 Image credit: JA PreventNCD and MILC MILC Director Dr. Meghan Azad contributed an educational video to BreastFEEDucation, a newly launched free online course designed to strengthen breastfeeding counselling and education across Europe and beyond. Developed through an international collaboration, the course aims to equip healthcare professionals, students, and educators with evidence-based knowledge to better support breastfeeding families. Dr. Azad's expertise helped shape this educational resource, which is now freely available online and expected to reach learners around the world.
 Photo credit: MILC Club MILC Club members gathered in Winnipeg for their annual in-person meeting on June 8th, 2026. MILC Director, Dr. Meghan Azad opened the session by highlighting the members' key accomplishments over the past year. The meeting featured a workshop facilitated by Laura Jones and a compelling presentation by Kristie Pearson of Linking Hope. Discussions focused on strategies for institutional collaborations and expanding MILC Club initiatives to achieve meaningful community impact.
 Image credit: THRiVE website, Research Manitoba MILC congratulates Sam Stead on receiving a Research Manitoba Postdoctoral Fellowship. This annual award supports outstanding postdoctoral researchers as they prepare for careers as independent investigators and recognizes their contributions to advancing impactful research in Manitoba. The fellowship helps develop, attract, and retain highly qualified researchers with innovative skills while strengthening Manitoba’s research capacity. This fellowship will allow Sam to continue her training in exploring how maternal stress influences milk composition and, in turn, child health. We are proud of Sam’s achievement and look forward to her continued research success.
 Photo credit: University of Manitoba MILC Director, Dr. Meghan Azad, has received the James House Memorial Award for Excellence in Postdoctoral Mentoring, presented by the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies at the University of Manitoba. The award honours the legacy of Dr. James “Jim” House, a respected researcher, educator, and mentor. The nomination was led by MILC postdoctoral fellows Sam Stead, Anne Manson, Kozeta Miliku, and Merilee Brockway, who described the many ways Dr. Azad has supported their professional development and fostered a positive and inclusive research environment. The award recognizes her contributions to postdoctoral training and mentorship.
 Photo credit: MILC website, human-milk.com MILC is pleased to announce that MILC Director, Dr. Meghan Azad, has been appointed Science Advisor for Human Milk. Human Milk is an organization built on 11 years of harnessing the influence of fashion, media, art and pop culture to deliver products, knowledge and community that connect, embolden and support mothers all over the world. Dr. Azad will help guide the sharing of both established research and emerging discoveries related to breastmilk and breastfeeding.
 Image credit: news.uwinnipeg.ca Congratulations to MILC Club member Dr. Sanoji Wijenayake who has been appointed as a Canada Research Chair (CRC). Dr. Wijenayake is a Tier 2 NSERC Canada Research Chair in Milk Nanovesicles and Applied Health. She was granted a total of $600,000 over five years to support her research on the role of biologically active milk compounds, called milk-derived extracellular vesicles (MEVs). The Canada Research Chairs (CRC) Program is a government initiative aimed at enhancing research excellence in Canada in the humanities, social sciences, health sciences, natural sciences, and engineering. Dr. Wijenayake is featured in a uwinnipeg.ca article for her accomplishment.
 Image credit: www.emjreviews.com MILC Director Dr. Meghan Azad sat down with European Medical Journal's host Dr. Catherine Glass to discuss how early-life nutrition influences immune development from birth and beyond. From the biological complexity of human milk to microbiome-driven disease risk and real-world barriers to optimal feeding, this three-part series explores how infant nutrition can shift health trajectories at both individual and population levels.
MILC Director Interviewed by The Economist about the Science and Challenges of Breastfeeding5/19/2026
 Image credit: The Economist In an Economist podcast discussion examining the science and challenges of breastfeeding, MILC Director Dr. Meghan Azad highlights how much is still unknown about breast milk and infant feeding, despite its profound importance to human health. Drawing on years of microbiome and pediatric research, Dr. Azad explains how breast milk composition varies between mothers and how breastfeeding is linked to improved childhood health outcomes. The conversation also underscores the gap between public health recommendations and the lack of medical support many mothers receive when breastfeeding difficulties arise.
 Image credit: https://unlok-education.com/ A new free 60-minute online course, co-created by MILC director, Dr. Meghan Azad, is now available for healthcare professionals and includes a CME credit. This course offers an accessible yet comprehensive overview of how early‑life nutrition shapes immune development and influences later food allergy risk. It explores practical strategies for supporting healthy infant feeding practices, including breastfeeding, timing of solid foods, and early allergen introduction.
 Photo credit: thrivediscovery.ca, University of Manitoba RFHS MILC proudly congratulates trainee Dr. Sam Stead on being awarded a 2-year fellowship from the new Rady Faculty of Health Sciences Postdoctoral Fellowship Program at the University of Manitoba. This fellowship will allow Sam to continue her training in exploring how maternal stress influences milk composition and, in turn, child health.
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