Milk Banks, when affiliated with the Human Milk Banking Association of North America (HMBANA), are safe, certified, and have a legacy of meeting the needs of the most vulnerable addressing the issues of equity and social justice for women, babies and families under or at the poverty line. Mothers’ Milk Bank routinely distributes over 715,000 ounces per year to 107 hospitals, including those located in Arizona, Hawaii, Colorado, Nevada, Texas and Washington.

Mothers’ Milk Bank has been operating since 1974 and is a charter member of the Human Milk Banking Association of North America (HMBANA). Our standards of processing donated breast milk is the gold standard of operation for milk banking organizations. In 2017, The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) stated in their report “Donor Human Milk for the High-Risk Infant: Preparation, Safety, and Usage Options in the United States” that: “(HMBANA) Donor milk banks represent a safe and effective approach to obtaining, pasteurizing, and dispensing human milk for use in NICUs and other settings

It’s Simple. It’s Safe. It’s the Best for Babies!

Dr. Ronald Cohen, MD, Medical Director:

Director, Dev. & Beh. Unit & Interm. Care Nursery at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital, Clinical Professor, Pediatrics—Neonatal and Developmental Medicine. Ronald Cohen, MD, is the medical director of the intermediate intensive care nursery at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford and a clinical professor of pediatrics at Stanford University School of Medicine. A long-term proponent of the benefits of a breast milk diet for prematurely born babies, Dr. Cohen has authored more than 50 papers, including “Cultured of Holder-Pasteruized Donor Human Milk After Use in Neonatal Intensive Care Unit” (on which Mothers’ Milk Bank Executive Director Pauline Sakamoto served as co-author) and, “Feeding Premature Infants: Why, When, and What to Add to Human Milk.” Dr. Cohen continues to conduct research on the benefits of breast milk and advises the Mothers’ Milk Bank and the Human Milk Banking Association of North America (HMBANA) on safety and appropriate uses of banked milk.

Crystal Ciancutti, Chair:

Crystal’s first interaction with the Mothers’ Milk Bank was when she donated milk while breast feeding her first son. She has spent her career in tech as a senior executive working at Airbnb, iTunes, Netflix, Shutterfly and a smattering of small startups and appreciates the opportunity to lend her product sensibility and business experience to MMB. Crystal received her B.S. from Carnegie Mellon and her MBA from M.I.T.

Katie Anderson, Vice Chair:

Katie Anderson has been a member of the Mothers’ Milk Bank Board since 2017. She brings to the MMB experience in operational excellence, strategy, management, and healthcare operations. Katie is an independent consultant and owner of KBJ Anderson Consulting where she works with leaders from diverse industries – including healthcare, manufacturing, biotechnology, construction, and technology – to develop capabilities to more effectively solve problems and deliver value to their customers. Katie has held previous roles at Stanford Children’s Healthcare, Sutter Health, and UCSF. Katie received her B.A from Stanford University and her Master’s in Public Health as a Fulbright Scholar at Sydney University, Australia.

Tony Redmond, Secretary:

Kenny Lam, Treasurer:

Kenny joined the Mothers’ Milk Bank Board in 2020. Kenny has a background in accounting from his role as an audit manager at Frank, Rimerman + Co. LLP where he audits and advises several non-profit organizations. Kenny received his B.A. in Economics & Accounting from U.C. Santa Barbara.

Brittany Weldon, Member at Large:

Brittany joined the Mother’s Milk Bank board of directors in 2019. She is a board certified pediatrician and lactation consultant, and brings a decade of experience specializing in newborns. Her first experience with the milk bank was through prescribing its milk to nourish the premature babies under her care in the Packard Intensive Care Nursery. She founded Newborn Transitions, which helps provide peace of mind to new parents by bringing the doctor and lactation consultant to the home for more personalized care. She received her B.A. from Columbia University and her M.D. from Thomas Jefferson University.

Elinor Stetson, Member at Large:

Joslyn Nolasco, Member at Large:

Joslyn joined the Mothers’ Milk Bank board of directors in 2021. She is a board certified pediatrician and works serving the community in the Newborn Nursery and Pediatric Primary Clinic at UCSF. She serves as the UCSF Lactation Task Force co-chair, and has helped lead the UCSF hospital through Baby Friendly Designation process. Prior to joining the board she had often recommended and referred patients to Mothers’ Milk Bank as well as using donor milk in the intensive care nursery for premature infants. She has also focused on health equity and advocacy in her service and scholarly work at UCSF. She earned her B.A. from Williams College and her M.D. from Columbia University.