Leslie A Parker, PhD, APRN, NNP-BC, FAAN

RESEARCH/SCHOLARSHIP

Dr. Parker’s research involves nutritional support of preterm infants with an emphasis on optimizing lactation in mothers of infants admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), thus improving short- and long-term infant health outcomes. In addition, her research focuses on safe and effective delivery of enteral nutrition to infants in the NICU. She has been funded by the National Institute of Nursing Research to study (1) The effect of dwell time on feeding tube contamination in preterm infants; (2) Risks and benefits of routine gastric residual aspiration and evaluation in very preterm infants and (3) Optimal timing of breast pumping initiation following delivery of very preterm infants. She is currently funded by the Gerber Foundation to study the health benefits of oral care using human milk among preterm infants. The global and national impact of her research was recognized in 2023 by receiving the Sigma Theta Tau Audrey Hepburn for Contributions to the Health and Welfare of Children and the UF Research Foundation Professorship Award.

SERVICE

Dr. Parker is board certified as a neonatal nurse practitioner by the National Certification Corporation. She has an active practice as a neonatal nurse practitioner in the NICU at UF Health.