were noted as were some gaps regarding professional roles in different phases of the perinatal care continuum. Overall, most professional perinatal care organizations described specific BFLS roles for their practitioners and recommended collaboration with other perinatal care professions. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: The full spectrum of BFLS involves information sharing and anticipatory guidance which begins in the preconception period and lasts through 2 or more years postpartum. Interprofessional collaboration, such as through engagement with state-based perinatal quality collaboratives or other interprofessional perinatal partnerships, is essential to ensuring that families receive cohesive, comprehensive BFLS.

  PublisherDOI

• Promoting Accurate Language on Lactation from Prenatal to Postpartum

  MCN The American Journal of Maternal/Child Nursing · 2025-04-09 · 1 citations

  articleSenior author

  ABSTRACT: Lactation is a vital function of reproduction and population dynamics as human milk supports infant survival and development. Although the physiological processes of lactation have largely remained unchanged throughout human history, contemporary practices in human milk provision have expanded the original lexicon, resulting in ambiguity and potential misrepresentations in lactation-related language. We provide an overview of the anatomy and physiology of lactation to emphasize the importance of precise and consistent language as most nurses and health care professionals receive little to no education in their programs of study about lactation and breastfeeding. Concrete definitions and explanations on how to use the science of human milk and the physiology of lactation are crucial for evidence-based lactation education, support, and intervention. LactaPedia, an online comprehensive human lactation glossary, is freely accessible to nurses and the public to remain updated on lactation-related language as well as offer feedback on the relevancy and usability of any fundamental terminology. Precise and consistent use of lactation-related language will overall improve communication between nurses and multidisciplinary teams and thereby enhance care and outcomes for families.

  PublisherDOI

• Listening To and Learning from Families

  MCN The American Journal of Maternal/Child Nursing · 2025-08-13

  article1st authorCorresponding

  In Brief Listening to new mothers and respecting their breastfeeding choices are critical to helping them achieve their breastfeeding goals. Our breastfeeding expert, Dr. Spatz, discusses the experiences of women and families interacting with nurses and other health care professionals about breastfeeding during the birth hospitalization.

  PublisherDOI

• Breastfeeding after Breast Reduction Surgery

  MCN The American Journal of Maternal/Child Nursing · 2025-06-27 · 2 citations

  review1st authorCorresponding

  PURPOSE: To examine the topic of breast reduction surgery and nursing implications. METHODS: The following databases were searched (Embase, PubMed, Scopus, and CINAHL) using the terms mammoplasty, breast milk, human milk, breastfeeding, and lactation, as well as breast reduction and reduction mammoplasty for studies in English, where both breastfeeding and reduction were mentioned in abstract or title, with no restriction on date of publication. RESULTS: There were four systematic reviews, and four additional articles identified that were not cited in the systematic reviews. All the systematic reviews used different definitions of "successful" breastfeeding. None specifically addressed the milk-making capacity of the breast tissue after surgery or reported 24-hour milk production. Certain surgical techniques are reported to help with the preservation of milk supply; however, they have not been accurately studied for milk-making capacity of the breast. Breastfeeding after breast reduction surgery has not been a topic covered by nurse researchers. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: The word "success" is not a useful word in providing counseling to women who are considering breast reduction surgery. Patients considering breast reduction should be advised that surgery may affect the ability to achieve a complete milk supply. More research is needed on the milk-making capacity of the breast after various types of breast reduction surgery.

  PublisherDOI

• Developing and implementing a family-led infection prevention bundle for hospitalized neonates

  Research Square · 2025-11-07

  preprintOpen access
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Nurse Work Environments and Exclusive Breast Milk Feeding during the Birth Hospitalization

  MCN The American Journal of Maternal/Child Nursing · 2025-04-09 · 2 citations

  article

  PURPOSE: To examine whether hospital variation in the nurse work environment during labor and birth is associated with variation in the rate of exclusive breast milk feeding during the birth hospitalization. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Cross-sectional analysis of nurse survey, hospital, and exclusive breast milk feeding outcome data in a sample of 258 hospitals in five states. Sequential multivariate linear regression models were used to model the relationship between the outcome of exclusive breast milk feeding and the nurse work environment. RESULTS: A good or mixed nurse work environment is significantly ssociated with higher hospital-level exclusive breast milk feeding rates in unadjusted and adjusted regression models. A hospital's Baby-Friendly status was not significantly associated with exclusive breast milk feeding rates. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: Improvements to nurses' work environments can potentially increase hospital-level exclusive breast milk feeding rates.

  PublisherDOI

• Development of lactation and breast/chestfeeding adverse event terminology (LaBAET) through a Delphi consensus approach

  International Breastfeeding Journal · 2025-07-04 · 2 citations

  articleOpen access

  Most women who give birth will initiate lactation and breast/chestfeeding, with up to 40% of infants globally receiving human milk exclusively for the first 6 months of life. One of the studies indicates that 40% of breastfeeding women had used at least one prescription medication in the first 3 months postpartum. The lack of information on the safety of medications during lactation may lead to cessation of lactation in favor of treatments, therefore contribute to suboptimal breastfeeding rates. Inadequate terminology to define and grade adverse events for lactation and breast/chestfeeding limits the understanding of potential therapeutic harms. This results in lactating women commonly being excluded from participation in clinical trials, leading to inequitable access to effective treatments. We developed a comprehensive framework with new definitions and grades for breastfeeding Adverse Events (AEs) through consideration of the physiology and pathology of lactation. We performed the Delphi consensus process between January 2021 and November 2023. An international multidisciplinary group of lactation and breast/chestfeeding experts identified a gap in AE terminology and developed definitions and grading of AEs based on the generic Common Regulatory Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE) structure. These underwent two rounds of a modified Delphi procedure involving an international multidisciplinary team of experts and patient representatives. The web platform REDCapⓇ was used to collect the results of the Delphi surveys. Three new definitions, delayed secretory activation, primary lactation insufficiency, and secondary lactation insufficiency, were developed and mapped to the Medical Dictionary of Regulatory Activities (MedDRA, March 2023). Oversupply of milk and other changes in lactation/feeding patterns were mapped to existing MedDRA terms. Grading for all five definitions was developed and agreed upon through consensus. These new definitions and grading of adverse events in lactation and breast/chestfeeding fill the gap in existing classifications and should encourage the inclusion of postpartum individuals into clinical trials.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Guidelines for Primary Pediatric Care Professionals to Help Patients Establish and Protect Milk Supply

  MCN The American Journal of Maternal/Child Nursing · 2025-04-09 · 1 citations

  articleSenior author

  ABSTRACT: The first well-child encounter for healthy, full-term newborns occurs within the critical window for the establishment of the milk supply. Frequent, effective removal of human milk from the breast is essential to achieving a robust milk supply. Nurses in primary care settings are crucial in providing quality and timely lactation care to ensure the parent is experiencing effective milk removal. Identification of risk factors and barriers to achieving a milk supply requires adept assessment and knowledge of lactation physiology. Not all nurses receive formal education on human milk and lactation. This resource can be used by primary care nurses to prioritize establishing and protecting the milk supply among families with a desire to breastfeed.

  PublisherDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Elizabeth B. Froh

  Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

  100 shared

• Linda P. Brown

  Memorial University of Newfoundland

  87 shared

• Paula P. Meier

  Rush University Medical Center

  86 shared

• Ksenia Zukowsky

  Jefferson College of Health Sciences

  82 shared

• Alan R. Spitzer

  Weizmann Institute of Science

  82 shared

• Steven A. Finkler

  Dominion University College

  81 shared

• Barbara S. Jacobsen

  81 shared

• Tyonne D. Hinson

  Boston Children's Hospital

  77 shared