Tom Johnston

Biography

Tom Johnston earned his Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Austin Peay State University in Tennessee in 1997, and his Masters of Science in Nursing with a concentration in Midwifery from the University of Rhode Island in 2005.  He is a midwife (not mid-husband) and an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) who retired from the Army in 2015 as a Lieutenant Colonel after a 27 years in the Army Nurse Corps.  During his long career in the Army he served in a plethora of roles in Tennessee, North Carolina, Rhode Island, New York, Maryland, and Landstuhl, Germany.  His last assignment was as the Chief of Midwifery Services at Womack Army Medical Center in Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Professor Johnston is an expert in human lactation and has traveled across America presenting in professional and lay conferences on the role of the father in breastfeeding, the molecular biology of human lactation, the impact of health care providers on the breastfeeding relationship and newborn transition to extra-uterine life.  His research interests include the biochemical processes behind human milk synthesis and the impact of support personnel (both formal and informal) on the breastfeeding family.  His publication topics include safe bed sharing for the new family,  nursing care in grief, death and dying for the maternal-child arena, the role of the father in breastfeeding.

Research Interest

Nursing, Health Care