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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
Associate Professor, Pediatrics and Child Health, University of Manitoba
Dr. Azad is an Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Child Health at the University of Manitoba and 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 is leading a clinical trial to improve matching procedures for preterm neonates receiving donor human milk, and directs the new International Milk Composition (IMiC) Consortium. Dr. Azad also serves as Secretary for The International Society for Research in Human Milk and Lactation (ISRHML) and as an Expert Member on the NIH Breastmilk Ecology: Genesis of Infant Nutrition (BEGIN) Working Group.  ​
Dr. Nathan Nickel, MPH, PhD | MILC co-Director
Associate Professor, Community Health Sciences, University of Manitoba
Dr. Nickel is an Associate Professor at the University of Manitoba, and the Associate Director overseeing Deliverables at the Manitoba Centre for Health Policy (MCHP). As a 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. Much of his research is done in partnership with First Nations, Metis, and Inuit organizations in Manitoba. Dr. Nickel is the Scientific Chair for the Breastfeeding Forum of the American Public Health Association, and the Research & Evaluation Lead for the National Baby-Friendly Initiative (BFI) Quality Improvement (QI) Collaborative Project​. 
Nicole Fiorentino, MSc | MILC Club Coordinator
​Project Coordinator, Azad Lab, University of Manitoba
Nicole received her BS in Biology and MS in Nutrition from Kansas State University where she performed research on improving fortified food aid products for malnourished children and mothers. She specialises in coordination, process improvement, and capacity building in international research. Her current projects focus on global health and infant growth.
Dr. Rilwan Azeez, MD | MSc Student
Azad Lab, Immunology Department, University of Manitoba
​Rilwan is a foreign-trained physician and 1st year Immunology MSc student in the Azad Lab at the University of Manitoba. He is also concurrently enrolled in the one-year Visual and Automated Disease Analytics (VADA) program. VADA trains graduate students to develop and use automated techniques and tools to collect, analyze and visualize chronic and infectious disease data.
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 WRHA'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. 
Dr. Merilee Brockway, PhD, RN | Postdoctoral Fellow
Azad Lab, Pediatrics and Child Health, University of Manitoba
Dr. Merilee (Meredith) Brockway is a 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 in the Azad Lab exploring clinical applications of donor human milk for very preterm infants. 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. 
Tricia Choquette, MSc | Operations Officer
​Azad Lab, University of Manitoba
​Tricia received her BSc in Microbiology and MSc in Biochemistry and Medical Genetics from the University of Manitoba. Her MSc focused on the development of a novel 3D co-culture system to study Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia, and later research focused on mitochondrial metabolism in cancer. She is eager to expand her knowledge on the roles  breastfeeding, human milk and lactation in infant health and disease,. 
Carol Dyck, BN, IBCLC | Instructor
Douglas College Perinatal 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 has recently retired from nursing, but continues to work part-time in a variety roles including; Instructor for the Douglas College Perinatal Education's lactation program, Chair of the Winnipeg Breastfeeding Network, Mentor to 2 Lactation Consultant Candidates working on their clinical hours (IBCLC Pathway 3), and Member of several Indigenous social justice committees. She has a passion for supporting breastfeeding parents, particularly Indigenous, who are experiencing health equity challenges in accessing the support they need to meet their infant feeding goals. 
Kelsey Fehr, MSc | MILC Technician
Research Assistant, Azad Lab, University of Manitoba
Kelsey is a Research Assistant for the Azad 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.
Dr. Katherine Kearns, MD, CCFP, IBCLC, FCFP | Assistant Professor, Physician
Faculty of Medicine, University of Manitoba
Dr. Katherine 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, Katherine 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. Lauren Kelly, MSc, PhD, CCRP | Pharmacologist, Assistant Professor
Pediatrics & Child Health, Community Health Sciences, University of Manitoba
Dr. Kelly’s research program evaluates drug safety and effectiveness in the perinatal period and throughout childhood with a focus on cannabis and opioid exposures. She is a Certified Clinical Research Professional and a Clinical Trialist at the George and Fay Yee Centre for Healthcare Innovation where she supports methods development for a wide variety of clinical trials in Manitoba. She currently leads a medications in milk research project to develop methods to study medication use during lactation while supporting informed decision-making by parents and health care providers. 
Dr. Christine Leong, PharmD | Assistant Professor, Clinical Pharmacist
College of Pharmacy, RFHS, University of Manitoba
Dr. Leong’s research focuses on drug utilization and outcomes from a population perspective. Her program aims to optimize treatment and to improve the quality of care for patients taking medications. Projects include examining the use and adherence of medication before, during, and after pregnancy; and describing the experiences of people and healthcare providers regarding medication use during breastfeeding. Pharmacoepidemiology, qualitative research, and survey studies are methods used in this program. ​
Dr. Larisa Lotoski, PhD | Research Associate
​Azad 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. 
Dr. Taiana M. Pierdoná Martins, PhD | Postdoctoral Fellow
Kinesiology and Recreation Management, CHRIM, University of Manitoba
Dr. Martins is a post-doctoral fellow in the Faculty of Kinesiology and Recreation Management and at the Children’s Hospital Research Institute of Manitoba (CHRIM), 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, Brazil. She has 14 years of hands-on experience in performing basic scientific research and teaching pharmacology-related courses at the undergrad level. She worked mainly in drug development, evaluating the pharmacological activity of natural products and their downstream effects. The main focus of her post-doctoral research is to decipher the role of extracellular vesicles in the breast milk of mothers with and without asthma. ​
Bridget McGann, BA | Graduate Student
Azad 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 Azad 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 WRHA 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 of Medicine, University of Manitoba
Dr. Raimondi is a Family Doctor, IBCLC, a mother to 2 daughters and an advocate for womens' rights. In 2017 she co-founded the Winnipeg Breastfeeding Centre, the first Breastfeeding Medicine Clinic in Manitoba. 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. The Centre's social media platforms (@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. 
Natalie Rodriguez, MBA, ACC | MILC Operations Director
Program Director, Azad Lab, CHRIM, University of Manitoba
In an acclaimed career of truly transformative and translational work, Natalie Rodriguez has implemented new systems, technologies, platforms, initiatives and discovery worldwide.  A myriad of credentials, awards, appointments and certifications reflect her fierce commitment to research and ongoing learning by defying boundaries and improving the lives of children and their families. Natalie Co-Directs the new International Milk Composition (IMiC) Consortium, her current projects focus on global health, maternal & infant nutrition, and human milk composition. ​
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, MSc | 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.
Dr. Brandy A. Wicklow, MD | Associate Professor
Head, Section of Pediatric Endocrinology, Pediatrics and Child Health, CHRIM
Dr. Wicklow is a Pediatric Endocrinologist and Clinician Scientist at the Children’s Hospital Research Institute of Manitoba (CHRIM). Her research is focused on the determinants of type 2 diabetes (T2D) in children and its complications, with a particular interest in the Indigenous population of Northern Manitoba, Canada with whom she works closely in clinical care and research.
Uma Yakandawala, BSc | MSc Student
College of Pharmacy, University of Manitoba
Uma joined the College of Pharmacy Master’s program in Fall 2019 and began her research studying medications in human milk. Her research project aims to understand the collection methods and analytical techniques used to study medications in human milk through conducting a systematic review. She is developing a survey to understand the preference factors and decision making of mothers and healthcare providers in regard to medication use during lactation.
Zina Zaslawski | Research Coordinator 
Kelly Lab, Pediatrics & Child Health, University of Manitoba
​Zina is a research coordinator with Dr. Lauren Kelly. Zina helped plan and facilitate a community engagement event for mothers who wanted to share their experiences and views on breastfeeding. We engage with those who are going to participate in the research and with those who are going to benefit most from the research conducted. 
Additional MILC Member profiles coming soon!
  • ​Melanie Allard, Winnipeg Regional Health Authority​
  • Elske Hildes-Ripstein, University of Manitoba​
  • Amber Wiens, HSC Women's Hospital​

Presentations

2021 
  • January - Taiana Martins (Postdoctoral Fellow, Saleem Lab): Extracellular Vesicles in Human Milk
  • February - Toni Harmon (Alto Films Ltd., UK): The infant microbiome – made simple!
  • March - Christina Raimondi & Katherine Kearns (Physicians & Co-Founders, Winnipeg Breastfeeding Centre): Challenges from the front lines of breastfeeding medicine
  • April - Kellie Thiessen (University of Manitoba): Newborn Feeding: Methods and Contemporary Issues
  • May - Sarah Keim (The Ohio State University): Is Pumping Just as Good as Feeding at the Breast? Emerging Findings and Research Challenges
  • June - Bridget Young (University of Rochester): Donor Milk: Making Decisions Acknowledging What We Know and What We Don’t
  • July - Michelle Asbury (University of Toronto, SickKids): Mothers of Preterm Infants have Individualized Breast Milk Microbiota that Changes Temporally Based on Maternal Characteristics
  • August - Sophie Parnel, Subhadeep Chakrabarti, Kathryn Hopperton (Health Canada's Food Directorate): Human Milk Composition Initiative (HMCI)

2020
  • January - Katherine Kearns MD, Christina Raimondi MD & Richa Tandon MD (Winnipeg Breastfeeding Centre): Lactation physicians in family medicine practice
  • February - Sarah Reyes PhD (Postdoctoral Fellow, Azad Lab): The Effect of Typical At-Home Pumping and Storage Practices on the Human Milk Microbiome: A Brief Overview of the MiLC Trial.
  • March - Carol Dyck IBCLC (Winnipeg Breastfeeding Network): October 2020 World Breastfeeding Week
  • April - Angela Blouin RN (Winnipeg Regional Health Authority): Breastfeeding support resources in Winnipeg
  • May - Nathan Nickel PhD (Manitoba Centre for Health Policy): Public Health Agency of Canada Baby Friendly Collaborative
  • June - Uma Yakandawala (MSc Student, Kelly Lab): Medications in breast milk
  • July - Fiona Jardine, PhD (Advanced Lactation Consultant): Breastfeeding Without Nursing: Exclusive Pumping Research
  • August - Jannette Festival, RN IBCLC (Executive Director, NorthernStar Mothers Milk Bank): NorthernStar Mothers Milk Bank
  • September - Bridget McGann, BA Anthropology (Science Writer and Advocate, March of Science): Breastfeeding Denialism
  • October -  Shreyas Kumbhare (Postdoctoral Fellow, Azad Lab): Mother's Own Milk in the NICU: Association with gut microbiota and oxidative stress in very low birthweight infants
  • November - Uma Yakandawala (MSc Student, Kelly Lab): Systematic review data and comparison with the CHILD study data
  • December - No meeting.

(Special Guests are in bold)