 We’re excited to announce the official launch of the Community Pump Library - supported by MILC, in partnership with Youville Community Health Centre. Each pump is delivered with a personal drop-off appointment that includes usage guidance, and follow-up support is available within 48 hours. Families also have access to a Milk Mentor for breastfeeding help, and each pump comes with a collapsible wash basin and a laminated resource binder. Already serving the Winnipeg community, the program has seen strong demand since its soft launch in February and has received positive feedback from parents and care providers. We're proud to support this initiative that offers practical, wraparound care.
MILC Director Highlights the Unmatched Benefits of Breastfeeding for Infant Health and Development4/8/2025
 Credit: epsiloon.com In the French scientific magazine Epsiloon, the article 'Allairtement: Quels sont les bienfaits démontrés?' features Dr. Azad emphasizing the unparalleled benefits of breastfeeding, highlighting its unique ability to adapt to a baby’s changing nutritional and immune needs. Unlike formula, which remains static, breastmilk evolves to provide the right balance of nutrients and antibodies as a baby grows, offering tailored immune protection and fostering a healthy gut microbiome. While breastfeeding can present challenges, when possible, it remains the gold standard for infant nutrition, offering irreplaceable health benefits that formula cannot replicate.
 MILC extends its heartfelt congratulations to MSc student Rowan Shwaluk on being awarded a CIHR Canada Graduate Scholarship! This scholarship program aims to foster the development of advanced research skills and support the training of highly qualified personnel, recognizing students who demonstrate exceptional achievement in their undergraduate and early graduate studies. Rowan's research is exploring how human milk components relate to infant immune development. Given the highly competitive nature of these national awards, Rowan’s success is a remarkable accomplishment, and the entire MILC team is incredibly proud of this milestone!
New Online Course for Health Professionals, featuring Dr. Azad: Human Milk and the Gut Microbiome3/3/2025
 Credit: https://unlok-education.com/ A new 60-minute online course, developed with the expertise of Dr. Meghan Azad, is now available for healthcare professionals. This course offers an accessible yet comprehensive overview of how human milk influences the developing gut microbiome. It explores the potential links between early microbiome development and the risk of chronic conditions such as asthma, allergies, and obesity. Designed to enhance the understanding of healthcare professionals across various fields, this course provides valuable insights into the crucial role of human milk in shaping long-term health outcomes.
 Left to right: Alie Johnston, Larisa Lotoski, Nathan Nickel, Karinne Muniz, Narges Khodabandehloo, Michelle Olivson, Zahra Nouri, Saeid Khakisahneh. On-screen (left to right): Meghan Azad, Christina Raimondi MILC is thrilled to announce the successful defense of Narges Khodabandehloo’s MSc thesis titled, “Lactating Parents Attending Winnipeg Breastfeeding Centre: A Descriptive Study.” Narges’ hard work and dedication to her research have made a significant contribution to ongoing work at MILC. We also appreciate her wonderful coordination of MILC Club over the past two years. We extend our heartfelt congratulations to Narges on this achievement and look forward to seeing her continue to thrive in her next endeavors. We wish her all the best in this exciting next chapter!
 Credit: The International Society for Research in Human Milk and Lactation The International Milk Composition (IMiC) Consortium, led by Meghan Azad, hosted a session at the 22nd International Society for Research in Human Milk & Lactation (ISRHML) Conference held December 9-13th 2024 in South Carolina. Team members presented findings on: i) a multi-omics view of human milk composition across diverse environments, ii) machine learning approaches to predict infant growth, iii) the effects of nutritional interventions on human milk, and iv) learnings from collaborations with lower-middle income countries. A panel featuring HM science experts (Dr Shelly McGuire, University of Idaho and Dr Donna Geddes, University of Western Australia) and policy and practice experts (Dr Lawrence Grummer-Strawn, WHO and Dr Aloka Patel, Rush University) discussed knowledge translation opportunities and challenges. More details of the ISRHML conference can be found here.
 Conference notes and photos. Credit: Bridget McGann THRiVE Discovery Lab and Manitoba Interdisciplinary Lactation Centre (MILC) collaborated with Liminal Creations to bring a science communication workshop to the meeting of the International Society for Research in Human Milk and Lactation (ISRHML). Participants discussed the fraught media landscape and social complexities around infant feeding and public literacy in lactation science, and explored new approaches and perspectives from the field of science communication. The group identified their target audiences for science communication, learned tips and tricks for talking to journalists, and had a chance to speak to a documentary film crew about their work. Additional workshops are under development, both online and in person - if you would like to be notified when registration opens, please email [email protected].
 Credit: The American Journal of Nutrition A new paper titled - “Human milk feeding practices and serum immune profiles of one-year-old infants in the CHILD birth cohort study” - led by Spencer Ames (MILC Club member) was published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. This study aimed to investigate how current human milk feeding (HMF) status is related to infant immune biomarker profiles, as well as explore relationships with HMF history (i.e., duration, exclusivity, and method: directly from the breast or pumped and bottled). Check out the Tweetorial.
Project with MILC Members funded by CIHR to improve breastfeeding support and maternal health11/11/2024
MILC Members Dr. Nathan Nickel (left) and Dr. Garry Shen (right) have both received funding from the CIHR Operating Grant: National Women's Health Research Initiative (NWHRI) Innovation Fund. Their combined funding totals more than $1.1 million.
The project led by Dr. Nickel is titled "THRIVE: Transforming Healthcare through Research to Improve Breastfeeding and Advance Women's Health". This project will expand the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative to community health centres across Canada. The project led by Dr. Shen is titled "Protecting and Supporting Breastfeeding and Lactation Equity in Manitoba through Community-Integrated Education and Care using Culturally Safe and Gender-Affirming Care". This project will address the gaps in access to breastfeeding support in Manitoba, in particular for First Nations families, 2SLGBTQI parents and other underrepresented groups. To read more click here.  Left to right: Zahra Nouri, Narges Khodabandehloo, Laura Noël-Romas, Karinne Muniz, Michelle Olivson, Larisa Lotoski, Saeid Khakisahneh, Rowan Shwaluk, Kelsey Fehr, Sarah Turner and Meghan Azad THRiVE Discovery Lab is proud to celebrate the successful PhD defense of Sarah Turner! Sarah defended her thesis titled: "Infant Feeding and Child Cognition and Behavior: Quantifying Pathways to Understanding the Link in the CHILD Cohort Study." We’re so grateful for Sarah’s contributions to the lab and wish her all the best in her next chapter. Sarah will be working as Post-Doctoral Fellow and Researcher at the Manitoba Centre for Health Policy. Congratulations, Dr. Turner!
Click here to see a thread on Twitter about Sarah's time with THRiVE. |
