Raising Canada 2021: Recovering from the Impacts of COVID-19 is the fourth in an annual series of reports that track the top 10 threats to childhood wellbeing in Canada, published by the national charitable organization Children First Canada. The 2021 report cited evidence from CHILD's COVID-19 add-on study regarding children's self-reported diminishment of physical activity during the pandemic, and featured artwork by CHILD participants for the study's 2019 Poster Contest. Read the full article here. 

Dr. Meghan Azad and two other professors at the University of Manitoba are among the "Class of 2021" newly elected fellows and members of the Royal Society of Canada (RSC), the country's most esteemed association of scholars, scientists and artists, states UM Today News. "Election to the RSC is considered the highest honour an academic can achieve in the arts, social sciences and sciences." Read the full article here. 

Azad Lab Members shared reflections on breastfeeding to advocate for World Breastfeeding Week 2021 (#WBW2021). WBW has been celebrated every August 1-7 since 1992 in commemoration of the 1990 Innocenti Declaration. Learn how you can #ProtectBreastfeeding by visiting ​worldbreastfeedingweek.org.

Dr. Azad and former Azad Lab postdoc, Dr. Kozeta Miliku, were interviewed on CNN about their new paper published in the Journal of the American Heart Association titled Breastfeeding in the First Days of Life Is Associated With Lower Blood Pressure at 3 Years of Age. "We found, contrary to our expectations, it did not matter how long you were breastfed, whether it was two days, two weeks, two months or two years," Azad said. "We saw an improvement of blood pressure profiles from any breastfeeding at all." Azad and Miliku hope to continue following the CHILD Cohort to monitor whether these differences in blood pressure levels at age 3 impact the participants' health into adulthood, according to the CNN article. Tweetorial here!

Dr. Meghan Azad was featured in a 5 part documentary that explored how the impoverishment of the human microbiome may be linked to an increase in the prevalence of certain maladies, including asthma and allergies, and how breastfeeding can help feed beneficial infant gut bacteria. The documentary was based on the bestselling book of the same title by CHILD researchers Drs B. Brett Finlay and Marie-Claire Arrieta and is informed by their ground-breaking research using CHILD Cohort Study data. ​

Dr. Azad and trainee, Sarah Turner, along with other MILC Club members Drs. Nickel, Kearns, Raimondi, and Kelly presented to a combined Pediatrics & Obstetrics/Gynecology Grand Rounds audience at the UofM on "Clinicians Across Specialties and Research: Collaboration to Improve Breastfeeding Rates and Outcomes." They outlined the updated WHO 10 steps to successful breastfeeding and described a family-centred, collaborative approach connecting clinicians and academic researchers to ultimately overcome barriers and improve breastfeeding rates.

Dr. Meghan Azad presented at the 2021 Gairdner Symposium (part of the 2021 Canadian Student Health Research Forum) on Human Milk: The Ultimate Superfood & Personalized Medicine. She explained the dynamic and personalized nature of human milk as a biological system, and the research and collaborations happening at the Manitoba Interdisciplinary Lactation Center (MILC). 

​Dr. Meghan Azad and Azad Lab Program Director Natalie Rodriguez share their Top 10 Tips for defining and achieving success in Team Science. "Whether you are searching for a training opportunity or leading your own research group, we trust these tips will offer guidance for finding or building a genuinely successful program—whatever “success” means to you and your Team." 

Dr. Shirin Moossavi, a PhD alumna of the Azad lab, received the Governor General's Gold Medal. This award is given annually by the Governor General of Canada to recognize the overall excellence and outstanding achievements of one University of Manitoba Master’s student and one University of Manitoba PhD student. Dr. Moossavi's PhD project focused on milk microbiota in the CHILD Cohort Study. Shirin is now a CIHR Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology and Biomedical Engineering at the University of Calgary. 

Azad Lab Post-Doctoral Fellow, Dr. Merilee Brockway talked to Today’s Parent about the Baby Friendly Initiative (BFI) and how this may intersect with maternal experiences in the post-partum period. While she emphasized the importance of exclusive breastfeeding, she acknowledged that there are situations when formula may be necessary. We know that formula, even one bottle, can impact the infant gut microbiome. However, we also know that maternal mental health is equally important to consider when looking at infant outcomes. It is important to move from the “breast-is-best” or “fed-is-best” mantra to "informed is best" so that mothers are supported to make feeding decisions with a full understanding of the risks and benefits of both.