 Photo credit: UCL's Public Health Disrupted, THRiVE Lab THRiVE Lab Director Dr. Meghan Azad joins UCL Professor Nigel Field and host Rochelle Burgess on Public Health Disrupted to explore how the infant microbiome may shape health throughout the life course. Drawing on research from the Canadian CHILD Cohort Study and the UK Baby Biome Study, the conversation examines how birth, infant feeding and early-life exposures influence the developing microbiome, immune system and future health. Dr. Azad also discusses the science of human milk and the importance of creating supportive environments for families.
 Photo credit: Bridget McGann On July 31st, THRiVE Lab members and colleagues hosted the third annual Ask Me Anything (AMA) event on the r/AskScience forum on Reddit ahead of World Breastfeeding Week 2026. This is an opportunity to take a step back from our research and engage with the public. Every year, Redditors’ curiosity and thoughtfulness challenges our panelists to think in new ways about our field and prompts new and interesting questions. They asked many fascinating questions such as how milk composition changes across pregnancies, the effects of two people breastfeeding the same child, whether an infant’s saliva can alter the gut microbes in their younger sibling’s gut via “backwash” effects on their mother’s milk, and what breastmilk tastes like. The event received 123,000 views and 185 shares. This event is part of our broader knowledge translation initiatives, and helps us address misinformation, increase interest in careers in lactation science, and foster public support for both research funding and breastfeeding-supportive public policy.
 Image credit: antibioticwise.ca, BC Centre for Disease Control Research from the CHILD Cohort Study is helping translate scientific discoveries into practical guidance for families and healthcare providers. A new resource from AntibioticWise.ca and the BC Centre for Disease Control highlights the latest evidence on antibiotics in infancy, the developing gut microbiome, and ways to support infant health. The resource features CHILD research showing that while antibiotics are lifesaving medicines, they can also disrupt the developing gut microbiome. THRiVE researchers and collaborators have found that breastfeeding helps protect the infant microbiome from these unintended effects, supporting healthier long-term outcomes, including a lower risk of asthma. This initiative is an excellent example of knowledge translation, turning research into evidence-based information that helps families and healthcare providers make informed decisions about infant health.
 Image credit: JA PreventNCD and THRiVE THRiVE Director Dr. Meghan Azad, contributed an educational video to BreastFEEDucation, a newly launched free online course designed to strengthen breastfeeding counselling and education across Europe and beyond. Developed through an international collaboration, the course aims to equip healthcare professionals, students, and educators with evidence-based knowledge to better support breastfeeding families. Dr. Azad's expertise helped shape this educational resource, which is now freely available online and expected to reach learners around the world.
 Photo credit: THRiVE lab Researchers from the MuMi (Multi-omics Milk) Study gathered in Winnipeg for their second in-person Hackathon, led by Dr. Meghan Azad and co-investigator Dr. Nima Aghaeepour (Stanford University). Funded by the NIH, the study builds on two major research platforms: the International Milk Composition (IMiC) Consortium, led by Dr. Azad, and the CHILD Study, a Canadian birth cohort. The study has analyzed multiple components of human milk in 1,600 samples from mothers in the CHILD Study and uses multi-omics to uncover how milk composition affects child health. The event brought together a multidisciplinary group of 22 team members (including 9 members from THRiVE lab) to analyze MuMi study data using advanced machine learning and data science techniques. Participants collaborated intensively to identify novel patterns in milk composition that predict child growth, allergic disease and gut microbiome, offering insights that may guide personalized nutrition and public health strategies.
THRiVE Trainees Participate in Manitoba Student Health Research Forum and Poster Competition6/18/2026
 Photo credit: THRiVE lab, clockwise from top left: Rowan Shwaluk, Anne Manson, Shayna Giesbrecht (THRiVE staff), Sam Stead and Karinne Muniz. THRiVE trainees participated in the annual Manitoba Student Health Research Forum (MSHRF), on June 16–17 at the University of Manitoba’s Bannatyne Campus. The forum brings together emerging health researchers from across Manitoba to showcase their work, build professional networks, and celebrate excellence in health research through poster presentations, workshops, and awards. Congratulations to THRiVE MSc student Rowan Shwaluk, who received both a Manitoba Medical Service Foundation (MMSF) Poster Award and a Manitoba Medical College Foundation (MMCF) Graduate Student Travel Award. THRiVE was also proudly represented by postdoc trainees Anne Manson and Sam Stead, and MSc student Karinne Muniz. Their participation highlights the talent and innovation within the THRiVE lab.
 Photo credit: University of Manitoba THRiVE Director, Dr. Meghan Azad, has received the James House Memorial Award for Excellence in Postdoctoral Mentoring, presented by the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies at the University of Manitoba. The award honours the legacy of Dr. James “Jim” House, a respected researcher, educator, and mentor. The nomination was led by THRiVE postdoctoral fellows Sam Stead, Anne Manson, Kozeta Miliku, and Merilee Brockway, who described the many ways Dr. Azad has supported their professional development and fostered a positive and inclusive research environment. The award recognizes her contributions to postdoctoral training and mentorship.
 Photo credit: THRiVE website, human-milk.com THRiVE is pleased to announce that THRiVE Director, Dr. Meghan Azad, has been appointed Science Advisor for Human Milk. Human Milk is an organization built on 11 years of harnessing the influence of fashion, media, art and pop culture to deliver products, knowledge and community that connect, embolden and support mothers all over the world. Dr. Azad will help guide the sharing of both established research and emerging discoveries related to breastmilk and breastfeeding.
 Photo Credit: Amy Barcenas, used with permission. On Friday June 5th, THRiVE team member Bridget McGann delivered the closing plenary at the 2026 USBC National Breastfeeding Conference & Convening in Bethesda, Maryland. The talk, entitled “Humanity’s First Food: Breastfeeding and Human Milk as a Keystone of Planetary Health,” presented human milk and breastfeeding as a natural resource in need of protection and conservation, a buffer against food insecurity for children under five, a low-carbon green food, a source of food sovereignty, and an emerging technology ethics frontier. It closed with a call for a focus on local initiatives, community, and imagining possible futures as an exercise in hope and resilience. Companion materials are available at thrivediscovery.ca/humanitysfirstfood.
THRiVE Director Discusses Influence of Early-Life Nutrition on Immune System with EMJ Host5/20/2026
 Image credit: www.emjreviews.com THRiVE Director Dr. Meghan Azad sat down with European Medical Journal's host Dr. Catherine Glass to discuss how early-life nutrition influences immune development from birth and beyond. From the biological complexity of human milk to microbiome-driven disease risk and real-world barriers to optimal feeding, this three-part series explores how infant nutrition can shift health trajectories at both individual and population levels.
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