Julie P Smith B Ec (Hons)/B A (Asian Studies), PhD, Australian National University.
Dr Smith is an Honorary Associate Professor in the ANU National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, and an awarded Australian Research Council Future Fellow. Her unique contribution has been in using a feminist economic perspective to highlight the fiscal and economic value of women’s breastfeeding work. Her current research focusses on macroeconomic valuation of breastfeeding, regulation of markets in mothers’ milk, and environmental impacts of milk formula.
Dr Smith has advised the US Surgeon-General Office and the WHO on the economics of breastfeeding, and conducted reviews for WHO on marketing and for the Australian Department of Health on breastfeeding interventions. She previously worked in treasury/finance ministries.
She has published over 65 peer-reviewed journal articles and authored two books and several book chapters, and is an associate editor for the International Breastfeeding Journal.
Dr Smith has over 20 years’ grass roots experience as a trained breastfeeding counsellor, and served on the board of directors of the Australian Breastfeeding Association for nearly a decade. She has also worked with international civil society organisations, including WABA on maternity protection, and for IBFAN on its World Breastfeeding Costing Initiative. Recently she partnered with Alive & Thrive South-East Asia to develop the Mothers’ Milk Tool.