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Dr. Meghan Azad, MILC co-Director and MILC Club Chair
Associate Professor, Pediatrics and Child Health, University of Manitoba Dr. Azad holds a Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in Developmental Origins of Chronic Disease and co-Directs the new Manitoba Interdisciplinary Lactation Centre (MILC). Her research program is focused on the role of infant nutrition and the microbiome in child growth, development and resilience. Dr. Azad co-leads the Manitoba site of the CHILD Cohort Study, a national pregnancy cohort following 3500 children to understand how early life experiences shape lifelong health. She is leading a clinical trial to improve matching procedures for preterm neonates receiving donor human milk, and directing the new International Milk Composition (IMiC) Consortium. |
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Dr. Nathan Nickel, MILC co-Director
Associate Professor, Community Health Sciences, University of Manitoba Dr. Nickel is an applied population health scientist. He uses administrative data to conduct policy-focused health outcomes research as well as research into the organization of the healthcare system. Specifically, Nathan’s research interests centre on examining how the social and structural determinants impact population health and health inequities. Within this framework he has conducted evaluation research looking at programs aimed at improving child outcomes; mental health and addictions research examining outcomes associated with alcohol use disorders and methamphetamine use; and outcomes associated with interactions with provincial systems such as the justice and child welfare systems. Much of his research is done in partnership with First Nations, Metis, and Inuit organizations in Manitoba. |
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Dr. Merilee Brockway, Postdoctoral Fellow
Azad Lab, Pediatrics and Child Health, University of Manitoba Dr. Merilee (Meredith) Brockway is PhD prepared registered nurse with expertise in maternal-child health, infant feeding, and patient engagement. She completed her PhD in nursing at the University of Calgary, examining maternal breastfeeding self-efficacy and infant feeding outcomes in moderate and late preterm infants. Merilee is currently a post-doctoral researcher at the University of Manitoba in Dr. Meghan Azad’s lab, exploring clinical applications of donor human milk for very preterm infants. Specifically, her proposed research will explore the hypothesis that in the absence of mother’s own milk, the use of donor milk matched to maternal secretor status will result in significantly more favourable microbiome diversity. Merilee is also a co-lead on the iPOP study, building on her expertise in patient and community engagement to ensure inclusiveness and meaningful exploration throughout the collaboration. Merilee’s research is funded by the Molly Towell Perinatal Research Foundation and the Garfield Weston Foundation and her research space is supported by the NorthernStar Mother’s Milk Bank. When Merilee is not researching breastfeeding and human milk, she enjoys skiing and hiking with her family, reading and drinking good coffee. |
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Ms. Sarah Turner, PhD Candidate
Azad Lab, Community Health Sciences, University of Manitoba Sarah is a Vanier Scholar and PhD student in the Department of Community Health Sciences at the University of Manitoba. Her research focuses on how breastmilk and breastfeeding contribute to child neurological development and behavioural outcomes. She is interested in how both the nutritional qualities of breastmilk and the psychological benefits of breastfeeding contribute to infant health and wellbeing. Sarah is interested in knowledge translation and how to best communicate breastfeeding research to the public. |
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Dr. Taiana M. Pierdona Martins, Postdoctoral Fellow
University of Manitoba, Faculty of Kinesiology and Recreation Management, Children’s Hospital Research Institute of Manitoba (CHRIM) Dr. Martins is a post-doctoral fellow at FKRM and CHRIM since Sept 2019, funded by a Research Manitoba Health Research Postdoctoral Fellowship Award. She completed a Bachelor's degree in Pharmacy (2008), MS.c. in Pharmacology (2011), and a Ph.D. (2019) in Pharmacology at the Federal University of Ceara (UFC), Brazil. She has 14 years of hands-on experience in performing basic scientific research, as well as teaching pharmacology-related courses at the undergraduate level. She worked mainly in drug development, evaluating the pharmacological activity of natural products and their downstream effects. The main focus of her research is decipher the role of extracellular vesicles in the breast milk of mothers with and without asthma. The main focus of her research is decipher the role of extracellular vesicles in conditions in the developmental origins of disease. She also be involved in projects that will evaluate the role of extracellular vesicles in conditions of health (exercise) and disease (asthma and obesity). Dr. Christina Raimondi, MD CCFP FCFP IBCLC
Family Medicine, University of Manitoba I am a Family Doctor, a Mother to 2 daughters and an advocate for women’s rights. In 2017 I co- Founded the Winnipeg Breastfeeding Centre, the first Breastfeeding Medicine Clinic in Manitoba, and in 2018 became in IBCLC. I see mother- infant dyads with breastfeeding challenges and guide them through this transitional and vulnerable time in their life. Human Milk feeding is medicine, and breastfeeding/ chestfeeding it is a fundamental reproductive right. With information and support families can be confident in the postpartum period to achieve their feeding goals and create the relationship they desire with their child. Our social media platforms (@mbmilkdocs) aim 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 our goal is also to educate physicians about human milk and Breastfeeding Medicine. The function of the breast- Lactation- is often overlooked in medical schools leaving women and babies unable to access help from their physicians. With increasingly complicated pregnancies and birth the act of feeding your baby with your body has also become more complicated. Collaboration between clinical, research and hospital policy makers are key to make a woman’s choice to feed her baby with her body an actionable one. MILC is a world leader in human milk advocacy and I am proud to be a member. |
