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HALL OF FAME Founded by ISRHML and the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation. Sponsored by the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation. Trainee Expansion Program
Trainee Expansion Program OVE RVIEW OF AWARDE E S We are pleased to present the TEP Bridge Fund and TEP Travel Fund awardees. Each talented individual received a scholarship of up to USD 100,000 or up to USD 10,000 to help advance their career. AWARDEES 2016 – Overview …………………………..………………..…………..…………...….. Page 6 ALECIA-JANE TWIGGER, TBF Awardee 2016 …………………………………….….……………….. Page 7 Mini mammary gland culture KIMBERLY LACKEY, TTF Awardee 2016 ……………………….……….....….………….…………… Page 8 M. leprae in human milk KLARA STRYDOM, TTF Awardee 2016 ………………………………………….….………….…….... Page 9 HMO in human milk of HIV+ mothers MELANIE WANGE LARSSON, TTF Awardee 2016 …………………………….……………..…….... Page 10 Appetite hormones in human milk AWARDEES SPRING 2017 – Overview …………………………………….………….………...... Page 11 ADRIANA GAITÁN, TTF Awardee 2017 ……………………………..…………….…..…………….... Page 12 Endocannabinoid metabolome of breastmilk CLARISA MEDINA POELINIZ, TTF Awardee 2017 ………………….….…………………..………... Page 13 Tight junction closure in overweight and obese women KOZETA MILIKU, TTF Awardee 2017 ……………………………………..……………….……..…... Page 14 HMO analysis in the CHILD cohort LARISSE MELO, TTF Awardee 2017 ……………………………………..…………..………....……. Page 15 B-vitamins in human milk SARAH BOOTHMAN, TTF Awardee 2017 …………………………………………..…..……..…….. Page 16 Global breastfeeding promotion and protection policy SARAH REYES, TTF Awardee 2017 ……………………………………..…………..……………….. Page 17 Bacterial communities of human milk pumped and stored at home AWARDEES SUMMER 2017 – Overview ……………………….……….………….….….…..….. Page 18 JAMES BUTCHER, TBF Awardee 2017 …………………………………………..…..….…............. Page 19 Characterizing the breastmilk microbiome with culture-enriched molecular profiling KASSANDRA HARDING, TBF Awardee 2017 …………………………………………....………….. Page 20 Evaluation of the first breastfeeding social media marketing campaign in Ghana KYLY WHITFIELD, TTF Awardee 2017 ……………………………………..…………..……..…….... Page 21 Responsive feeding Founded by ISRHML and the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation. Sponsored by the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation. 2 Trainee Expansion Program
Trainee Expansion Program OVE RVIEW OF AWARDE E S AWARDEES SPRING 2018 – Overview ……………………..…………………….………..……... Page 22 ALBA BOIX AMORÓS, TTF Awardee 2018 …………………………..……….…….………………... Page 23 Breastmilk biomarkers for mastitis ANITA ESQUERRA-ZWIERS, TTF Awardee 2018 ……..………………..………….………………... Page 24 Human milk biomarkers for perceived insufficient milk supply CAMILLE DUGAS, TTF Awardee 2018 …………………….………..……………..…………………. Page 25 GDM, breastfeeding and the risk for obesity and T2DM in children KRISTEN MEYER, TTF Awardee 2018 …………………………………………..……………………. Page 26 Maternal IgA and the infant microbiome RUKSHAN MEHTA, TTF Awardee 2018 …………………………………….………..……………….. Page 27 Mycotoxin contamination of human breastmilk AWARDEES SUMMER 2018 – Overview ………………………….……….….……….……...….. Page 28 EVA NANINCK, TBF AWARDEE 2018 ……………………………………..…….…….………..…….. Page 29 Mum don’t stop bugging me – does stress affect breastmilk composition and the neonatal gut microbiome? STEPHANIE L. MARTIN, TBF Awardee 2018 ……………………………………….………….……. Page 30 Acceptability and feasibility of interventions to improve exclusive breastfeeding among informal working mothers in urban Tanzania GRACE CARROLL, TTF Awardee 2018 ……………………………………..…………..………..….. Page 31 Costing a maternity leave cashtransfer to support breastfeeding among women employed in the informal economy YIMIN CHEN, TTF Awardee 2018 …………………………………………………..…………..…..… Page 32 Bioactive peptides in digested human milk AWARDEES SPRING 2019 – Overview …………………….…………...………..…………...….. Page 33 ALEXANDRA GEORGE, TTF Awardee 2019 …………………………………..……..….…….……... Page 34 Human Milk Lipidomics and Infant Outcomes ANURADHA RAVI, TTF Awardee 2019 ………………………………..…………….………………... Page 35 Impact of HMOs and milk microbiota on the infant gut microbiome Founded by ISRHML and the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation. Sponsored by the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation. 3 Trainee Expansion Program
Trainee Expansion Program OVE RVIEW OF AWARDE E S AWARDEES SUMMER 2019 – Overview ………………..………...….………………….…...….. Page 36 YARDEN GOLAN MAOR, TBF Awardee 2019 …… ……………………..………………..………… Page 37 Genomic characterization of regulatory elements that effect human breastmilk production KOZETA MILIKU, TTF Awardee 2019 ……………………………..…………………………………... Page 38 Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of human milk fatty acids ASHLEY NELSON, TTF Awardee 2019 ……………………………..………………………………... Page 39 Effect of human milk on the intestinal epithelium and its associated immune compartment TONNY JIMMY OWALLA, TTF Awardee 2019 ………………………………..……………………… Page 40 Secretion of malaria vaccine antigens in breastmilk during asymptomatic/active malaria infection AWARDEES 2020 – Overview ………………………………………...……….………………...….. Page 41 ALEXANDRA GEORGE, TBF Awardee 2020 ……………………………….……….………………... Page 42 Reducing the risk of obesity and diabetes through human milk YANG LYU, TTF Awardee 2020 ……………………………..…………………………………….…... Page 43 Identifying the effect of digested human milk on human enteroid model SARAH TURNER, TTF Awardee 2020 ……………………………………..…..……………………… Page 44 Breastfeeding Experiences During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A comparative qualitative study of UK and Canadian mothers AWARDEES 2021 – Overview ………………………………………...……….………………...….. Page 45 JORDYN TINKA WALLENBORN, TBF Awardee 2021 …………………….……….………………... Page 46 Human milk impact on child gut microbiota and growth KELSEY COCHRANE, TTF Awardee 2021 ……………………………..………………….…….…... Page 47 Developmental origins of disease and maternal/infant diet optimization ALEXANDRA GOGEL, TTF Awardee 2021 ……………………………………..…..………………… Page 48 Proteomic analysis and variations in the milk proteome over time NINA JUNTEREAL, TTF Awardee 2021 ……………………………..……………..…………….…... Page 49 Lactation-related outcomes among critically ill infants NATALIE SCIME, TTF Awardee 2021 ……………………………………..…..……………….……… Page 50 Human milk composition and mothers’ health JOHANNE SPRECKELS, TTF Awardee 2021 ……………………………………..…..……………… Page 51 Function of breastmilk components in infant gut organoid models Founded by ISRHML and the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation. Sponsored by the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation. 4 Trainee Expansion Program
Trainee Expansion Program OVE RVIEW OF AWARDE E S AWARDEES 2022 – Overview ………………..………...….………………….…...….. Page 52 ADWOA GYAMFI, TBF Awardee 2022 …… ……………………..………………..……………………Page 53 Designing and testing a community-based lactation counseling model in Ghana: a trial of improved practices MICHAEL PITINO, TBF Awardee 2022 ……………………………..………………………………..... Page 54 Proteomic and peptidomic profiling of donor human milk after high-pressure pressure processing and dynamic in vitro digestion simulating the preterm infant OMOBOLAJI ADEWUYI, TTF Awardee 2022 ………………………..………………………………... Page 55 Multiple micronutrient supplementation and its effect on human milk selenium and zinc levels in the highlands of Nigeria MARION BENDIXEN, TTF Awardee 2022 …………….………………………..……………………… Page 56 The influence of maternal health and human milk biomarkers of secretory activation in pump-dependent mothers of critically ill infants SARA SHAMA, TTF Awardee 2022………………………………………………………………………Page 57 Understanding the impact of human milk oligosaccharides on the microbial colonization of very low birth weight infants. Founded by ISRHML and the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation. Sponsored by the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation. 5 Trainee Expansion Program
Trainee Expansion Program AWARDE E S 2016 We are pleased to present the awardees of the TEP Bridge Funds and the TEP Travel Funds, who each received up to USD 100,000 or up to USD 10,000 respectively to advance in their academic career. TEP Trainee Bridge Fund Awardee TEP Trainee Travel Fund Awardees Alecia-Jane Twigger Kimberly Lackey Mini mammary gland culture M. leprae in human milk TBF Awardee 2016 TTF Awardee 2016 Klara Strydom Melanie Wange Larsson HMO in human milk of HIV+ mothers Appetite hormones in human milk TTF Awardee 2016 TTF Awardee 2016 Founded by ISRHML and the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation. Sponsored by the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation. 6 Trainee Expansion Program 2016
TBF Awardee 2016 AL ECIA- JANE T WIGGE R be can compared Extracting cells from milk provides direct access to live viable cells from the lactating mammary gland that established characteristics and regenerative capabilities of mammary cells of non-pregnant, non-lactating women. Sorting and comparing gene expression and protein signatures of mammary cells obtained from breast mammoplasties and milk cells will elucidate differences in mammary cell function during the resting and highly plastic periods of normal development. This project brings together expertise in human milk cells and state-of the art organoid culturing techniques to develop an in vitro model that will revolutionize our understanding of the molecular characteristics of mammary cell development and function. to of human lactation Alecia-Jane Twigger is a biomedical scientist working in the field of human lactation for the past four and a half years as a part of the Human Lactation Research Group at the University of Western Australia. After completing her Bachelor of Science with Honours, she pursued a PhD examining the characteristics of the lactating mammary gland using cells isolated from human milk. Recently, Alecia-Jane has submitted her PhD thesis and plans on moving abroad to enrich her experience in mammary gland biology and develop new techniques to examine the lactating breast. Founded by ISRHML and the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation. Sponsored by the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation. 7 Trainee Expansion Program 2016
TTF Awardee 2016 KIM BE RLY L ACKE Y transmission for In 2014, 80,544 women were newly diagnosed with leprosy, a bacterial infection caused by Mycobacterium leprae. To date, the mechanism(s) of leprosy is (are) still not understood, but we hypothesize that one potential mechanism could be during infancy via breastmilk. To test this hypothesis, I will travel to Nepal, a leprosy-endemic country, to collect milk samples (n = 5) from lactating women with leprosy as well as healthy controls. In Nepal, I will also analyze these samples using an rtPCR assay that I developed for M. leprae in breastmilk. This project will serve as proof-of-concept the leprosy bacterium is or is not present in human milk. We will then use this information as a starting point for more targeted investigations into breastfeeding’s potential role in leprosy transmission, or will provide concrete evidence that breastmilk is safe and still best for babies born to leprosy-affected mothers. that human milk and preserve Kimberly Lackey is a PhD candidate in Biology at Washington State University under Dr. Shelley McGuire. Originally from Portland, OR, she also completed her BA and BS at Washington State. research focuses on methods to Her doctoral collect samples collected in rural field conditions, as well as the subsequent analysis of these samples for both the overall microbial community structure and for Mycobacterium leprae, the causative agent of leprosy. Her work and PhD will culminate in a proof-of-concept project to determine if M. leprae is present in the milk of women with leprosy. Kimberly is especially interested in women’s health and infectious disease, and would like to pursue a career in public health after completion of her PhD. Founded by ISRHML and the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation. Sponsored by the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation. 8 Trainee Expansion Program 2016
TTF Awardee 2016 KL ARA STRY DOM rates than on have an and they that can have an effect HIV-exposed uninfected infants seem to have poorer growth and greater early mortality and morbidity their HIV-unexposed counterparts. Human breastmilk composition is very diverse and distinct and there is an array of factors the concentration of human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs). Once ingested HMOs prevent infections, stimulate beneficial bacterial growth promoting the gut microbiome anti- inflammatory effect. It has been hypothesized that the differences in breastmilk HMO composition are related and body composition. HMOs have the ability to regulate the gut improve gastrointestinal activities and influence the inflammatory processes, thus being directly proportional to the growth and body composition of there is a distinctive gap in literature whether HMO variety and uniformity are associated with the infant gut microbiome variety and uniformity and whether they are directly proportional to early infant growth and body composition, especially in the context of HIV. the infant. However, infant’s growth to the flora, Klara Strydom is a dynamic dietitian with a high standing academic record. Klara obtained her BSc Dietetics Degree in 2014 whereafter she was involved as a research assistant in a large cohort study. She is currently studying towards a Master’s degree in Nutrition at the University of Stellenbosch, South Africa. The title of her thesis is "Body composition, Growth and nutritional intake of HIV exposed preterm, very- and extremely-low birth weight infants in Tygerberg hospital, Western Cape." Her research assesses the effect of HIV- exposure on human milk oligosaccharides in mothers as well as body composition and gut microbiome in preterm infants living in a resource poor setting. Klara is looking forward to working alongside experts in her field of study at the Bode Laboratory during November 2016. Klara enjoys yoga, hiking and traveling and currently resides in the beautiful city of Cape Town, South Africa. Founded by ISRHML and the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation. Sponsored by the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation. 9 Trainee Expansion Program 2016
TTF Awardee 2016 M E L ANIE WANGE L ARSSON Early high weight gain is a risk factor for later obesity. For the SKOT III study factors such as milk volume, appetite hormones and growth factors in milk and plasma, feeding pattern, eating behavior, and body composition are measured. The Travel Trainee Award allows Melanie Wange Larsson to visit the Hartmann Human Lactation Research Group (HHLRG) at University of Western Australia and gives her a unique opportunity to gain more experience in the field of research in human milk and lactation. Several of HHLRG´s research areas are very relevant the PhD project of Melanie. A key area of her PhD study is appetite hormones in human milk, a research area which HHLRG have great experience and expert knowledge in. During the stay at the HHLRG Melanie analyzes human milk from her study in Denmark. In addition, Melanie will also have the opportunity to observe the ongoing research at the HHLRG and learn about 24-hour milk profiles. for Melanie Wange Larsson holds a Master degree in Human Nutrition from Copenhagen University and is an associate professor at the Institute of Nutrition and Midwifery, Metropolitan University College, Copenhagen, teaching nutrition and physiology including infant and child nutrition, growth and physiology of breastfeeding. Since 2014 Melanie has also been working on her Ph.D. at Copenhagen University. The overall objective of Melanie’s PhD study is to examine exclusively breastfed infants with very high weight gain in the first months of life to have a better understanding of causes for the weight gain and consequences for these infants. The team has established a cohort (SKOT III) of exclusive breastfed infants with excessive weight gain (weight-for-age z-score ≥2.00 SD) during the first months of life. Factors as appetite hormones in milk and infant blood, milk volume, feeding pattern, baby eating behavior and body composition will be investigated. Founded by ISRHML and the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation. Sponsored by the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation. 10 Trainee Expansion Program 2016
Trainee Expansion Program AWARDE E S SPRING 2017 We are pleased to present the awardees of the TEP Travel Funds, who each received up to USD 10,000 to advance their academic career. TEP Trainee Travel Fund Awardees Adriana Gaitán Clarisa Medina Poeliniz Endocannabinoid metabolome of breastmilk Tight junction closure in overweight and obese women TFF Awardee 2017 TTF Awardee 2017 Kozeta Miliku Larisse Melo HMO analysis in the CHILD cohort B-vitamins in human milk TTF Awardee 2017 TTF Awardee 2017 Sarah Boothman Sarah Reyes Global breastfeeding promotion and protection policy Bacterial communities of human milk pumped and stored at home TTF Awardee 2017 TTF Awardee 2017 Founded by ISRHML and the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation. Sponsored by the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation. 11 Trainee Expansion Program 2017
TTF Awardee 2017 ADRIANA GAITÁN bonding supports maternal-infant type 1 in the infant’s brain, Endocannabinoids, endogenous lipid mediators, play a role in establishing the suckling response of the newborn by activating the cannabinoid receptor in turn activating the oral-motor musculature needed for milk suckling. The established suckling response in turn and maintains infant feeding behavior. The mechanism of actions and the role of the endocannabinoid metabolome in breastmilk (BM) are not fully understood. Pregnancy complications such as gestational diabetes mellitus can modify the endocannabinoid metabolome of BM; however, the resulting effect on infants’ development remains to be defined. BM samples were collected from an underserved population in the highlands of Guatemala and will be analyzed for fatty acids, their derived endocannabinoids, and related signaling lipids using state of the art methodology, liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. This analysis will for developing hypotheses for future studies that will help to elucidate how this biological system modulates infant health and development. Moving forward, I plan to collect BM samples in Baton Rouge, to evaluate the fatty acids and Louisiana, USA, stage set the endocannabinoid metabolome in a population that has one of the highest rates of overnutrition among pregnant and breastfeeding women in the United States. In this regard, we will be able to evaluate how maternal nutritional status can affect the fatty acids and endocannabinoid metabolome of BM. Adriana Gaitán is originally from Guatemala in Central America. She has a bachelor degree in food science from the Zamorano Pan-American Agricultural School, a master in human nutrition, and is working on her PhD in human nutrition at Louisiana State University, USA, under the direction of Dr. Carol Lammi-Keefe. Her research has been focused on maternal and infant health, specifically evaluating the benefits of omega-3 fatty acids during pregnancy and infant outcomes. Adriana endocannabinoid metabolome in different populations to gain a better understanding of its role in the quality of breast-milk the developing infant. After completing her PhD, she plans to work in a research group (industry or academic) as part of a multidisciplinary group of scientists that generate research in this field. study the will for Founded by ISRHML and the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation. Sponsored by the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation. 12 Trainee Expansion Program 2017
TTF Awardee 2017 CL ARISA M E DINA POE L INIZ Overweight (BMI≥25) and obese (BMI≥30) mothers are more likely to experience delayed onset of lactation and suboptimal breastfeeding rates than are non-overweight and obese mothers. These clinical findings suggest that the normal process of tight junction (TJ) closure in the mammary gland is impaired. Although patterns of TJ closure have been described for healthy populations, no previous research has examined this patterning for overweight and obese mothers. This research will enroll 20 overweight and obese breast pump dependent mothers of infants hospitalized in the neonatal (NICU) and collect serial 12-hourly human milk (HM) specimens from these women during the first 14 days post-birth. All pumped HM volume will be weighed (nearest 0.1 gram) and mothers will record the timing of their “milk coming in”. HM specimens will be analyzed by Clarisa under the supervision of basic science colleagues at the University of Western Australia. Statistical focus on patterning of 5 HM biological markers (lactose, protein, sodium, potassium, citrate) and intensive care unit analyses will determining their relationship to standard clinical measures of secretory activation and coming to volume that occur in the early postpartum period. interventions for Clarisa Medina Poeliniz is pediatric nurse practitioner who has been working in maternal- child health for the past 17 years. The overall goal of her research is to understand the biologic mechanisms of maternal overweight and obesity on lactation outcomes and to design diagnostics and/or this population. She is currently pursuing her PhD in nursing science at Rush University under the direction of Drs. Paula Meier and Aloka Patel. Her research focus is patterning of TJ closure using HM biologic markers for breast-pump dependent mothers of NICU infants with a pre-pregnancy BMI≥25. She will examine the relationship between these patterns and measured HM volume and sensations of “milk coming in”. Clarisa is excited to travel to the University of Western Australia and work alongside Dr. Donna Geddes and her team. Founded by ISRHML and the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation. Sponsored by the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation. 13 Trainee Expansion Program 2017
TTF Awardee 2017 KOZE TA M IL IKU Kozeta Miliku is a medical doctor from Albania, currently finishing her PhD at the Generation R Study in the Netherlands. Her doctoral research is focused on identifying early life determinants that affect growth, and development in children, mainly kidney development. Her is exploring human milk components, specifically human milk oligosaccharides’ role on obesity and high blood pressure in children. Kozeta is defending her doctorate thesis later this spring and plans on moving abroad to enrich her experience in the field of human milk and lactation and developmental origins of health and disease. interest and cardiovascular Overweight, obesity and cardiovascular disease are major public health problems in both Western and non-Western countries. Breastfeeding can reduce the risk of childhood obesity and high blood pressure, although the evidence is not consistent. A key bioactive component of human milk are human milk oligosaccharides (HMO), however their role in the development of childhood obesity still unexplored. It is suggested that certain HMO are associated with infant body composition, but their effect on childhood obesity and blood pressure has not been studied and the maternal factors that influence HMO production are mostly unknown. The objective of this study is to characterize the integrated roles of maternal factors and HMO in the developmental origins of childhood obesity and cardiovascular health, uniting the unique Canadian Healthy Infant Longitudinal Development (CHILD) cohort with new high-throughput methods for HMO analysis. health is Founded by ISRHML and the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation. Sponsored by the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation. 14 Trainee Expansion Program 2017
TTF Awardee 2017 L ARISSE M E LO human milk, Little is known about information gaps regarding the There are several nutrient in especially content It should be treated as a concerning vitamins. research priority since human milk represents the main connection between the mother and child nutritional status. the acceptable concentrations of vitamins in breast- milk, and much less is known about how to improve it. The USDA Western Human Nutrition Research Center (WHNRC) has worked towards developing and applying methods for the efficient and accurate analysis of nutrients in human milk, reference values for aiming to establish global human milk background experience is in analyzing fat-soluble vitamins in breastmilk, and with this project I aim to expand my knowledge on the methodological approaches involved in the analysis of B-vitamins in human milk. composition. My Larisse Melo graduated from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte (Natal, Brazil) with a BSc degree in Human Nutrition. Still in her first undergraduate year, Larisse joined a research group as an Undergraduate Research Assistant, wherein she worked for four years with projects assessing vitamins A and E in breastmilk of low- income mothers in Brazil, as well as their dietary intake and the effect of supplementation on milk vitamin concentrations. recently started her MSc in Nutrition at the University of British Columbia (Vancouver, Canada), and her main goal in academic research for contributing to the development of public policies and recommendations associated with the health of pregnant and lactating women. is building a career Larisse has Founded by ISRHML and the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation. Sponsored by the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation. 15 Trainee Expansion Program 2017
TTF Awardee 2017 SARAH BOOTHM AN interface between laboratory Navigating the science and public policy provides a bridge in making changes that will truly benefit maternal, child and infant health. Using scientific results and translating them to inform development of public policy is one thing in which I hope to gain experience during an internship at the World Health Organization. To advance understanding of how our ever-evolving, evidence-based knowledge related to human milk composition and lactation are applied to breastfeeding on a global scale, this project is designed to develop a more thorough understanding of the legal and policy aspects involved in world-wide promotion of breastfeeding and application of research in human milk and lactation. This internship will help equip me to more seamlessly cross disciplinary boundaries. I hope to gain hands-on experience working with programs relating to international breastfeeding promotion and protection, with a focus on national and international policy. Sarah Boothman is a PhD graduate student in the School of Biological Sciences at Washington State University. Sarah is looking forward to participating in a project to combine her interests in human nutrition, law and public health within the context of her current studies in biology, focusing on human milk. that will allow her Sarah completed her undergraduate degree in human nutrition at Washington State University and received her Juris Doctor from the University of Idaho College of Law. Prior to her graduate studies, Sarah spent several years as a health in a rural, educator at a community hospital underserved she the opportunity to get to know many wonderful people and was motivated to continue on to law school and later graduate school to be better equipped with skills and experience to advocate for whatever community she finds herself in. region, where had Founded by ISRHML and the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation. Sponsored by the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation. 16 Trainee Expansion Program 2017
TTF Awardee 2017 SARAH RE Y E S the infant’s gastrointestinal illness, is poorly studied. Given that Many women rely on pumping and feeding their milk from a bottle to meet their breastfeeding goals. How storage and handling of human milk (HM) in at-home conditions influence its microbial ecology, which is likely important for colonization tract and risk of of infant the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends HM-feeding without the distinction of how HM is fed (breast or bottle), it is important to fill these gaps in knowledge. We will characterize the bacterial community of HM pumped and stored at home. To do this, we will conduct a randomized trial in Ithaca, NY, in which women will pump their HM on two consecutive pumping sessions using either their own pump or a hospital-grade pump. Randomization will be used to determine which pump each woman uses first. HM from both pumps will be stored at home and sampled on days 0, 2, and 30 after expression. Samples will be shipped to the University of Idaho where next- generation sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene will be conducted. The results of this research will provide information about the effect of pump type and storage under “real-life” conditions on the bacterial communities of HM, which can be used to inform evidence-based recommendations for handling and storing HM. of Nutritional Sciences Sarah Reyes, MS, is a doctoral candidate in the Division at Cornell University. Ms. Reyes’ dissertation, guided by Kathleen Rasmussen, ScD, focuses on the microbial exposures infants receive when they are fed their mothers’ milk from a bottle instead of being fed at the breast as well as the relevance of this exposure to the bacterial communities in the tract and infant health infant gastrointestinal outcomes. Sarah’s doctoral research combines training in biological science, epidemiology, and public health nutrition. Sarah’s work is supported by an NIH-sponsored training grant in nutrition, which focuses on training in translational research. Sarah’s long-term career goal is to gain an academic/research position in which she can use her training to advance the science and public health goals of maternal and child nutrition, particularly in the field of human milk and lactation. Founded by ISRHML and the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation. Sponsored by the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation. 17 Trainee Expansion Program 2017
Trainee Expansion Program AWARDE E S SUM M E R 2017 We are pleased to present the awardees of the TEP Bridge Funds and the TEP Travel Funds, who each received up to USD 100,000 or up to USD 10,000 respectively to advance their academic career. TEP Trainee Bridge Fund Awardees TEP Trainee Travel Fund Awardee James Butcher Kyly Whitfield Characterizing the breastmilk microbiome with culture- enriched molecular profiling Responsive feeding TBF Awardee 2017 TTF Awardee 2017 Kassandra Harding Evaluation of the first breastfeeding social media marketing campaign in Ghana TBF Awardee 2017 Founded by ISRHML and the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation. Sponsored by the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation. 18 Trainee Expansion Program 2017
TBF Awardee 2017 JAM E S BUTCHE R by these contain to be sterile, breastmilk is now Once thought accepted complex microbial to communities and must supply all of the nutrients required commensal microbes. Microorganisms in the mother’s milk are important to colonize the gut of a new-born infant to help establish a healthy gut flora - all bacteria present in the gut and essential for human digestion and uptake of nutrients. How the breastmilk microbiota responds and thrives under various adapts, conditions is currently unknown and merits investigation. Unfortunately, routine microbiota profiling techniques are ill suited to this task, as they are confounded by breastmilk’s inherently low microbial biomass. This project will develop protocols for overcoming these limitations and allow researchers to assess how alterations in the environment breastmilk composition impact microbiota composition and microbial functions. ultimately and in jejuni. is Association Campylobacter Research/Canadian Dr. James Butcher received both his BSc and PhD in Biochemistry from the University of Ottawa, Canada, where he studied iron regulation in the pathogen James subsequently completed a Canadian Institutes for for Health Gastroenterology postdoctoral in fellowship Inflammatory Bowel Disease at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario and studied the role of increasingly prevalent the microbiota in this disease. He characterizing gut microbiota development in very low birth weight infants and studying how different feeding regimes influence gut microbiota composition in this vulnerable population. James will use the funds from the Trainee Bridge Fund to develop protocols for breastmilk microbiotas and study how breastmilk microbiotas respond to alterations in iron bioavailability. phenotypically characterizing currently Founded by ISRHML and the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation. Sponsored by the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation. 19 Trainee Expansion Program 2017
TBF Awardee 2017 KASSANDRA HARDING There is a gap in published research regarding dissemination of breastfeeding related information approaches through social media platforms. This approach has the potential to be more cost- effective than traditional campaigns especially when combined with strategies to acquire high exposure and engagement. The utilization of social network analysis could be one approach to optimizing the dissemination of such campaigns given the interrelation between mass media campaigns, social support and breastfeeding practices. This study will implement, monitor and evaluate a breastfeeding social media marketing campaign through Facebook and Twitter and test different paths to disseminate campaign messages incorporating social network targeting methods. Dr. Kassandra Harding is a Postdoctoral Associate at the Yale School of Public Health and a member of the Becoming Breastfeeding Friendly research team. Her research focuses on maternal and child nutrition and health in low-resource settings. Specifically, her interests include: 1) harnessing an understanding of health behavior and beliefs and employing innovative social media marketing methods to develop and improve breastfeeding interventions and promotion of local capacity building; 2) supporting breastfeeding through a focus on women’s social networks, empowerment and mental health in low-income settings. Founded by ISRHML and the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation. Sponsored by the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation. 20 Trainee Expansion Program 2017
TTF Awardee 2017 KY LY WHITFIE L D cues. appropriate encouraging Alternatively, Health outcomes are influenced not only by what, but how infants are fed; feeding modality may play a key role in shaping children’s eating behaviors and caregivers’ feeding practices as children develop. Responsive feeding allows infants to initiate and terminate feedings without caregiver interference, energy consumption and development of effective abilities to self-regulate intake in response to hunger and satiation non-responsive feeding patterns, such as encouraging an infant to finish a bottle or feeding while distracted by technology, may lead to overfeeding and decrease the quality of the feeding interaction. To date, there has been no exploration of responsive infant feeding in Nova Scotia, the province with among the lowest breastfeeding rates in Canada. Kyly and Alison will videorecord feeding sessions with 20 mother-infant dyads in Halifax, Canada (10 breast- feeding and 10 feeding human milk from a bottle), for objective responsive feeding analysis in Alison’s lab. Kyly hopes that this highly specific training in assessment of responsive feeding and feeding interactions can help to inform the development of infant feeding guidelines for Nova Scotia. about and breastfeeding the majority of her thousand days’ window, Dr. Kyly Whitfield is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Applied Human Nutrition at Mount Saint Vincent University in Halifax, Canada. Kyly is passionate global nutrition: research aims to identify and combat micronutrient deficiencies during ‘the first from conception through 2 years. Kyly completed her PhD in Human Nutrition at the University of British Columbia under the supervision of Dr. Tim Green, where she studied the efficacy of thiamine-fortified fish sauce to address maternal thiamine deficiency and infantile beriberi in rural Cambodia. Kyly is keen to continue exploring public health-relevant breastfeeding research, in Canada, focusing on responsive feeding among human milk-fed infants in Halifax. Kyly will be mentored by Dr. Alison Ventura (California Polytechnic State University), a leading expert in the study of mother-infant interactions during feeding and responsive feeding. this time ‘at home’ Founded by ISRHML and the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation. Sponsored by the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation. 21 Trainee Expansion Program 2017
Trainee Expansion Program AWARDE E S SPRING 2018 We are pleased to present the awardees of the TEP Travel Funds, who each received up to USD 10,000 to advance their academic career. TEP Trainee Travel Fund Awardees Alba Boix Amorós Anita Esquerra-Zwiers Breastmilk biomarkers for mastitis Human milk biomarkers for perceived insufficient milk supply TTF Awardee 2018 TTF Awardee 2018 Camille Dugas Kristen Meyer GDM, breastfeeding and the risk for obesity and T2DM in children Maternal IgA and the infant microbiome TTF Awardee 2018 TTF Awardee 2018 Rukshan Mehta Shirin Moossavi Mycotoxin contamination of human breastmilk Breastmilk bacteria strain diversity TTF Awardee 2018 TTF Awardee 2018 Founded by ISRHML and the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation. Sponsored by the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation. 22 Trainee Expansion Program 2018
TTF Awardee 2018 AL BA BOIX AM ORÓS that may drive Breastmilk (BM) hosts commensal bacteria under normal conditions. However, an imbalance in the bacterial ecosystem can lead to an overgrowth of opportunistic pathogens to mammary infections, such as mastitis, which is one of the main causes of early weaning. Staphylococcus aureus infections are responsible of acute mastitis, causing inflammation and systemic flu-like symptoms. Other commensal bacteria normally present in BM can overgrowth and lead to sub-acute mastitis, which is a less acute state of the disease, but fastidious and with difficult diagnose. Little is known about changes in milk components, such as proteins and antibodies, associated to lactational mastitis. In addition, hormonal content during the disease has not been assessed before. Potential differences in BM composition between the healthy status and mastitis could be used as biomarkers of the disease, and novel bacterial next-generation sequencing approaches could help to better understand its etiology. from the Alba Boix Amorós Polytechnic University of Valencia (Valencia, Spain) with a BSc degree in biotechnology, after which she completed a MSc in biomedical research. During her master thesis, she developed a flow cytometry protocol to accurately quantify bacterial loads in different human samples, including breast- milk. Alba is currently finishing her PhD, under the direction of Dr. Maria Collado and Dr. Alex Mira, in Valencia (Spain). Her work focuses on studying the human breastmilk microbiota in healthy conditions and during lactational mastitis. She is excited to work at Dr. Donna Geddes’ lab, where they will compare in samples and mastitis-suffering women, in order to examine potential biomarkers of the disease. several breastmilk from healthy graduated components Founded by ISRHML and the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation. Sponsored by the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation. 23 Trainee Expansion Program 2018
TTF Awardee 2018 ANITA E SQUE RRA-ZWIE RS Maternal perceived milk insufficiency is one of the main reasons cited for discontinuation of lactation. This barrier prevents infants from receiving optimal nutrition in their first year of life. Much research has been done on social, attitudinal, and behavioral determinants of breastfeeding but research is limited on the role of biological determinants. A better understanding of the biological determinants may offer practitioners a means of targeting early breastfeeding mitigate complications a mother's perceived insufficient milk supply. This study will provide Anita with the tools to identify human milk biomarkers and evaluate any associations with perceived insufficient milk supply in term mothers controlling for attitudinal, social, and behavioral factors. Anita will obtain 100 term milk samples and measure perceived insufficient milk supply. These samples will then be sent to the School of Molecular Sciences at the University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia, where Anita will travel associated with interventions to and collaborate with their research team to learn how to conduct human milk analysis, discuss, and disseminate these results. Dr. Anita Esquerra-Zwiers, RN, is an Assistant Professor in Nursing at Hope College, Holland, MI. Anita’s dissertation research focused on mothers of preterm infants and the impact of donor human milk on mother’s own milk feedings. During her time working with mothers of preterm infants she learned that some mothers were unable to provide exclusive human milk feedings regardless of their behavioral and motivational factors to provide for their completion of her dissertation, she has been establishing her research group focusing on social, attitudinal, behavioral, biological determinants of breastfeeding with term mothers. infants. Since physiological, the and Founded by ISRHML and the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation. Sponsored by the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation. 24 Trainee Expansion Program 2018
TTF Awardee 2018 CAM IL L E DUGAS Previous works showed that breastfeeding is associated with a reduced risk of obesity among children exposed to gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) in utero, but a longer breastfeeding duration seems necessary to achieve this protective effect when compared to children unexposed to GDM. This may be due to the breastmilk composition of women with prior GDM that would be altered. However, no study compared microRNAs content of breastmilk of women with and without a history of GDM. MicroRNAs are small RNA particles involved in biological phenomena. They are present in human milk and are transferred to the breastfed infant. As they may be involved in health programing by epigenetic mechanisms, the study of microRNAs content in breastmilk of women with prior GDM could allow us to better understand the association between breastfeeding and children’s later health among a population at high-risk of developing obesity and type 2 diabetes. Camille Dugas received both her B.Sc. and M.Sc. in nutrition from Laval University (Quebec City, Canada). During her master degree, she studied the impact of infant feeding practices on glycemic and anthropometric profiles of children exposed to gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) in utero. To further investigate the association between breastfeeding and subsequent health of children exposed to GDM, an objective of her current Ph.D. thesis is to compare breastmilk composition of women with and without a recent history of GDM. Camille will use funds of the Trainee Travel Fund to do a two months internship in Dr Bertrand Kaeffer’s laboratory, at Nantes University, in France, to learn a technic developed by Dr Kaeffer’s team to evaluate microRNAs content of breastmilk. Founded by ISRHML and the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation. Sponsored by the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation. 25 Trainee Expansion Program 2018
TTF Awardee 2018 KRISTE N M E Y E R impacts significantly the Breastfeeding the infant gut microbiome as development of breastmilk contains many bioactive components that serve to interact with and influence the microbiota in the infant gut. We aim to evaluate the impact of IgA, a highly abundant immunoglobulin in human milk that provides passive immunity to the infant in early life. Using maternal stool, breast- milk, and infant stool samples collected from mother-infant pairs coupled with metagenomics sequencing of bacterial DNA, we aim to 1. identify which bacteria are targeted by maternal IgA in IgA targets each body site, 2. determine if exclusively pathogens, or if beneficial microbes are targeted as well, and 3. determine if identical bacterial strains are targeted in both breastmilk and the infant gut, suggesting vertical transmission of inform our understanding of how maternal IgA influences the infant microbiome and will help us understand if the role of IgA in breastmilk may extend beyond providing passive immunity to the infant. IgA-coated bacteria. This will Kristen Meyer received her BSc in Chemistry from Washington State University and is now in the Medical Scientist Training (MD/PhD) Program at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas. Training in the lab of Dr. Kjersti Aagaard, Kristen’s thesis research focuses on bioactive components of breastmilk and understanding how the milk microbiome, human milk oligosaccharides, and maternal immunoglobulins interact to influence the trajectory of infant microbial development. Kristen will use the funds from the Trainee Travel Fund to study in the lab of Dr. Nicola Segata in Trento, Italy, to learn computational tools for metagenomic analysis, which she will use to perform strain-level mapping of IgA-coated bacteria in breastmilk and stool samples from mother-infant pairs. Founded by ISRHML and the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation. Sponsored by the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation. 26 Trainee Expansion Program 2018
TTF Awardee 2018 RUKSHAN M E HTA in of and safety concerns human Haryana, Food environmental exposures are gaining increasing visibility as issues of importance in global health. Mycotoxins are fungal agents found in 25% of the world’s food supply chains. We are interested in characterizing contamination breastmilk with mycotoxins among India, breastfeeding mothers with children 2-4 months of age. To date, there is no data looking at breastmilk mycotoxins among women in Haryana, the last mile link in the bioamplification pathways for these contaminants along the food chain. As part of a larger NIH funded study aimed at understanding the role of maternal malnutrition on lactation performance, this add-on will help us examine the levels of exposures in breastmilk of mothers using high-throughput chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS). We further hope to understand the role of the contaminants on human health, including inflammatory markers in the mother and subsequent impacts on gut integrity in the breastfeeding infant. Mehta in collaboration with Drs. Young and Kannan will work with CFTRI in India to learn extraction and quantification protocols for breastmilk mycotoxins, as part of this TEP. liquid of exposures environmental Rukshan Mehta is a PhD student in the Doctoral program in Nutrition and Health Sciences at Emory University. Rukshan’s dissertation will focus on the role including mycotoxins and pesticides in breastmilk and their impact on child health. Rukshan is particularly interested in the intersecting roles of environmental health and nutrition with a focus on mothers and children in low and middle-income countries. She has worked on several international development projects science implementation modalities and is very interested in sustainable global health interventions such as breastfeeding. Rukshan completed her undergraduate degree at the University of Toronto and has a Master’s degree in Social Work from the same. She began her PhD after spending 5 years working in international development both in Canada and overseas, trial evaluating of multiple micronutrient powders to reduce anemia in children. last on a randomized control effectiveness employing the Founded by ISRHML and the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation. Sponsored by the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation. 27 Trainee Expansion Program 2018
Trainee Expansion Program AWARDE E S SUM M E R 2018 We are pleased to present the awardees of the TEP Bridge Funds and the TEP Travel Funds, who each received up to USD 100,000 or up to USD 10,000 respectively to advance their academic career. TEP Trainee Bridge Fund Awardees TEP Trainee Travel Fund Awardees Eva Naninck Grace Carroll Mum don’t stop bugging me – does stress affect breastmilk composition and the neonatal gut microbiome? TBF Awardee 2018 Stephanie L. Martin Yimin Chen Acceptability and feasibility of interventions to improve exclusive breastfeeding among informal working mothers in urban Tanzania TBF Awardee 2018 Costing a maternity leave cash-transfer to support breastfeeding among women employed in the informal economy TTF Awardee 2018 Bioactive peptides in digested human milk TTF Awardee 2018 Founded by ISRHML and the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation. Sponsored by the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation. 28 Trainee Expansion Program 2018
TBF Awardee 2018 EVA NANINCK currently we Stress is a very common, unavoidable factor in the lives of many mothers and their infants, known to have a lasting impact on infant development and later health. Human milk conveys biological to infant via numerous messages from mother bioactive compounds, including microbiota, an important emerging factor in neonatal health and programming. However, know remarkably little about how stress affects human milk composition. This project aims to fill this gap. Specifically, the goal of this project is to investigate the microbial content of breastmilk from stressed and control mothers and study how this relates to gut microbiome establishment and emotional development of the Amsterdam-Mother’s-Milk-Study cohort will be used, a collaborative initiative of stress researchers (Dr. Korosi) and experts in neonatal care (Prof. van Goudoever) and nutritional in the Netherlands. The use of this cohort will allow for the integration of microbial analyses of breastmilk and infant fecal samples with ancillary information on maternal stress levels, nutritional, and hormonal human milk composition and measures of child development. The findings of this project hopefully lead to recommendations for nursing mothers in inevitably stressful situations. infants. For scientists their this, for Neuroscience under Eva Naninck, PhD, is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Amsterdam (the Netherlands) where she manages the Amsterdam Mother’s Milk Study. Eva received her B.Sc. in psychobiology and her M.Sc. in Neuroscience (with honors) from the University of Amsterdam. During her PhD at the SILS center the supervision of Dr. Korosi and Prof. Lucassen, she studied how stress impacts brain development, with a focus on the role of early nutrition. Her preclinical nutritional supplementation of the lactating dam can protect her offspring from the negative effects of stress exposure in early life. After obtaining her PhD, Eva started translating her findings ‘from bench to bedside’. She set up the Amsterdam Mother’s Milk Study to investigate how stress modulates human milk composition. Her research is aimed to provide a new, integrated understanding on how various key components of human milk essentially contribute to infant health and development and how this is affected by stress. research showed that Founded by ISRHML and the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation. Sponsored by the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation. 29 Trainee Expansion Program 2018
TBF Awardee 2018 STE PHANIE L . M ARTIN can to to optimal contribute breastfeeding Tanzania, like many countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, is experiencing rapid urban growth. While urbanization health improvements and economic advances, current infant feeding practices and child health outcomes in urban areas of Tanzania fall below those of their is a rural counterparts. Maternal employment barrier practices worldwide, and for women in urban areas working informally (without legal or social protection) exclusive breastfeeding for 6 months is particularly challenging. As the urban population grows, context-specific interventions to support optimal infant feeding practices are needed. This project will use qualitative methods to examine barriers and facilitators to exclusive breastfeeding and assess the acceptability and feasibility of potential interventions to support exclusive breastfeeding among women working informally in Moshi Urban District, Tanzania. Stephanie Martin, PhD, is an assistant professor in the Department of Nutrition at the Gillings School of Global Public Health at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She is also a fellow of the University’s Carolina Population Center and a Certified Lactation Counselor. Stephanie’s research focuses on the design and evaluation of behavioral interventions to improve infant feeding practices and maternal and child nutrition in is resource currently examining experiences supporting infant feeding practices in East Africa. Stephanie completed her PhD in nutrition at Cornell University in 2016. Prior to pursuing her PhD, she worked as a global health practitioner, and implemented policy-, health facility-, and community-level programs to promote exclusive breastfeeding and maternal and child nutrition. limited settings. She members’ family Founded by ISRHML and the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation. Sponsored by the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation. 30 Trainee Expansion Program 2018
TTF Awardee 2018 GRACE CARROL L Investing optimally. Many women living in low- and middle-income countries lack maternity leave benefits as they are more likely to be engaged in unprotected jobs in the informal economy. This absence of social protection is one of the structural and societal interfere with women’s ability to barriers that breastfeed in maternity protection for working women in the informal economy is an important social equity mechanism that can also improve breastfeeding outcomes. Currently, there is a lack of country-level guidance for estimating costs to support governments assess the financial feasibility for scaling up breastfeeding programs, such as maternity leave benefits. With mentorship from Dr. Mireya Vilar- Compte, Grace will costing framework and estimate the costs for a maternity cash-transfer for informally employed women in three low- and middle-income countries. standardize a are research interests Grace Carroll is a Research Associate at the Yale School of Public Health and a member of the Becoming Breastfeeding Friendly research team. Grace’s focused on improving breastfeeding outcomes and preventing chronic diseases among vulnerable populations by effectively translating research into policy. Grace holds a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Union College, a Masters of Arts in Education from Oakland University, and a Masters of Public Health in Social and Behavioral Sciences from the Yale School of Public Health. Grace anticipates this project funded by the TEP Travel Fund will help prepare her for a doctoral program and career in the field of maternal and child nutrition and health. Grace will be mentored by Dr. Mireya Vilar- Compte, a distinguished mentor and professor in health Universidad Iberoamericana in Mexico City. economics the at Founded by ISRHML and the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation. Sponsored by the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation. 31 Trainee Expansion Program 2018
TTF Awardee 2018 Y IM IN CHE N the small Human milk (HM) is the single intervention that has consistently been shown to protect premature infants from developing necrotizing enterocolitis, which is characterized by severe inflammation and tissue necrosis. The most common location of disease occurs at the ileocecal region – the most distal portion of intestine and most proximal portion of the large intestine. HM consumed by the infant is fully digested when it reaches this region of the gastrointestinal tract, thus it to ascertain bioactive peptides released from digestion and determine the peptides most responsible for suppressing inflammation and cytotoxicity. Once these bioactive peptides are identified, it is Yimin’s to determine specific maternal long-term goal characteristics that influence the presence and and these quantity of subsequently translating to maternal interventions that will positively modify the peptide profile in the HM produced. is most clinically relevant peptides, information bioactive this a (tHM) completed her PhD with research Dr. Yimin Chen is a postdoctoral associate at the University of Illinois at Chicago. She 15-year background as a nutrition support dietitian with specialization in the gastroenterology, critical care, and neonatology. Yimin’s dissertation research showed that in vitro digested colostrum/transitional from different mothers human milk suppressed inflammation and cytotoxicity in varying degrees. She will extend this research by profiling the bioactive peptides released in digested colostrum/tHM to determine the peptides responsible for inflammation and cytotoxicity suppression with the support of the Trainee Travel Fund. She will be mentored by Dr. Dallas at Oregon State University, gain mass spectrometry-based peptidomics expertise. and Founded by ISRHML and the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation. Sponsored by the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation. 32 Trainee Expansion Program 2018
Trainee Expansion Program AWARDE E S SPRING 2019 We are pleased to present the awardees of the TEP Travel Funds, who each received up to USD 10,000 to advance their academic career. TEP Trainee Travel Fund Awardees Alexandra George Anuradha Ravi Human Milk Lipidomics and Infant Outcomes Impact of HMOs and milk microbiota on the infant gut microbiome TTF Awardee 2019 TTF Awardee 2019 Founded by ISRHML and the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation. Sponsored by the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation. 33 Trainee Expansion Program 2019
TTF Awardee 2019 AL E XANDRA GEORGE It to such contribute the infant’s daily energy intake. Human milk lipids comprise approximately 5% of all human milk macronutrients and deliver over 50% of is understood that approximately 98% of these lipids are triacylglycerides and that fatty acids are involved in infant neural development. Despite this, we know surprisingly little about the complex human milk lipidome and the specific influence lipids have on infant outcomes. The majority of human milk lipid research focuses on fatty acids, which as triglycerides, sphingomyelins, gangliosides and phospholipids; yet the variation of all lipids, both inter- and intra-individual, is not fully understood – likely from a lack in comprehensive methodology. In her PhD research, Alexandra has recruited a longitudinal cohort of mothers and infants, collecting and substantial complementary data, to interrogate the human milk lipid profile. With support from the ISRHML FLRF TTF, she will work to develop and optimise lipidomics methodologies to analyse the milk lipids which have been least characterized, such as gangliosides, which are proposed to be structures hundreds of milk samples involved in infant brain development, anti- inflammatory and anti-infection processes. The methodologies will be used to investigate the influence these lipids have on infant growth, health and development. Alexandra George is a third year PhD candidate in the School of Molecular Sciences, at The University of Western Australia. Alexandra has a strong interest in metabolomics and what ‘omics technologies such as mass spectrometry can tell us. This interest led Alexandra to her PhD research that she is carrying out in Australia, under the supervision of Dr. Donna Geddes. Alexandra’s PhD research focuses on the complex human milk lipidome: developing and optimizing lipidomics methodology and identifying and characterizing the lipids of human milk. With the advancement of chromatographic mass techniques, to fully characterize human milk is improving exponentially, and, excitingly, comprehensive human milk lipidomics is becoming more practical and possible. the potential spectrometry and Founded by ISRHML and the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation. Sponsored by the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation. 34 Trainee Expansion Program 2019
TTF Awardee 2019 ANURADHA RAVI to infant influences profoundly and has health. the Breastfeeding subsequent developing microbiota Human milk benefits oligosaccharides (HMO) and microbiota are two major milk components that influence the infant microbiota. With pre- and pro-biotic properties, they can modulate the environment of the infant gut by creating a permissive environment for sustainable colonization and transmitting new bacterial species. Currently, there is lack of knowledge in understanding the effect of HMOs on the microbes in the milk and their combined the infant gut. Working with modulation of investigators from the CHILD Study at the University of Manitoba and the University of Calgary International Microbiome Centre, Anu will analyze shotgun metagenome data to study the impact of HMOs and milk microbiota on the structure gut microbiome. infant and function of the at of scientist is a postdoctoral Dr. Anuradha (Anu) Ravi research Quadram Institute Biosciences in Norwich, United Kingdom. She completed her PhD in 2017 from Norwegian University Life Sciences, Norway. Her dissertation research was on using 16S rRNA and shotgun metagenome sequencing to study the prevalence and persistence of antibiotic resistance genes in mother and child cohorts from Norway and Spain. Anu’s research interests is focused on improving our current knowledge on the effects of breastmilk microbiome in the development of infant microbiota and preventing allergies. She is interested in using high throughput sequencing technologies and cutting-edge bioinformatics tools for achieving this. Anu believes that the TEP award will be an important step towards this goal and a great opportunity to widen her skillset. She will be mentored by Dr. Meghan Azad who is a distinguished mentor and co-leads the Manitoba site of the CHILD study. Founded by ISRHML and the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation. Sponsored by the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation. 35 Trainee Expansion Program 2019
Trainee Expansion Program AWARDE E S SUM M E R 2019 We are pleased to present the awardees of the TEP Bridge Fund and TEP Travel Funds. Each talented individual received a scholarship of up to USD 100,000 or up to USD 10,000 to help advance their career. TEP Trainee Bridge Fund Awardee TEP Trainee Travel Fund Awardees Yarden Golan Maor Kozeta Miliku Genomic characterization of regulatory elements that effect human breastmilk production TBF Awardee 2019 Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of human milk fatty acids TTF Awardee 2019 Ashley Nelson Tonny Jimmy Owalla Effect of human milk on the intestinal epithelium and its associated immune compartment TTF Awardee 2019 Secretion of malaria vaccine antigens in breastmilk during asymptomatic/active malaria infection TTF Awardee 2019 Founded by ISRHML and the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation. Sponsored by the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation. 36 Trainee Expansion Program 2019
TBF Awardee 2019 YARDE N GOL AN M AOR life. Breastmilk is the optimal dietary source for infants, as it supplies all the nutritional requirements for the first six months of It contains macro- and micronutrients as well as numerous bioactive compounds and several different cell types, including epithelial, myoepithelial, stem cells and leukocytes. Genetic variation in the mom may have various effects on breastmilk components and supply and subsequently affect child health and even lead to disease. However, not much is known about the genetic factors affecting breastmilk composition and production. This study will characterize the breastmilk cell transcriptome (single-cell RNA-seq), regulome (ATAC-seq and Cut&Tag), and variome (genotyping arrays) and link them to create a novel and important genomic lactation dataset. Samples will be collected under (e.g., colostrum, mature milk both physiological and involution) and pathological low milk production) conditions, to study the mechanisms underlying different lactation pathologies and to characterize how genetic variation influences lactation outcomes and infant growth. Collectively, the results of this study will significantly impact (e.g., mother and infant health worldwide and expand our toolbox to improve breastfeeding and help mothers dealing with breastfeeding issues and related diseases. the Technion (Israel Yarden Golan Maor, PhD, is a molecular nutrition scientist. After completing her Bachelor of Nutrition Science with Honour she started to study for a PhD degree under the supervision of Prof. Assaraf at Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel). Her PhD research focused on studying the transport mechanism of zinc into human breastmilk and how mutations in the Zinc transporter 2 (ZnT2) may lead to transient neonatal zinc deficiency (TNZD) in exclusively breastfed infants. During her PhD, Yarden also developed a genomic test for early diagnosis of TNZD using cells that are present in the mother’s breastmilk. Yarden recently started her post-doc research under the mentorship of Prof. Nadav Ahituv from the University of California San Francisco where she will continue to discover the effect of genetic variations on human breastmilk production and components. Founded by ISRHML and the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation. Sponsored by the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation. 37 Trainee Expansion Program 2019
TTF Awardee 2019 KOZE TA M IL IKU Fatty acids are a vital component of human milk. They influence infant growth, neuro-development and immune function, and they provide∼50% of milk’s energy content. In the CHILD Cohort Study Kozeta and authors have recently shown that mothers’ diets (fish oil supplements and dietary fish intake) are associated with omega-3 milk fatty acids levels and FADSgene variants determine the concentrations of milk omega-6 fatty acids. Yet, not much in known on other genetic determinants of human milk fatty acids levels, and the combined interactions of gene and diet in human milk fatty acids are not widely explored. Kozeta Miliku, MD, PhD, is a post-doctoral fellow at Children’s Hospital Research Institute of Manitoba, University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, Canada. Her research interests are the fields of human milk and lactation and the developmental origins of health and disease. Kozeta’s current work in the Azad lab is focused in determining the role of human milk composition on infant health outcomes and identifying the mechanisms. She will visit Dr. Duan’s lab at Queen’s University to advance her genetic/genomic research skills and study the genetic determinants of human milk fatty acids. Founded by ISRHML and the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation. Sponsored by the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation. 38 Trainee Expansion Program 2019
TTF Awardee 2019 ASHL E Y NE L SON Ashley Nelson is a second year PhD candidate in the Immunology program at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry in New York. She received her BSc with high honors in Biotechnology and Molecular Bioscience at the Rochester Institute of Technology. Ashley is interested in studying the effects of human milk on gut epithelial function, with a focus on epithelial cell subsets as well as immune cell populations. She is also the president of student organization at the University of Rochester called Graduate Students Raising Families which helps support and advocate for student parents. a graduate tract. However, our its effects occur epithelium and its is known to promote infant Human milk (HM) in the health and many of gastrointestinal current understanding of the specific effects of HM on the gut associated immune compartment is limited. This project aims to expand our knowledge of the effects of HM on different cell subsets of the intestinal epithelium through use of human intestinal enteroids. Enteroids, aka “mini-guts”, are generated from primary biopsies of the human intestinal epithelium and form structures in vitro that maintain their cellularity and closely resemble the intact gut epithelium. Thus, enteroids are an optimal tool to elucidate the specific effects of HM on the human intestinal epithelium. Under the mentorship of Dr. Sasirekha Ramani at Baylor College of Medicine, Ashley will learn the nuances of enteroid culture, enabling her to establish this cutting-edge model in her research on the mechanisms whereby HM promotes health. Founded by ISRHML and the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation. Sponsored by the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation. 39 Trainee Expansion Program 2019
TTF Awardee 2019 TONNY JIM M Y OWAL L A According to the World Health Organization, more than 200 million cases of malaria occur yearly worldwide with the majority in infants aged under 5 years. This highlights the need for a successful strategy of prevention of malaria infection especially in early life. Breastfeeding is the most efficient way to prevent child morbidity and mortality related to respiratory and gastro-intestinal infectious disease. In contrast, there is conflicting evidence on malaria prevention by breastfeeding. We propose the original hypothesis that the presence of malaria antigen in breastmilk may stimulate antimalarial immune defences and reduce malaria risk in breastfed infants. Our preliminary data confirms the shedding of Plasmodium falciparum histidine-rich protein 2 (pHRP-2) and lactate dehydrogenase (pLDH) in breastmilk of 15% of breastfeeding mothers with asymptomatic-malaria in Uganda. The goal of this project is to investigate whether (i) the malaria vaccine antigen CSP is secreted in since breastmilk influence specific antimalarial immune responses and malaria risk in vaccinated infants; (ii) CSP is free or complexed with maternal antibodies in breastmilk. These questions are the major the new leading RTS,S vaccine. component of Therefore, we expect that shedding of CSP antigens in breastmilk may be particularly efficient for infant immunisation and prevention of malaria in significant because CSP is this may breastfed infants. To address these questions, I will set up ELISA, Western blotting and Mass Spectrometry analysis, for detection of CSP in breastmilk samples from Ugandan mothers under the supervision of Professor Valerie Verhasselt during my visit to the University of Western Australia. Tonny Jimmy Owalla is a Research Associate at Med Biotech Laboratories, Kampala-Uganda with a strong background in malaria. He holds a BSc in Biomedical Laboratory Technology from Makerere University, Kampala-Uganda and expects to attain the MSc in Molecular Biology and Biotechnology from the same university in January 2020. During his undergraduate research, Tonny studied natural immune responses to blood stage malaria vaccine candidates in pregnant women and children in Uganda under Professor Thomas Egwang. This cultivated in him a special interest in maternal and infant immunology. He is currently interested in understanding if malaria vaccine antigens are secreted in breastmilk during asymptomatic/active malaria infection. He anticipates that this Trainee Travel Fund will enable him to acquire important skills relevant to his future research on the role of breastfeeding in antimalarial immunity. Tonny will be jointly mentored by Professors Verhasselt and Egwang. Founded by ISRHML and the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation. Sponsored by the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation. 40 Trainee Expansion Program 2019
Trainee Expansion Program AWARDE E S 2020 We are pleased to present the awardees of the TEP Bridge Fund and TEP Travel Funds. Each talented individual received a scholarship of up to USD 100,000 or up to USD 10,000 to help advance their career. TEP Trainee Bridge Fund Awardee TEP Trainee Travel Fund Awardees Alexandra George Yang Lyu Reducing the risk of obesity and diabetes through human milk Identifying the effect of digested human milk on human enteroid model TBF Awardee 2020 TTF Awardee 2020 Sarah Turner Breastfeeding Experiences During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A comparative qualitative study of UK and Canadian mothers TTF Awardee 2020 Founded by ISRHML and the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation. Sponsored by the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation. 41 Trainee Expansion Program 2020
TBF Awardee 2020 AL E XANDRA GEORGE Despite the knowledge that breastfeeding reduces the risk of obesity, the mechanisms through which this occurs are unknown. Human milk plays an essential role in infant metabolic programming, priming the infant for the optimal start at life. In addition to high BMI and rapid weight gain, plasma lipid dysregulation is a predictor of diabetes development in adults; healthy and obese adults have different plasma lipid profiles. The plasma lipidome of breastfed and formula fed infants also appears to be different. There are a number of lipid species, from both human and animal studies, with potential bioactive roles, therefore this project aims to identify and investigate these in human milk, and interrogate them in relation to infant growth and obesity and diabetes risk. Alexandra George has recently completed her PhD in human milk biochemistry at The University of Western Australia. Prior to this, Alexandra completed a Bachelor of Science with Honours (University of Western Australia) and a Bachelor of Medical Laboratory Science (University of Otago), always with a focus on human health and improvement of technology for understanding, diagnostics and treatment. Human milk and lactation science has quickly become Alexandra’s key research interest, an area where there is extraordinary potential to improve human short- and long-term health outcomes. The Trainee Bridge Fund is allowing Alexandra to conduct research at the Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute alongside metabolomics, obesity and diabetes experts. There she is exploring potential bioactive lipids of human milk and further integrating human milk and lactation science into diabetes and obesity research. Founded by ISRHML and the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation. Sponsored by the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation. 42 Trainee Expansion Program 2020
TTF Awardee 2020 YANG LY U that the found digested these peptides are originally Little is known about how human milk derived peptides play their roles in infant health. While some of from mother’s milk, the process of digestion in the infant gastrointestinal tract also releases a number of unknown potentially bioactive peptides. Our group previously colostrum/ transitional human milk (tHM) originating from different mothers exhibits anti-inflammatory effects to varying degrees. This inspires our hypothesis that variability may reside in peptide differences. To further effects of digested colostrum/tHM harboring bioactive peptides, we want to incorporate the human enteroids model, a physiologically relevant model closer to translation into our study. By tracking a variety of cell markers via immunohistochemistry and qRT-PCR, we will determine how digested colostrum/tHM impacts the proliferation and differentiation, epithelial barrier integrity and pro-inflammatory response in human enteroids under inflammation. identify Yang Lyu, PhD, is a Postdoctoral Fellow of Dr. Yimin Chen’s research group at the University of Idaho. She earned her bachelor's in biology and master's in food science from China Agricultural University, after which she completed her PhD in food science at UMass Amherst under the guidance of Dr. David A. Sela. Her doctoral work focused on how bifidobacteria, an infant gut beneficial microbe, utilize the human milk urea. She is currently investigating the bioactivities of peptides released from digested colostrum/ transitional human milk, including anti-inflammatory effects and antimicrobial activities against intestinal pathogens. With the support of the Trainee Travel Fund, she was mentored by Dr. Misty Good at Washington University in St. Louis and developed skills in utilizing enteroids as a research model. intestinal epithelial cells on Founded by ISRHML and the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation. Sponsored by the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation. 43 Trainee Expansion Program 2020
TTF Awardee 2020 SARAH TURNE R The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way health care practitioners provide breastfeeding support. The aim of this project is to understand how these changes have impacted women’s experiences with infant feeding. This project involves conducting semi-structured interviews with women living in Canada or the United Kingdom who began breastfeeding during the COVID-19 lockdown. Data will be analyzed using comparative thematic analysis, and results will be translated into various formats including a scientific publication, a public commentary and virtual presentations to general population, health care professional and government audiences in Canada and the UK. the University of Manitoba, Sarah Turner is a PhD Candidate in the Azad Lab at in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Her research focuses on how breastmilk and breastfeeding contribute to child cognitive development and behavior. She is interested in how both the nutritional qualities of breastmilk and the social-emotional benefits of breastfeeding, the mother-child relationship, contribute to infant cognitive and behavioral outcomes. Sarah is passionate about knowledge translation, teaching, and effective science communication. such as Founded by ISRHML and the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation. Sponsored by the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation. 44 Trainee Expansion Program 2020
Trainee Expansion Program AWARDE E S 2021 We are pleased to present the awardees of the TEP Bridge Funds and the TEP Travel Funds, who each received up to USD 100,000 or up to USD 10,000 respectively to advance their academic career. TEP Trainee Bridge Fund Awardee TEP Trainee Travel Fund Awardees Jordyn Tinka Wallenborn Kelsey Cochrane Human milk impact on child gut microbiota and growth Developmental origins of disease and maternal/infant diet optimization TBF Awardee 2021 TTF Awardee 2021 Alexandra Gogel Nina Juntereal Proteomic analysis and variations in the milk proteome over time Lactation-related outcomes among critically ill infants TTF Awardee 2021 TTF Awardee 2021 Natalie Scime Johanne Spreckels Human milk composition and mothers’ health Function of breastmilk components in infant gut organoid models TTF Awardee 2021 TTF Awardee 2021 Founded by ISRHML and the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation. Sponsored by the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation. 45 Trainee Expansion Program 2021
TBF Awardee 2021 JORDY N TINKA WAL L E NBORN Jordyn’s TEP Trainee Bridge Fund project will draw from a community-centered pilot randomized control trial that she is currently conducting in Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR) — which aims to increase exclusive breastfeeding rates. Partnering recognized researchers — Drs. Christopher Stewart, Watcharin Loilome, and Günther Fink — Jordyn’s TEP project will assess the impact of human milk on child gut microbiota and growth through an integrative analysis of bioactive micro- and macro- nutrient factors. internationally with In a statement of thanks, Jordyn said, “I am excited to start working with and learning from Drs. Christopher Stewart, Watcharin Loilome, and Günther Fink; and am thankful for their invaluable support on this application. I would also like to personally thank the ISRHML committee and the Family for Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation selecting my application and supporting my research career in human milk and lactation. I am honored to be selected and look forward to providing critical and novel data on the relationship between the infant gut microbiome and child growth, and human milk composition.” Dr. Jordyn Tinka Wallenborn, PhD, MPH, is a postdoctoral researcher at the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute (Swiss TPH). She holds a Bachelor of Science in Community Health from Minnesota State University Moorhead, a Masters in Public Health (MPH) with a concentration in infectious disease management from North Dakota State University, and a PhD in epidemiology from Jordyn’s Virginia Commonwealth University. research focuses on the mother, infant, and human milk triad with a global perspective. Founded by ISRHML and the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation. Sponsored by the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation. 46 Trainee Expansion Program 2021
TTF Awardee 2021 KE L SE Y COCHRANE With her TEP Trainee Travel Fund grant, Kelsey will work with Dr. Lars Bode, a renowned global expert and influential leader in human milk research, to obtain specialized training at the University of California San Diego, USA. In a statement of thanks, Kelsey said, “With the Trainee Travel Fund, I will take my first steps in in the field of becoming an academic scholar breastmilk you, selection committee, for honoring me with this award, and helping me set the stage for my future career as a Clinician Scientist health nutrition research.” in public research. Thank Kelsey Cochrane, RD, BSc, is a registered dietitian currently working toward a PhD in Human Nutrition at the University of British Columbia. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Nutrition from the University of Saskatchewan. Her research interests include developmental origins of disease, establishment and optimization of maternal and infant diet, specifically in supplementation of folic acid vs folate in low-risk pregnant women. epigenetic marks, of Founded by ISRHML and the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation. Sponsored by the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation. 47 Trainee Expansion Program 2021
TTF Awardee 2021 AL E XANDRA GOGE L Alexandra’s TEP Trainee Travel Fund grant will enable her to learn the methods required for proteomic analysis and explore variations in the milk proteome both within a feed and over time by studying with Dr. David Dallas at Oregon State University, USA. In a statement of thanks, Alexandra extended a heartfelt thank you to the ISRHML and Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation Trainee Expansion Program for this opportunity to expand her research experience in the field of human milk and lactation. is a PhD candidate in the Alexandra Gogel Department of Animal, Veterinary, and Food Sciences at the University of Idaho. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Zoology from Washington State University. Her research is focused on exploring human milk collection methods and the associated variation on components including the milk microbiome and lipids. She also researches the association of the human milk microbiome to infant and maternal health. Founded by ISRHML and the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation. Sponsored by the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation. 48 Trainee Expansion Program 2021
TTF Awardee 2021 NINA JUNTE RE AL The TEP Trainee Travel Fund grant will give Nina the opportunity to analyze collected samples and generate effect sizes to inform the feasibility of an experimental study. She will work alongside Dr. Donna Geddes and her team at the University of Western Australia. Nina Juntereal, BSN, RN, is a PhD candidate in Nursing and Hillman Scholar in Nursing Innovation at the University of Pennsylvania. She obtained her Bachelor of Science in Nursing with a minor in Nutrition from the University of Pennsylvania. Her research focuses on lactation related outcomes among diverse childbearing families and critically ill infants. Her dissertation research explores the role of antenatal milk expression, the expression of colostrum during the late third trimester of pregnancy and its relationship to the development of milk supply and secretory activation. She collaborates with the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia to advance the science of lactation for mothers of infants prenatally diagnosed with congenital anomalies. Founded by ISRHML and the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation. Sponsored by the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation. 49 Trainee Expansion Program 2021
TTF Awardee 2021 NATAL IE SCIM E lead a project With support from her TEP Trainee Travel Fund grant, Natalie will investigating whether human milk composition is associated with mother’s long-term cardiometabolic health, under the mentorship of Dr. Meghan Azad at the University of Manitoba, Canada. In a statement of thanks, Natalie said this experience will enable her to develop expertise in the biology of lactation, management of human milk samples, and analysis of complex biological datasets as a complement to her existing training in population health and life course epidemiology. PhD candidate in Natalie Scime Epidemiology and Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Canada Graduate Scholar at the University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada. She holds a Bachelor of Health Sciences degree and a Master’s in Health Promotion from Western University, Ontario, London. In her research, she uses the interrelationships between reproductive factors and women’s health across their lifespan. datasets diverse is a to study Founded by ISRHML and the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation. Sponsored by the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation. 50 Trainee Expansion Program 2021
TTF Awardee 2021 JOHANNE SPRECKE L S underlying beneficial Breastmilk is important for the developing infant gut microbiota and immune system. However, large studies investigating factors shaping the breastmilk composition are scarce and the mechanisms effects of breastmilk on infant health are incompletely understood. As part of her PhD project, Johanne uses the Dutch birth cohort Lifelines NEXT to identify factors affecting the breastmilk microbiota and human milk oligosaccharide profile and to investigate how different breastmilk components affect the early infant gut microbiota development and infant health. The TEP Trainee Travel Fund grant enables her to visit Christopher Stewart’s lab at Newcastle University in England. During her stay, she will learn how to work with infant gut organoid models to breastmilk components, selected based on her first findings in the Lifelines NEXT cohort. characterize function the of degrees and Master’s Johanne Spreckels is a PhD candidate at the group of Alexandra Zhernakova at the University Medical Center Groningen, the Netherlands. She holds Bachelor in Biomedical Sciences from the Philipps University of Marburg, Germany, and from Linköping University, Sweden, respectively. In her Master thesis, she studied how the maternal immune system changes during pregnancy. Afterwards, she continued with studying the effect of probiotics on the gut microbiota of preterm infants. In 2018, she started her PhD research exploring how maternal and environmental the breastmilk microbiota and human milk oligosaccharide composition, and how breastmilk components affect infant gut microbiota development and health. factors shape Founded by ISRHML and the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation. Sponsored by the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation. 51 Trainee Expansion Program 2021
Trainee Expansion Program AWARDE E S 2022 We are pleased to present the awardees of the TEP Bridge Funds and the TEP Travel Funds, who each received up to USD 100,000 or up to USD 10,000 respectively to advance their academic career TEP Trainee Bridge Fund Awardees TEP Trainee Travel Fund Awardees Adwoa Gyamfi Omobolaji Adewuyi Designing and testing a community- based lactation counseling model in Ghana: a Trial of Improved Practices Multiple micronutrient supplementation and its effect on human milk selenium and zinc levels in the highlands of Nigeria TBF Awardee 2022 TTF Awardee 2022 Michael A. Pitino Marion M. Bendixen Proteomic and peptidomic profiling of donor human milk after high-pressure processing and dynamic in vitro digestion simulating the preterm infant Influence of maternal health on human milk biomarkers of secretory activation in pump-dependent mothers of critically ill infants TBF Awardee 2022 TTF Awardee 2022 Sara Shama Understanding the impact of human milk oligosaccharides on the microbial colonization of very low birth weight infants TTF Awardee 2022 Founded by ISRHML and the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation. Sponsored by the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation. 52 Trainee Expansion Program 2022
TBF Awardee 2022 ADWOA GYAM FI Adwoa will conduct her TEP Trainee Bridge Fund project at the School of Public Health, University of Ghana, under primary mentorship from Professor Richmond Aryeetey, PhD, MPH, and secondary mentorship from Dr. Amber J. Hromi-Fiedler, PhD, MPH (Research Scientist, Yale University). Adwoa Gyamfi, PhD, MPH, BSc., RN (with Post Graduate Certificates in Education, Clinical Genetics and Genomics), University of Ghana. Adwoa is a Ghanaian with several years of clinical experience and health education in Ghana and the United States. counseling into Ghana’s the feasibility of She aims to design and test integrating evidence-informed community-based lactation primary healthcare system. Adwoa’s primary objectives are to 1) identify unmet needs in community-level breastfeeding counseling and support in rural Ghana; 2) train lay volunteers as community-based lactation counselors and public health nurses as lactation counseling supervisors; and 3) test the feasibility and acceptability of a community-based lactation counseling model. Founded by ISRHML and the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation. Sponsored by the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation. 53 Trainee Expansion Program 2022
TBF Awardee 2022 M ICHAE L PITINO Michael will conduct his TEP Trainee Bridge Fund project at the College of Public Health and Human Sciences, Oregon State University, under the mentorship of Dr. Dave Dallas, PhD. Using highly sensitive mass spectrometry-based techniques, Michael plans to further investigate the impact of a novel milk processing technique on and bioactive subsequent protein digestion peptide and peptidomic tools. generation using proteomic Dr. Michael A. Pitino, PhD, MSc., hons. BSc., Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Toronto / Hospital for Sick Children. His research has been focused on maximizing the nutritional quality and bioactivity of donor human milk, towards optimizing acute and long-term health outcomes of vulnerable preterm infants. investigating Michael alternative been processing methods for donor human milk pasteurization to improve both milk quality and milk banking policies, while examining the complex interplay between processing and outcomes during and following digestion. has Founded by ISRHML and the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation. Sponsored by the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation. 54 Trainee Expansion Program 2022
TTF Awardee 2022 OM OBOL AJI ADEWUY I travel to and conduct his TEP Omobolaji will Trainee Travel Fund project at the School of Molecular Sciences, The University of Western Australia, under the mentorship of Professor Donna Geddes, PhD. and modeling, lipidomic Omobolaji plans to gain further exposure and build his capacity on laboratory analysis, statistical analysis in microbiomics, proteomics. Ultimately, he plans to run larger multicenter RCTs on micronutrient supplementation and effects of micronutrients in human milk in Sub-Saharan Africa. and publication and Omobolaji Adewuyi, PhD Candidate, Department of Human Nutrition & Dietetics, Faculty of Public Health, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan. Omobolaji’s PhD research at investigating the effect multiple micronutrient supplementation has on selenium and zinc of human milk and serum of lactating mothers. focused is Founded by ISRHML and the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation. Sponsored by the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation. 55 Trainee Expansion Program 2022
TTF Awardee 2022 M ARION BE NDIXE N With this TEP Trainee Travel Fund project, and in collaboration with Professor Donna Geddes, PhD, and the research team at the University of Western Australia, Marion will gain laboratory and statistical skills analyzing previously collected milk samples for protein, citrate, lactose, macro- and trace elements (markers of SA) to evaluate variations of human milk composition, which is essential for optimization of nutrition and growth of infants. Marion aims to determine whether maternal health conditions (diabetes, hypertension, obesity) are associated with differences in mother’s milk biomarkers of secretory activation (SA) and milk volume in pump dependent mothers of critically ill infants. Marion M. Bendixen, PhD, MSN, RN, IBCLC, Assistant Professor, College of Nursing, University of Florida. Marion is a nurse researcher at University of Florida and a clinical nurse/lactation consultant at Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women and Babies. She completed a two-year postdoctoral training under the mentorship of Leslie Parker, PhD, Professor in the Colleges of Nursing and Medicine at University of Florida. Founded by ISRHML and the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation. Sponsored by the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation. 56 Trainee Expansion Program 2022
TTF Awardee 2022 SARA SHAM A Sara will travel to and conduct her TEP Trainee the University of Travel Fund (TTF) project at California San Diego, under the mentorship of Professor Lars Bode, PhD. This will provide her with the opportunity to learn human milk oligosaccharide (HMO) analyses and gain insights into novel bioinformatic approaches. The skills acquired through this program will allow her to explore the impact of HMO intake on the microbial colonization of preterm infants. In doing so, Sara hopes to provide foundational knowledge that can be used towards rehabilitating perturbed gut microbiomes and improving the clinical outcomes of preterm infants. Sara Shama, MSc, RD, registered dietitian and PhD candidate, University of Toronto / Hospital for Sick Children. She holds a Bachelor of Applied Science from the University of Guelph and a Master of Science from the University of Toronto. Under the supervision of Dr. Deborah O'Connor, Sara’s research work focuses on understanding the impact of the mother's milk microbiota and oligosaccharides on the preterm infant gut microbiota. Founded by ISRHML and the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation. Sponsored by the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation. 57 Trainee Expansion Program 2022