Understanding the Impact of HMOs: A Closer Look at the Evidence and Supporting Research

Dr Rina Sanghavi, MD, MBA, FAAP, NASPGHAN-F is a Pediatric Neurogastroenterologist and a Professor of Pediatrics at UT Southwestern Medical Center/Children’s Health, Children’s Medical Center Dallas. She practices in the division of pediatric gastroenterology and has special expertise in motility issues, including anorectal malformations, constipation, functional GI disorders, and irritable bowel syndrome. She is the Director of Pediatric Neurogastroenterology. She has helped establish the Aerodigestive Clinic, the Chronic Abdominal Pain Program, the Motility and Biofeedback Program, and the Center for Anorectal Malformations and Pelvic Disorders at her institution. She holds several administrative and leadership positions, including President of the Medical Dental Staff, Chair of the Pediatric Business Strategy Group, and Director of the Office of Faculty Engagement. She is also Chair of the Professional Development Committee for the North American Society of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition (NASPGHAN). 

She is an advocate for women leaders in medicine, equity, and empathic leadership. She is passionate about marrying the business aspect of a medical practice with efficiency and promoting wellness within clinicians, especially in an academic environment. She has been invited for lectures and talks on neurogastroenterology, nutrition, and leadership nationally and internationally. In addition, she has also been recognized with several awards, including the all-important Patient’s Choice Awards and is recognized as a 5-time winner of ‘Best Doctor in Dallas’ by the Dallas Fort Worth/North Texas Child Magazine and D magazine. 

She lives with her husband of 20 years and her two teenage children in a suburb of Texas. In her free time, she enjoys dancing, gardening, music, and learning new languages.

Rachael Buck works at the forefront of infant nutrition. As a discovery scientist in the field of immune health, Rachael studies the components of breast milk to help Abbott nutritionists develop infant formulas that are as close as possible to breast milk. She helps design clinical trials to study the effects of these nutrients on babies’ development in the first year of life. 

Rachael leads Abbott’s pioneering research program for human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs). HMOs are beneficial prebiotics found in breast milk that help support immune and gut health. Clinical research on HMOs has demonstrated improved immunity benefits similar to breast-fed infants. 

Rachael joined Abbott in 1995 and has received numerous prestigious awards for her research on nucleotides, pediatric immunity, and HMOs. She was also named a Senior Research Fellow for her pioneering work. She has authored more than 50 publications and has over 120 granted patents. She is a Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering and is a member of the American Association of Immunologists. Rachael received her PhD degree in immunology from the University of Cambridge, U.K., and her BSc (1st Class Honors) from the University of Ulster, U.K.