Laura Hernandez is an American associate professor of dairy science at the

University of Wisconsin–Madison A university () is an educational institution, institution of higher education, higher (or Tertiary education, tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. Universities ty ...

who studies

endocrinology Endocrinology (from '' endocrine'' + '' -ology'') is a branch of biology and medicine dealing with the endocrine system, its diseases, and its specific secretions known as hormones. It is also concerned with the integration of developmental event ...

and

lactation Lactation describes the secretion of milk from the mammary glands and the period of time that a mother lactates to feed her young. The process naturally occurs with all sexually mature female mammals, although it may predate mammals. The proces ...

, especially that of

dairy cows Dairy cattle (also called dairy cows) are cattle bred for the ability to produce large quantities of milk, from which dairy products are made. Dairy cattle generally are of the species ''Bos taurus''. Historically, little distinction was mad ...

. Hernandez aims to apply the findings from the

ungulate Ungulates ( ) are members of the diverse clade Ungulata which primarily consists of large mammals with hooves. These include odd-toed ungulates such as horses, rhinoceroses, and tapirs; and even-toed ungulates such as cattle, pigs, giraffes, cam ...

s to humans having issues with breastfeeding.

Career

Hernandez grew up in

El Paso El Paso (; "the pass") is a city in and the seat of El Paso County in the western corner of the U.S. state of Texas. The 2020 population of the city from the U.S. Census Bureau was 678,815, making it the 23rd-largest city in the U.S., the s ...

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

. Initially she studied at

Iowa State University Iowa State University of Science and Technology (Iowa State University, Iowa State, or ISU) is a public land-grant research university in Ames, Iowa. Founded in 1858 as the Iowa Agricultural College and Model Farm, Iowa State became one of the n ...

, however she transferred to New Mexico State University where she completed her master's degree in

animal science Animal science is described as "studying the biology of animals that are under the control of humankind". It can also be described as the production and management of farm animals. Historically, the degree was called animal husbandry and the ...

and

toxicology Toxicology is a scientific discipline, overlapping with biology, chemistry, pharmacology, and medicine, that involves the study of the adverse effects of chemical substances on living organisms and the practice of diagnosing and treating expo ...

. She started her PhD in 2005 at the

University of Arizona The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it was the first university in the Arizona Territory. T ...

with mammary gland physiologist Bob Collier. Hernandez joined the

in 2011. Hernandez once embarked on a sabbatical for six months in order to become a clinical lactation consultant, and she also demonstrates at the annual

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

'Cow College' at University of Wisconsin–Extension designed to educate members of the dairy farm community about the science of cow lactation. In 2014 she was given the Alfred Toepfer Faculty Fellow Award by her department for her promising work as an assistant professor, and in 2017 the American Dairy Science Association (ASDA) awarded her an ASDA Foundation Scholar Award.

Research

Lactation can drain calcium from human and cow mothers. In dairy cows, if this loss is substantial enough, it can cause milk fever. Hernandez's lab showed that increasing levels of the neurotransmitter

serotonin Serotonin () or 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) is a monoamine neurotransmitter. Its biological function is complex and multifaceted, modulating mood, cognition, reward, learning, memory, and numerous physiological processes such as vomiting and vas ...

lead to changes in the amount of calcium in

Jersey Jersey ( , ; nrf, Jèrri, label=Jèrriais ), officially the Bailiwick of Jersey (french: Bailliage de Jersey, links=no; Jèrriais: ), is an island country and self-governing Crown Dependencies, Crown Dependency near the coast of north-west F ...

and Holstein cows. In Jersey cows the amount of calcium in the milk was increased, while the increase was found in the blood circulation of Holstein cattle, showing different regulation of calcium in the two breeds. Hernandez further demonstrated that

SSRIs Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are a class of drugs that are typically used as antidepressants in the treatment of major depressive disorder, anxiety disorders, and other psychological conditions. SSRIs increase the extracellul ...

(which interfere with serotonin uptake by cells) can exacerbate the loss of bone calcium that women experience when breast-feeding their child. Since 12% of lactating women are on SSRIs this could be causing numerous cases of

osteoporosis Osteoporosis is a systemic skeletal disorder characterized by low bone mass, micro-architectural deterioration of bone tissue leading to bone fragility, and consequent increase in fracture risk. It is the most common reason for a broken bone ...

. Hernandez's lab also studies the lactation of

rodent Rodents (from Latin , 'to gnaw') are mammals of the order Rodentia (), which are characterized by a single pair of continuously growing incisors in each of the upper and lower jaws. About 40% of all mammal species are rodents. They are na ...

s as a model for larger mammals. They published a study in 2019 demonstrating that SSRIs detrimentally impact bone density of newborns as well as the mother due to the inhibition of serotonin, and hence calcium, uptake.

References

External links

Hernandes Lab Website.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hernandez, Laura Iowa State University alumni New Mexico State University alumni University of Arizona alumni Educators from El Paso, Texas Year of birth missing (living people) Living people University of Wisconsin–Madison faculty