Our Message

MILC Club Members present on their vision for a family-centred, collaborative approach among specialties that connects clinicians and academic researchers to ultimately overcome barriers and improve breastfeeding rates.

MILC Club​

The MILC Club is an interdisciplinary group of researchers, trainees and knowledge users (healthcare providers and community stakeholders) who are interested in breastfeeding, human milk and lactation. We meet monthly to discuss MILC initiatives, share updates, and catalyze knowledge mobilization. Each meeting includes a presentation from a Member or Special Guest. If you are interested in joining the MILC Club or giving a guest presentation, please contact us!

Members

Dr. Meghan Azad, PhD | MILC Co-Director and MILC Club Chair
Professor, Pediatrics and Child Health, University of Manitoba
Dr. Azad is a Professor of Pediatrics and Child Health at the University of Manitoba, where she holds a Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in Developmental Origins of Chronic Disease. Her research program is focused on the role of infant nutrition and the microbiome in child growth, development and resilience. Dr. Azad co-Directs the new Manitoba Interdisciplinary Lactation Centre (MILC) and leads the International Milk Composition (IMiC) Consortium. She serves as Deputy Director of the CHILD Cohort Study, a national pregnancy cohort following 3500 children to understand how early life experiences shape lifelong health. Research in the THRiVE Discovery Lab is funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the US National Institutes of Health, the Canada Foundation for Innovation, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Dr. Azad has previously served on the International Society for Research in Human Milk and Lactation Executive Council and currently serves on the Advisory Board to the Canadian Breastfeeding Research Network. She also serves on the joint US/Canada Human Milk Composition Initiative. Dr. Azad is a Fellow of the CIFAR Humans and the Microbiome Program and an elected member of the Royal Society of Canada College of New Scholars. She received the International Society for Research in Human Milk and Lactation Erlich-Koldovsky Early Career Investigator Award (2018) and the International Human Milk Genomics Mid-Career Investigator Award (2020). She was named among the WXN Canada Top 100 Most Powerful Women (2020) and Canada’s Top 40 Under 40 (2021), and received the prestigious Steacie Award for Research in the Natural Sciences (2023).
Dr. Karinne Cardoso Muniz, MD | MILC Club Coordinator, MSc Student
THRiVE Discovery Lab, Department of Pediatrics and Child Health, University of Manitoba
​​Dr. Karinne Cardoso Muniz coordinates the monthly MILC Club meetings. She is a Pediatrician specializing in Neonatology, with years of experience in newborn care acquired in Brazil. Currently pursuing an MSc in the Department of Pediatrics and Child Health at the University of Manitoba, she combines her clinical expertise with a research-oriented approach to contribute to breastfeeding and human milk knowledge.​
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​Spencer Ames MSc | Data Analyst
THRiVE Discovery Lab, Immunology Department, University of Manitoba
Spencer received his BSc in Honours Cellular, Molecular and Microbial Biology from the University of Calgary. He is eager to investigate the immunomodulatory ability of breast milk and the development of infant microbiomes. Spencer is a volunteer researcher for the MEDi humanoid robot program at the Alberta Children’s Hospital and is passionate about integrating scientific research into clinical practices.
Angela Blouin, RN(AP), BN, IBCLC | Community Health Nurse
Youville Community Health Resource Centre
​Angela started working with breastfeeding families in 1997 as a Public Health Nurse in British Columbia.  She became an IBCLC in 2002 and continues to promote, protect and support breastfeeding in her role as Community Health Nurse at Youville Centre. She provides lactation support to families experiencing breastfeeding difficulties, and is involved in many partnerships aimed at building capacity for breastfeeding support.  She is a regular sessional instructor with Winnipeg Regional Health Authority's hosted Douglas College Breastfeeding Counsellor Course, a member of the Winnipeg Breastfeeding Network and the Winnipeg Regional Health Agency Baby Friendly Committee, and a facilitator and educational kit developer with Manitoba's Healthy Baby Program. 
Carol Dyck, BN, IBCLC | Youville Community Health Centre
Milk Mentors infant feeding peer support program
Carol has an extensive background in public health nursing in Manitoba and BC. This work included coordinating several pilot projects in perinatal and early childhood development. She also was a longtime instructor with Douglas College (in BC) Breastfeeding Education programs.  She has now retired from nursing and teaching but continues to support the Milk Mentors infant feeding peer support program out of Youville Community Health Centre.  She continues to volunteer with several social justice Indigenous/Settler Relations committees. She has a passion for supporting families who are experiencing health equity challenges in accessing the support they need to meet their infant feeding goals. She is currently a member of a CIHR grant team researching novel ways to provide lactation support for rural & remote areas in Manitoba.  
Kelsey Fehr, MSc | Senior Data Analyst
THRiVE Discovery Lab, University of Manitoba
Kelsey is a Research Assistant for the THRiVE Discovery Lab at the University of Manitoba. She specializes in microbiome research and is interested in the relationship between microbial ecology, early-life nutritional and environmental factors, and healthy development. Kelsey manages the sample database and laboratory activities at the MILC Biorepository, including milk macronutrient analysis, and sub-aliquoting and distribution of milk for the International Milk Composition (IMiC) Consortium.
Kira Friesen, BA, BN, RN, MScN | Clinical Nurse Specialist
Health Sciences Centre, Women’s Health Program
​Kira has been a registered nurse at Health Sciences Centre Women’s Hospital since 2011. As a co-chair of the Manitoba Provincial Baby Friendly Initiative (BFI) Committee Kira is working with her colleagues across the province to improve patient care, breastfeeding knowledge of staff, and advocate for system level changes that will have a lasting impact on promoting, protecting, and sustaining breastfeeding for all Manitobans. Kira is also on the Board of Directors for the Breastfeeding Committee for Canada, which allows her to collaborate nationally on breastfeeding and BFI issues.  
Rachael Friesen, BA, BN, RN, IBCLC | Clinical Nurse Educator
St. Boniface Hospital and Winnipeg Regional Health Authority Baby Friendly Initiative Committees
Rachael is a registered nurse and IBCLC, working in neonatal intensive care since 2007. Over the years, she has served various roles including bedside nurse, Continuing Education Instructor, and co-chair of the St. Boniface Hospital (SBH) Baby-Friendly Initiative (BFI) Committee. As co-chair of the SBH BFI committee, and member of the WRHA, and Provincial BFI committees, she works with her colleagues to ensure that policies, education, and clinical practice guidelines equip staff to support families through their infant feeding journeys. Rachael has a passion for ensuring that lactation supports exist for premature and sick newborns and their parents, as they are particularly vulnerable to lactation and feeding difficulties and connected negative health outcomes.​
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Dr. Katherine Kearns, MD, CCFP, FCFP, IBCLC | Assistant Professor, Physician
Faculty of Medicine, University of Manitoba
Dr. Kearns is a Family Physician who works in Breastfeeding Medicine at the Winnipeg Breastfeeding Centre she co-founded in 2017; the first of its kind in Manitoba. She also does low risk Obstetrics, seeing moms and babies throughout the prenatal, intrapartum and postpartum periods. Needing significant support for breastfeeding difficulties with her second child, Dr. Kearns understands how important knowledge and support are to family and societal breastfeeding goals. She also regularly presents to residents and physicians in various specialties, and to students currently in medical school. Dr. Kearns was recently awarded a Manitoba Honour 150 Award, recognizing her work to educate and support Manitoba families, physicians and medical trainees about breastfeeding.
Dr. Larisa Lotoski, PhD | Senior Research Associate
THRiVE Discovery Lab, University of Manitoba
Larisa’s primary research interests include child health and the effects of the physical and social environment on children’s health outcomes. Larisa’s interest in child health research began during her MSc (Immunology) training at the University of Manitoba where she studied severe childhood asthma and allergic disease. She holds a PhD in Community and Population Health Sciences (Community Health and Epidemiology) from the University of Saskatchewan. Her doctoral research involved the characterization of children’s sedentary time and physical activity in their lived environment. 
Bridget McGann, BA | Knowledge Translation Consultant​
THRiVE Discovery Lab, University of Manitoba; Department of Anthropology, University of Colorado Denver
​Bridget is a graduate student in Anthropology at the University of Colorado Denver and a Volunteer Research Assistant in the THRiVE Discovery Lab at the University of Manitoba. Her scientific curiosity is centered around the bio-behavioral adaptations associated with lactation in human and non-human primates. She is passionate about communicating lactation science to the public, collaboration with the medical community, and improving access to careers in science for mothers and for people with disabilities. She is currently working on a project involving breastfeeding outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic. Bridget holds a BA in Anthropology from Indiana University.
​Deanne Noseworthy, RN, BScN, MN, CCHN(c) | Clinical Nurse Specialist
Winnipeg Regional Health Authority, Population and Public Health
Deanne is a Registered Nurse employed by the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority and holds a position as a Clinical Nurse Specialist in Population and Public Health. Deanne's career as a Public Health Nurse spans over 22 years. Part of her portfolio includes the Baby Friendly Initiative (BFI) as a member of the MB BFI and the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority BFI committees. Her role, in conjunction with birthing hospitals and the Birth Centre, includes updating clinical practice guidelines, position statement and other breastfeeding-related activities, striving to make any parents’ infant feeding journey a positive one. 
Dr. Christina Raimondi, MD, CCFP, FCFP, IBCLC | Physician
Family Medicine, University of Manitoba
Dr. Raimondi is a Family Doctor, IBCLC, a mother to 2 daughters and an advocate for women's rights. In 2017 she co-founded the Winnipeg Breastfeeding Centre, the first Breastfeeding Medicine Clinic in Manitoba. The Centre's social media platform (@mbmilkdocs) aims to educate families and health professionals about evidence-based lactation information and research. As a clinical teacher at the University of Manitoba Department of Family Medicine, her goal is also to educate physicians about human milk and breastfeeding medicine. She sees mother-infant dyads with breastfeeding challenges and guides them through this transitional and vulnerable time in their lives. She believes human milk feeding is medicine, and breastfeeding/chestfeeding is a fundamental reproductive right.
Dr. Ayesha Saleem, PhD | Assistant Professor and Principal Investigator
Faculty of Kinesiology and Recreation Management, CHRIM, University of Manitoba
​Dr. Saleem is an Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Kinesiology and Recreation Management at the University of Manitoba, and a Principal Investigator at the Children’s Hospital Research Institute of Manitoba (CHRIM). She has expertise in molecular and cellular physiology, specializing in mitochondrial metabolism and extracellular vesicle (EV) biology. Her current research program is designed to delineate how EVs regulate the interplay between host tissues and imposed physiological challenges. These challenges can be physiological (exercise, age), metabolic (cancer, obesity), environmental (cigarette smoke) or developmental (breast milk, prenatal materno-fetal cross-talk). ​Dr. Saleem was recently named to CBC Manitoba’s Future 40 Class of 2020.
Sarah Turner, PhD | Post-Doctoral Fellow and Researcher
Manitoba Centre for Health Policy, University of Manitoba
Sarah is a Post-Doctoral Fellow and Researcher at the Manitoba Centre for Health Policy working with Dr. Nathan Nickel. She is working in partnership with the Manitoba government to produce evidence to support health policy in Manitoba and also contributes to a Baby Friendly Initiative community quality improvement grant. 
Dr. Sanoji Wijenayake | Assistant Professor
Cell and Molecular Biology, University of Winnipeg
Dr. Wijenayake is an early career researcher with expertise in cell & molecular biology, biochemistry, epigenetics, extracellular vesicles, developmental biology, and bioinformatics. She studies milk-derived exosomes in the context of improving neonatal health. Dr. Wijenayake’s research aims to identify multitude of novel genes and developmental pathways that could be altered by epigenetic changes in response to maternal obesity. This will shed light on the importance of epigenetic regulators, milk-derived exosomes and milk microRNAs in the context of early life development.
Sarah Bridgman | Research Associate
THRiVE Discovery Lab, University of Manitoba​
Sarah has over 15 years experience working in the area of pediatric nutrition in both academic and commercial settings in the UK and Canada. She holds an undergraduate degree in Nutrition and an MSc in Epidemiology from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. Sarah has extensive experience in program coordination and research activities in the area of infant nutrition and the microbiome, with expertise in infant feeding, breastmilk, infant microbiome and obesity.
Alie Johnston | MILC Research Coordinator (on leave)
THRiVE Discovery Lab, University of Manitoba
​Alie holds an MSc in Human Nutritional Sciences from the University of Manitoba and has over 8 years of clinical research experience, including nutrition and drug clinical trials. Her thesis explored the acute effects of extruded pulses on glycemic response, insulin, appetite, and food intake. Additional research experience includes working on a Métis specific project with Métis community. She supports the THRiVE team with the MILC Project and enjoys building relationships with research participants. Alie is a Red River Métis citizen; some of her family names include Johnston, Brown, Thomas, and Richards. 
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Rowan Shwaluk | Student 
THRiVE Discovery Lab, University of Manitoba
Rowan completed her BSc in Microbiology at the University of Manitoba, with a focus on the overexpression of Alu RNA in cancer. She is currently pursing her MSc in Immunology, investigating the role of infant feeding practices and human milk components on biomarkers of immune system development.
Dr. Zahra Nouri | Biorepository Lab Technician
​THRiVE Discovery Lab, University of Manitoba
Zahra's academic journey has taken her across continents, from China to South Korea and Canada. Her doctoral research, conducted at the prestigious Chinese Academy of Sciences, focused on unraveling the complexities of gut microbiota and their profound effects on immune system adaptation. Building upon this foundation, Zahra explored the fascinating correlation between oral microbiota and various cancer types during her tenure at the National Cancer Center. As a MILC Biorepository lab technician at the THRiVE Discovery Lab, Zahra manages the intricate sample database and laboratory operations. In her role, she collaborates with the research team to explore breast milk research, aiming to illuminate its significant influence on early-life gut microbiota.