 MSc student, Rilwan Azeez, created an animated short film to capture his passion for human milk science. This video was created to promote Canadian Breastfeeding Week and is a great visualization for why human milk science is important. Great job using your skills and talents to communicate the wonders of breastmilk, Rilwan!
  Dr. Azad presented CHILD research at two virtual conferences this week: The International Milk Genomics Consortium virtual symposium and the Microbiome Movement Maternal & Infant Health Summit. The presentations focused on the milk, nose and gut bacteria collected from CHILD study samples and how these different bacteria can help shape infant health. It is amazing what we are discovering about bacteria from the rich data available in the CHILD cohort!
  Dr. Meghan Azad contributed to a newly-published evidence scan describing the nutrient content and milk volume consumed by infants to help inform reference standards for infant nutrition intake. The report was commissioned by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.D. Department of Health and Human Services for the National Academies of Science. This report uncovers the importance of researching the complexity of human milk to optimize infant health and will be used to help improve policies and infant nutrition guidelines.
See the Twitter Tutorial here.   The Winnipeg Breastfeeding Network hosted a Facebook Live event to celebrate Canadian Breastfeeding Week. The event centered on three themes: The Science of Breastfeeding, Breastfeeding Support and Celebrating Breastfeeding and included presentations from over 15 breastfeeding practitioners, advocate and community members. Wab Kinew and Lisa Monkman joined the event with warm greetings to all. Join us in celebrating breastfeeding, chest feeding and human milk feeding!
 Bridget McGann holds a B.A. in Anthropology and is a breastfeeding science advocate. She is one of the co-founders of March for Science, an evidence-based movement for science and a more just, sustainable world. Bridget spoke with MILC about a public movement towards rejecting breastfeeding as a scientifically and evolutionary preferred method of infant feeding, and how scientists can engage with the public to provide evidence-based knowledge to counteract this movement and support breastfeeding. Thank you Bridget for the wonderful presentation!
 MILC members Dr. Sarah Reyes of the Azad Lab, and Dr Taiana Martins of the Saleem Lab, were awarded 2020 Health Research Postdoctoral Fellowships by Research Manitoba in Partnership with the Children’s Hospital Research Institute of Manitoba. Sarah’s research will involve the analysis of human milk components and nasal microbiota as causal factors in the prevention of wheezing and ear infections during a child’s first year. Taiana’s research will be focused on extracellular vesicles in breast milk and the developmental origins of asthma.
The Health Research Fellowship awards are given to highly qualified and exceptional trainees who significantly increase the productivity of the research program with which they are affiliated and aim to prepare them for careers as independent researchers. Congratulations Sarah and Taiana!  Based out of Calgary, NorthernStar Mothers Milk Bank is a community-based facility that provides human donor milk to support sick and fragile babies in Neonatal Intensive Care Units across Canada. Jannette Festival spoke to MILC Club about the governing bodies that over see NorthernStar, donor screening criteria, the pasteurization process, as well as how the milk is triaged for distribution. To learn more about Jannette and her colleagues incredible work please review the website.
 The Pandemic has posed many challenges for mothers who want to breastfeed but need support to do so. Lactation consultants and mothers are taking to virtual visits, but the lack of physical contact makes it difficult to assess and assist the mother and baby. Web based forums are still available for support but can't replace the one-on-one interaction. Azad Lab postdoctoral fellow Dr. Merilee Brockway, a trained lactation consultant, spoke to Vogue magazine about these issues.
 August 1-7 is World Breastfeeding Week. Dr. Meghan Azad joined CTV news to bring awareness to the importance of breastfeeding. UNICEF and the World Health Organization are encouraging governments to support breastfeeding counselling. The latest research shows that the majority of Canadian mothers who chose to breastfeed, stop before they really want to. Dr. Azad explains further in her interview and discusses the new Manitoba Interdisciplinary Lactation Centre (MILC).
 Dr. Fiona Jardine, Advanced Lactation Consultant, presented her research on exclusive pumping to MILC club members – including why some mothers exclusively pump, the challenges they face, and the (lack of) supports available. Dr. Jardine is now planning to start a Milk Expression Research Lab that will address the many unanswered questions that have emerged from her dissertation research, including the possible impact of pumping on the composition of human milk and how to provide better support to mothers who exclusively pump. Her current and future findings will address an important gap in knowledge and support for healthcare providers, lactation consultants, and parents. Thank you Dr. Jardine for your excellent presentation!
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