MILC Club Presentations
2025 PRESENTER LIST (see below for videos)
* indicates presentation is available in 2025 Presentation Videos section
* indicates presentation is available in 2025 Presentation Videos section
- January (1) | Kelsey Johnson (PhD)
Clinical Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, University of Southern California
Leveraging natural variation to learn about human milk and its impact on the infant - January (2) | Narges Khodabandehloo (MSc)
University of Manitoba
Lactating Parents Attending Winnipeg Breastfeeding Centre: A descriptive Study - February | Janos Zempleni (PhD)
Willa Cather Professor, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Milk exosomes in nutrition and drug delivery - March | Amber Balan (MDP)
University of Winnipeg, University of Manitoba
First Foods: Navigating Knowledge Pathways within Urban Indigenous Environments - April (1) | Heather Rusi (PhD candidate)
University of Calgary
* The Commercialization of Human Milk and the Need for Evidence-Based Policies - April (2) | Larisa Lotoski (PhD)
University of Manitoba
Manitoba Interdisciplinary Lactation Center: Pilot Study & Biorepository Updates - May | Michael L. Power (PhD)
Animal scientist, Smithsonian National Zoological Park and Conservation Biology Institute
* Milk as a biochemical signaling device: A brief trip through 300 million years of evolution - June | Allison Fenske (LLB)
Clinical Counsel, Faculty of Law, University of Manitoba
Title TBD - July | Sue Tsai (PhD)
Assistant professor, University of Alberta
T cell development and tolerance using the autoimmune type 1 diabetes (T1D) model. - August | Rauner Gat (PhD)
Assistant professor, Tufts University
Tissue-resident adult stem cells - September | James Friend (PhD)
Professor, University of San Diego
Micro/nanofabrication - October (1) | Nathan Nickel (PhD)
Associate professor, University of Manitoba
CIHR grant - October (2) | Sanoji Wijenayake (PhD)
Assistant professor, University of Winnipeg
Title TBD - November | Michelle Asbury (PhD)
PhD candidate in nutritional sciences, University of Toronto
Microbiomes and maternal/infant health and preterm birth - December | Bae Land (PhD)
Assistant professor, Center for Translational Immunology, University Medical Center Utrecht
PRIMA - birth cohort
2020 PRESENTER LIST
- January - Katherine Kearns (MD, CCFP, FCFP, IBCLC), Christina Raimondi (MD, CCFP, FCFP, IBCLC) & Richa Tandon (MD, CCFP)
Affiliation: Co-founders, Winnipeg Breastfeeding Centre
Title: Lactation physicians in family medicine practice - February - Sarah Reyes (PhD)
Affiliation: Postdoctoral Scholar, Azad Lab
Title: 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)
Affiliation: Winnipeg Breastfeeding Network
Title: October 2020 World Breastfeeding Week - April - Angela Blouin (RN)
Affiliation: Winnipeg Regional Health Authority
Title: Breastfeeding support resources in Winnipeg - May - Nathan Nickel (PhD)
Affiliation: Manitoba Centre for Health Policy
Title: Public Health Agency of Canada Baby Friendly Collaborative - June - Uma Yakandawala
- Affiliation: Kelly Lab Trainee, Canada
Title: Medications in breast milk - July - Fiona Jardine (PhD)
Affiliation: Advanced Lactation Consultant, USA
Title: Breastfeeding Without Nursing: Exclusive Pumping Research - August - Jannette Festival (RN, IBCLC)
Affiliation: Executive Director, NorthernStar Mothers Milk Bank
Title: NorthernStar Mothers Milk Bank - September - Bridget McGann (BA)
Affiliation: Anthropology, Science Writer and Advocate, March of Science, USA
Title: Breastfeeding Denialism - October - Shreyas Kumbhare (PhD)
Affiliation: Postdoctoral Scholar, Azad Lab
Title: Mother's Own Milk in the NICU: Association with gut microbiota and oxidative stress in very low birthweight infants - November - Uma Yakandawala
Affiliation: Kelly Lab Trainee
Title: Systematic review data and comparison with the CHILD study data
2021 PRESENTER LIST
- January - Taiana Martins (PhD)
Affiliation: Postdoctoral Scholar, Saleem Lab
Title: Extracellular Vesicles in Human Milk - February - Toni Harmon
Affiliation: Alto Films Ltd., UK
Title: The infant microbiome - made simple! - March - Christina Raimondi (MD, CCFP, FCFP, IBCLC) & Katherine Kearns (MD, CCFP, FCFP, IBCLC)
Affiliation: Co-founders, Winnipeg Breastfeeding Centre
Title: Challenges from the front lines of breastfeeding medicine - April - Kellie Thiessen (RM, RN)
Affiliation: PhD, University of Manitoba
Title: Newborn Feeding: Methods and Contemporary Issues - May - Sarah Keim (MA, MSc)
Affiliation: PhD, The Ohio State University, USA
Title: Is Pumping Just as Good as Feeding at the Breast? Emerging Findings and Research Challenges - June - Bridget Young (PhD)
Affiliation: Assistant Professor, University of Rochester, USA
Title: Donor Milk: Making Decisions Acknowledging What We Know and What We Don’t - July - Michelle Asbury (MSc)
Affiliation: PhD, University of Toronto, SickKids
Title: Mothers of Preterm Infants have Individualized Breast Milk Microbiota that Changes Temporally Based on Maternal Characteristics - August - Sophie Parnel (RD), Subhadeep Chakrabarti (PhD), Kathryn Hopperton (PhD)
Affiliation: Health Canada's Food Directorate
Title: Human Milk Composition Initiative (HMCI) - September - Jane Francis (PhD)
Affiliation: Postdoctoral Scholar, University of Toronto
Title: Parkdale Infant Nutrition Security Targeted Evaluation Project (PINSTEP): Formative Research - October - Rishma Chooniedass (BN, MN)
Affiliation: Assistant Professor, University of British Columbia
Title: Breastfeeding During the COVID-19 Pandemic - November - Adetola Louis-Jacques (MD, OBGYN)
Affiliation: Assistant Professor, University of Florida, USA
Title: Maternal Benefits of Lactation
2022 PRESENTER LIST
- January - Suzanne Hetzel Campbell (PhD, RN, IBCLC)
Title: Innovative interprofessional approach to lactation education and care during the Pandemic - (Link to Recording)
- February - Sandra Hoy (PhD)
Affiliation: Assistant Professor, Laurentian University
Title: The Breastfeeding Buddies story: Building supportive breastfeeding communities - (Link to Recording) - March - Natalie Scime (MSc)
Affiliation: PhD candidate, Epidemiology University of Calgary
Title: Breastfeeding in mothers with chronic conditions - April - Melinda Boss (PhD, BPharm, MPS)
Affiliation: Research Fellow, University of Western Australia, Australia
Title: Importance of lactation language standards for science, medicine, and policy - (Link to Recording) - May - Mackenzie Whipps (PhD, CLC)
Affiliation: Postdoctoral Scholar, UC Davis Department of Human Ecology, USA
Title: When promotion isn’t enough - June - Ryan Pace (PhD)
Affiliation: Postdoctoral Scholar, McGuire Laboratory, University of Idaho, College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, USA
Title: Human milk and COVID-19: Risks and benefits with respect to mother-to-child transmission of SARS-CoV-2 - July - Sarah Turner (M.Sc)
Affiliation: PhD candidate, Children’s Hospital Research Institute of Manitoba, THRiVE Discovery Lab, University of Manitoba
Title: Breastfeeding during the COVID-19 pandemic - (Link to Recording) - August - Liz Decaire (RN)
Affiliation: First Nation Registered Nurse
Title: Strengthening families’ maternal child health in First Nation Communities - September - Therese O'Sullivan (PhD)
Affiliation: Associate Professor, Discipline Lead for Nutrition and Dietetics, Edith Cowan University, Australia
Title: The Antenatal Colostrum Expressing (ACE) study - (Link to Recording) - October - Kyly Whitfield (PhD)
Affiliation: Associate Professor, Department of Applied Human Nutrition, Mount St Vincent University
Title: Breast versus bottle-feeding human milk: insights into feeding responsiveness among mothers and other caregivers - November - Martijn van Herwijne (PhD)
Affiliation: Junior Assistant Professor, Department of Biomolecular Health Sciences, Utrecht University, The Netherlands
Title: Mommy's little secrets: How extracellular vesicles from milk influence T cell function - (Link to Recording)
2023 PRESENTER LIST
- January (2 presentations):
1) Natalie Rodriguez (MBA, ACC)
Affiliation: MILC Co-director and Operations Director
Title: Health equity and liberatory systems design in human milk research and education
2) Carol Dyck (BN, IBCLC), Roxanne Myslicki (CHN), Robyn Brown (Peer connector)
Affiliations: Milk Mentors MB Program, Youville Centre
Title: Introducing Milk Mentors MB - new peer infant feeding support for MB families - (Link to Recording) - February - Sanoji Wijenayake (PhD)
Affiliation: Assistant Professor, Department of Biology, University of Winnipeg
Title: Milk Nanovesicles & developmental programming - (Link to Recording) - March - Stephanie Langel (PhD)
Affiliation: Assistant Professor, Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, USA
Title: The maternal gut-mammary axis's role in infant protection against viral infections - April - Karishma Hossein (PhD), Bridget McGann (MA), Narges Khodabandehloo (BSc)
Affiliations: Past and Present THRiVE Discovery Lab Trainees
Title: Journal club on 2023 Lancet Series on breastfeeding - May - Aimee Grant (PhD)
Affiliation: Senior Lecturer and Wellcome Trust Career Development Fellow, Swansea University Centre for Lactation, Infant Feeding, and Translation, UK
Title: Autistic people’s experiences of breastfeeding - (Link to Recording) - June - Anna Gruending (MPH, MA)
Affiliation: Independent Global Public Health Consultant, France
Title: Marketing of breastmilk substitutes: Consolidating the evidence to drive action - July (2 presentations):
1) Karishma Hossein (PhD)
Affiliation: Postdoctoral Scholar, THRiVE Discovery Lab
Title: Developing an inclusive language position statement for THRiVE Discovery Lab research in breastfeeding research
2) Maryanne Perrin (PhD)
Affiliation: Associate Professor, Department of Nutrition at the University of North Carolina Greensboro, USA
Title: Preliminary Findings from the Global Donor Human Milk Study - August - Chantell Witten (PhD)
Affiliation: Technical Lead (the Infant and Young Child Feeding Advocacy Project) & Senior Lecturer (University of the Witwatersrand), South Africa
Title: Industry Influence and Interference within the health system: Building counteractions - (Link to Recording) - September - Rebecca Hoban (MD,MPH)
Affiliation: Director of Breastfeeding Medicine (Division of Neonatology) & Associate Professor of Pediatrics (University of Washington), USA
Title: Intranasal Human Milk as Stem Cell Therapy in Preterm Infants with Intraventricular Hemorrhage: Safety, Feasibility, and Milk Analysis - (Link to Recording) - October (2 presentations):
1) Christina Raimondi (MD, CCFP, FCFP, IBCLC) and Katherine Kearns (MD, CCFP, FCFP, IBCLC)
Affiliation: Co-founders, Winnipeg Breastfeeding Centre
Title: NABBLM (North American Board of Breastfeeding and Lactation Medicine) board certification program
2) Joann McDermid (PhD)
Affiliation: Professor, Cornell University and the University of Virginia School of Medicine, USA
Title: Milk research in rural Africa - what’s breastfeeding got to do with it? - November - Caitlin Ball (RN)
Affiliation: NICU Transport Nurse Clinician, Foothills Medical Centre in Calgary, Alberta
Title: The MOM (Mother's Own Milk) Project: Increasing Access to Mother's Own Milk in Calgary NICU's
2024 PRESENTER LIST
- January | Garry Shen (MD, PhD)
Professor, Max Rady College of Medicine, University of Manitoba, Department of Internal Medicine
Lactation Consultant cuts in Manitoba and their impact on breastfeeding rates - February | Ilana Levene (MRCPCH (Member of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health))
PhD Student, Nuffield Department of Population Health (NDPH), University of Oxford, UK
Influence of pattern of expressing on lactation outcomes (frequency, gaps, timing) - March | Mia Elfenbaum (BA, MSc)
Research Faculty, Red River College Polytechnic
MyBaby (my-baby.ca) – an online parenting resource - April | Michael Pitino (PhD)
Postdoctoral Scholar, Oregon State University, USA
Milk bioactive proteins and peptides - May | Marion Emilie Genevieve Brunck (PhD)
Professor Researcher, School of Engineering and Sciences, Tecnológico de Monterrey, Mexico
* Breastmilk immunology - June | Jannette Festival (RN, IBCLC)
Executive Director, NorthernStar Mothers Milk Bank
BEE (Breastfeeding Education and Equity) program - July | Ellen Evans (PhD)
Reader, Food Safety Behaviour at ZERO2FIVE Food Industry Centre, UK
Donor human milk is not the solution (letter to the editor) - August | To be determined
- September | Kathryn Knoop (PhD)
Assistant Professor, Mayo Clinic Rochester, USA
* Breastfeeding in immune development - October | Carly Muletz Wolz (PhD)
Molecular Ecologist, Smithsonian's National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute, USA
* Eco evolutionary processes and milk microbiome - November | Narges Khodabandehloo (MSc student)
MSc student, Community Health Sciences, University of Manitoba
Manitoba Training Program for Health Services Research project results - December | Larisa Lotoski (PhD)
Lead Research Associate of THRiVE Discovery Lab, University of Manitoba
The Manitoba Interdisciplinary Lactation Center – An interdisciplinary “bench to population” research platform and administrative data linkage proof-of-concept study
2025 PRESENTATION VIDEOS
Please note that we record and share presentations according to the presenters' preferences; not all recordings are available publicly.
April | Heather Rusi (PhD candidate)
University of Calgary
The Commercialization of Human Milk and the Need for Evidence-Based Policies
University of Calgary
The Commercialization of Human Milk and the Need for Evidence-Based Policies
May | Michael L. Power (PhD)
Animal scientist, Smithsonian National Zoological Park and Conservation Biology Institute
Milk as a biochemical signaling device: A brief trip through 300 million years of evolution
Animal scientist, Smithsonian National Zoological Park and Conservation Biology Institute
Milk as a biochemical signaling device: A brief trip through 300 million years of evolution
2022 PRESENTATION VIDEOS
January | Suzanne Hetzel Campbell
Associate Professor, School of Nursing, University of British Columbia
Innovative Interprofessional Approach to Lactation Education and Care During the Pandemic
Associate Professor, School of Nursing, University of British Columbia
Innovative Interprofessional Approach to Lactation Education and Care During the Pandemic
February | Sandra Hoy and Michelle Buckner
Sandra Hoy, Assistant Professor, Social Work, Laurentian University
Michelle Buckner, BSW, Breastfeeding Buddies Coordinator
The Breastfeeding Buddies Story: Building Supportive Breastfeeding Communities
Sandra Hoy, Assistant Professor, Social Work, Laurentian University
Michelle Buckner, BSW, Breastfeeding Buddies Coordinator
The Breastfeeding Buddies Story: Building Supportive Breastfeeding Communities
April | Melinda Boss
PhD, BPharm, MPS, Senior Research Fellow, University of Western Australia
Importance of Lactation Language Standards for Science, Medicine and Policy
PhD, BPharm, MPS, Senior Research Fellow, University of Western Australia
Importance of Lactation Language Standards for Science, Medicine and Policy
July | Sarah Turner
PhD Candidate, Children's Hospital Research Institute of Manitoba, THRiVE Discovery Lab, University of Manitoba
Breastfeeding during the COVID-19 pandemic
PhD Candidate, Children's Hospital Research Institute of Manitoba, THRiVE Discovery Lab, University of Manitoba
Breastfeeding during the COVID-19 pandemic
September | Therese O'Sullivan
Associate Professor, Discipline Lead for Nutrition and Dietetics, Edith Cowan University, Australia
The Antenatal Colostrum Expressing (ACE) Study
Associate Professor, Discipline Lead for Nutrition and Dietetics, Edith Cowan University, Australia
The Antenatal Colostrum Expressing (ACE) Study
December | Martijn Vanherwijnen
Jr. Assistant Professor, Department of Biomolecular Health Sciences, Utrecht University
Mommy's little secrets: How extracellular vesicles from milk influence T cell function.
Jr. Assistant Professor, Department of Biomolecular Health Sciences, Utrecht University
Mommy's little secrets: How extracellular vesicles from milk influence T cell function.
2023 PRESENTATION VIDEOS
January | Carol Dyck, Roxanne Myslicki, Robyn Brown
Carol Dyck (IBCLC, volunteer), Roxanne Myslicki (CHN, Youville Centre), Robyn Brown (Peer Connector)
Introducing Milk Mentors MB - new peer infant feeding support for MB families
Carol Dyck (IBCLC, volunteer), Roxanne Myslicki (CHN, Youville Centre), Robyn Brown (Peer Connector)
Introducing Milk Mentors MB - new peer infant feeding support for MB families
February | Sanoji Wijenayake
Principal investigator and assistant professor in Cell and Molecualr Biology, University of Winnipeg.
Milk nanovesicles & developmental programming.
Principal investigator and assistant professor in Cell and Molecualr Biology, University of Winnipeg.
Milk nanovesicles & developmental programming.
May | Aimee Grant
Senior Lecturer and Welcome Trust Career Development Fellow, Swansea University Centre for Lactation, Infant feeding, and Translation.
Autistic people's experiences of breastfeeding.
Senior Lecturer and Welcome Trust Career Development Fellow, Swansea University Centre for Lactation, Infant feeding, and Translation.
Autistic people's experiences of breastfeeding.
August | Chantell Witten
Technical Lead for the Infant and Young Child Feeding Advocacy Project and Senior Lecturer at the University of the Witwatersrand
Industry Influence and Interference within the health system: Building counteractions
Technical Lead for the Infant and Young Child Feeding Advocacy Project and Senior Lecturer at the University of the Witwatersrand
Industry Influence and Interference within the health system: Building counteractions
September | Rebecca Hoban
Director of Breastfeeding Medicine for the Division of Neonatology and Associate Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Washington.
Intranasal Human Milk as Stem Cell Therapy in Preterm Infants with Intraventricular Hemorrhage: Safety, Feasibility, and Milk Analysis
Director of Breastfeeding Medicine for the Division of Neonatology and Associate Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Washington.
Intranasal Human Milk as Stem Cell Therapy in Preterm Infants with Intraventricular Hemorrhage: Safety, Feasibility, and Milk Analysis
2024 PRESENTATION VIDEOS
May | Marion Emilie Genevieve Brunck
Professor Researcher, School of Engineering and Sciences, Tecnológico de Monterrey, Mexico
Breastmilk immunology
[ video coming soon ]
Professor Researcher, School of Engineering and Sciences, Tecnológico de Monterrey, Mexico
Breastmilk immunology
[ video coming soon ]
September | Kathryn Knoop
Assistant Professor, Mayo Clinic Rochester, USA
Breastfeeding in immune development
[ video coming soon ]
Assistant Professor, Mayo Clinic Rochester, USA
Breastfeeding in immune development
[ video coming soon ]
October | Carly Muletz Wolz
Molecular ecologist at the Smithsonian National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute
Eco-evolutionary processes structure milk microbiomes across the mammalian tree of life
Molecular ecologist at the Smithsonian National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute
Eco-evolutionary processes structure milk microbiomes across the mammalian tree of life
