  In February 2019 experts convened in Winnipeg, Manitoba to identify challenges and breakthroughs in breastfeeding and human milk research (co-led by Drs Azad and Nickel). The proceedings from this workshop were published in the Maternal and Child Nutrition article, “Breastfeeding and The Origins of Health: Interdisciplinary Perspectives and Priorities,” co-authored by Dr. Azad and Azad Lab Post-Doc Fellow, Dr. Brockway. The workshop focused on two main areas of concern: the need for more interdisciplinary research in this field and the need to address counterproductive tensions between breastfeeding research and advocacy efforts. Read more about this exciting work in Dr. Azad’s Tweetorial here!
 Dr. Meghan Azad received the Canadian Society for Clinical Investigation Joe Doupe Young Investigators Award and recently gave her award lecture titled “My Journey (so far) & Strategies for Success in Clinical Research”. Meghan spoke of her journey, how she reached where she is today, and emphasized an important lesson - where she’s ended up is not where she started; where she is today is not where she will finish! The virtual setting allowed her entire lab, Grade 7 science teacher, PhD & Postdoc supervisors, mentors & colleagues past & present, and parents to all be in the audience, making it a very special day. Congratulations, Meghan!
 Our Program Director Natalie Rodriguez was named as a finalist for this year's CBC Manitoba Future 40 Awards. When asked about advice for tackling big projects, she says "Dare to dream. Dare to shoot for the moon and then go beyond that. Never let someone tell you you aren't good enough, you can't, or you won't." Congratulations Natalie on being recognized for your hard work that is making a difference in the lives of Manitobans!
 The COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically impacted Canadian families. Dr. Meghan Azad hopes to understand this impact with a new research project, profiled by the Children's Hospital Research Institute of Manitoba (CHRIM). This $1.7M project involves families already enrolled in the CHILD Cohort Study to better understand the social and physical impacts of the pandemic on children and their parents.
 In 2018 Dr. Meghan Azad, Dr. Lars Bode and colleagues published the seminal paper, "Human Milk Oligosaccharide Concentrations Are Associated with Multiple Fixed and Modifiable Maternal Characteristics, Environmental Factors, and Feeding Practices," describing how human milk oligosaccharide concentrations are impacted by multiple fixed and modifiable maternal characteristics, environmental factors and feeding practices. This foundational paper is now named among the Most Cited articles from 2018 in The Journal of Nutrition, with 45 citations and counting! Congratulations, Meghan and collaborators!
  The Grand Challenges Meeting aims to solve global health and development problems for those most in need. Two Azad lab projects, the IMiC and iPOP studies, were presented this year. Both projects study perinatal health outcomes in low, middle and high income countries, with the aim of improving child outcomes for all.
 Dr. Sarah Reyes, post-doctoral fellow in the Azad Lab, was interviewed for a recent article in Future Human on new biotechnology that would grow breastmilk in a lab. This technology is hoping to harness the power of breastmilk in a reproducible way, however, Dr. Reyes reminds us that we are ‘miles away from understanding the science of breastmilk’, making it difficult to replicate at this point. She states that our first priority should be making better social and professional support for breastfeeding so more women can produce their own milk for their babies.
 MSc student, Rilwan Azeez, created an animated short film to capture his passion for human milk science. This video was created to promote National 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. 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.
  National Breastfeeding Week (NBW) is celebrated in Canada from October 1-7, 2020 as a way to support and promote breastfeeding. Azad Lab members celebrated NBW by sharing what breastfeeding and human milk research means to them in short videos. Video participants listed in order of appearance.
|
Azad Lab NewsArchives
November 2020
|
RSS Feed
