Beyond the Laboratory: Bringing Strategic Foresight to Infant Nutrition

Reflections from my Keynote Address at the 23rd ISRHML Conference in Munich

What will infant feeding look like in the future? Standing in the historic anatomical institute at Ludwig Maximilian University (LMU) Munich before an international audience of world-class researchers, scientists, professors, and healthcare providers, this single question anchored my keynote address at the 23rd Conference of the International Society for Research in Human Milk and Lactation (ISRHML), which I consider a major professional milestone.

Much of my futurology research has centered on the intersection where emerging technology, shifting gender roles, and social dynamics collide with the domestic unit. From early studies like US Families 2025 to Exploring the Future of Infant Feeding (the basis for this keynote), my interests lie in how macro-trends reshape the most essential aspects of human nurture, caregiving, and family life. Delivering this keynote to this scientific community provided an extraordinary chance to bridge the space between today and the future. For me, it was an opportunity of a lifetime.

I never expected my scenarios on the future of infant feeding would lead to this rewarding outcome. I undertook this study not as an expert in infant health (although I did have years of futures consulting experience on a food/nutrition scanning project for Nestlé USA) but as a woman futurist who had the life experience of mothering two babies and realizing there was nothing on the subject in the futures literature. 

I was emboldened to follow this unorthodox line of futures inquiry thanks to the words of an established colleague I knew early in my career. We worked together on a special issue on Feminist Futures in Futures. When she notified me the article had finally gone to press, after a lengthy editorial process and many delays, I shared with her that I had given birth to my first child in the time that had lapsed, which was noteworthy because, ironically, my paper was about the future of the American family. She congratulated me on the baby with humor and encouraging praise, telling me, “live your research.”  

So I did. And by the time I had my second child and turned my personal and professional attention to the topic of infant nutrition, I ended up writing what is apparently the only published research paper addressing the future of breastfeeding, thus earning my invitation to present at the ISRHML conference in Munich some ten years after its publication. As I mentioned in my keynote, there are many futurist reports on cars, space travel, warfare, and robots. But very little on the future of motherhood, children, babies, and care. I hope, with this article, I moved the needle at least a tiny bit.

The ISRHML audience could not have been more receptive or engaged as I shared highlights of the original four scenarios in the JFS article, then spiced them up for 2026 with some contemporary signals, including platonic parenting, in-home neurotech therapy, and the trillion-dollar Care Economy  After my session I joined three conference speakers on a panel, where I had the chance to propose a “what if?” 

“What if breast pump attachments and baby bottle nipples could be manufactured from an artificial human skin personalized to the mother/baby and thereby replicate key advantages of skin-to-skin contact during breastfeeding via bottle feeding pumped milk?” 

The audience seemed to appreciate the provocation. 

Not only was it a major privilege to participate in the event as a speaker, I feel lucky to have spent some time as an audience member as well. A memorable presentation was given by a researcher at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) describing the Dose to Mother (DTM) procedure involving an isotope capable of providing accurate measurement of infant milk intake, potentially a major breakthrough in supporting breastfeeding practices. 

Overall, this was one of the most meaningful professional opportunities I have ever experienced. It is validating to know the paper is still relevant many years later and delightful to have had reason to revisit the topic, know what is changing, and how the possibilities have evolved. I see lactation science as a field rapidly transformed by the vast bioinnovation and socio-economic realignment occurring today, while mother and baby needs remain very much the same as always. This paradox positions maternal-infant health at a pivotal inflection point deserving further futures research and investigation. 

I hope I was able to convey to ISRHML conference attendees the benefits of foresight to investigate future uncertainties and identify strategic choices for advancing their vital scientific research. It was my absolute honor to be part of something with such importance to human life on Earth. I also take it as a confirmation of my calling: to aim the foresight gaze at underappreciated domains such as the future of families, women, and children.

N.B. 

For scientists interested in adopting strategic foresight:  The science of foresight: how to future-proof your research