Alumni

Alexandra George, PhD, Trainee Bridge Fund recipient, has completed her PhD in human milk biochemistry at The University of Western Australia. Prior to this, Alexandra completed her Bachelor of Science with Honors (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 allowed 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. 

You can access the publication resulting from her TBF project here: IJMS | Free Full-Text | The Role of Human Milk Lipids and Lipid Metabolites in Protecting the Infant against Non-Communicable Disease (mdpi.com)

Find her other publications here: ‪Alexandra George‬ - ‪Google Scholar‬ 

Past TEP grant recipient Alexandra George, PhD, currently working as a postdoctoral researcher at Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute in Melbourne, Australia, received a Trainee Travel Fund (TTF) grant in 2019. The grant enabled Alexandra to travel to Singapore, from the University of Western Australia, and work with collaborators at the Singapore Lipidomics Incubator research group of the National University of Singapore. During her short-term work in Singapore, Alexandra had the opportunity to learn new mass spectrometry methods for investigating the human milk lipidome, as well as share existing knowledge on human milk lipids. In addition to the new skills she developed, the experience confirmed for her that her research is important both to her personally and to the world.

Following the completion of her TTF experience, Alexandra applied for and was awarded a Trainee Bridge Fund grant in 2020.

About her TTF experience, she said:

“Without the TTF this trip would not have been possible. I took samples from my Australian cohort along with me and we obtained some very exciting results together, which will be published very soon. From this experience I have gained new collaborators and friends, shared and gained knowledge, and have since been invited to speak about human milk lipids at a conference in Singapore.”

Alexandra’s TTF-enabled work contributed to the study Healthy Breastfeeding Infants Consume Different Quantities of Milk Fat Globule Membrane LIpids, published in Nutrients in July 2021 (Nutrients | Free Full-Text | Healthy Breastfeeding Infants Consume Different Quantities of Milk Fat Globule Membrane Lipids (mdpi.com))

We recently had the opportunity to do a Q&A with Alexandra. Here are her answers in her own words:

Q1: What is your current research area? 

My research focuses on identifying human milk lipids that are bioactive and involved in the benefits associated with human milk and breastfeeding, specifically reduced diabetes and obesity risk. Despite all the incredible human milk research in progress around the world, we do not yet completely understand the mechanisms through which human milk exerts all the positive short- and long-term benefits for the newborn infant. This is what I aim to contribute to with my work.

Q2: How has the TEP grant impacted your research? 

During my PhD studies the TEP TTF grant allowed me to travel to Singapore to conduct collaborative research at the National University of Singapore. Full immersion in a new place, experiencing new scientific techniques and discussing new topics every day for three months enhanced my research in many ways. In addition to the new skills that I developed, my existing scientific knowledge was improved beyond what I ever thought possible. This experience also confirmed that I am involved in research that is both important to the world and to myself.

Q3: What new skills have you developed as a result of your TEP grant experience? What existing skills have you enhanced?  

One area I gained enhanced skills in is collaboration, something often not developed during PhD studies (or certainly not to the extent I was given). I now feel confident to plan, communicate with, and organize other scientists in order to develop and optimize a project. These skills have also proven invaluable in project management.

Q4: Can you express what the TEP grant means to you and your research?  

I continue to use the skills and knowledge that I gained during my TEP TTF program every day since my trip to Singapore. Human milk lipidomics and other compositional analyses are not simple and require in depth troubleshooting, method development, knowledge and collaboration. I benefit everyday in my research from the TEP TTF program.

Q5: What piece of advice would you give a TEP grant applicant?  

To all future TEP grant applicants, in a world where research is so diverse and funding is so competitive, the TEP is an incredible opportunity for you to receive funding specifically for human milk and lactation research. Don’t be afraid to ask for guidance and support from past awardees or members of ISRHML!

Find her other publications here: ‪Alexandra George‬ - ‪Google Scholar‬

Yarden Golan Maor, PhD, Trainee Bridge Fund recipient, is a molecular nutrition scientist. After completing her Bachelor of Nutrition Science with Honor, she started to study for a PhD degree under the supervision of Prof. Assaraf at the Technion (Isreal Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel). Her PhD research focused on studying the transport mechanism of zinc into 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 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. 

Yarden's publication can be accessed here: 

https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=NG2ZfLgAAAAJ

Past TEP grant recipient Stephanie L. Martin, PhD, currently an assistant professor in the department of nutrition at the Gillings School of Global Public Health at the University of North Carolina in the United States, received a Trainee Bridge Fund (TBF) grant in 2018. The grant enabled Stephanie to travel to Moshi, Tanzania, to collaborate with faculty from Kilimanjaro Christian Medical University College.

During her work in Tanzania, she had the opportunity to serve as the principal investigator in a study of infant feeding practices of women working in the informal sector in Moshi. The experience taught her about the importance of building relationships and managing research. 

About her experience, she said:

“The TEP grant allowed me to expand my research to focus on exclusive breastfeeding and lactation. I am so grateful for the opportunity to examine this topic and develop new collaborations. I now have several studies focused on breastfeeding and lactation research. We plan to build on our findings from this research to pursue additional funding, which would not have been possible without the TEP grant.”

Stephanie and her collaborators have presented their findings at conferences this year and are preparing manuscripts for publication. She presented her work at the American Society for Nutrition’s annual meeting Nutrition 2021 and her collaborator, Melina Mgongo from KCMUCo, just presented findings at the ISRHML conference.
(Link: https://academic.oup.com/cdn/article/5/Supplement_2/781/6293060)

We recently had the opportunity to do a Q&A with Stephanie. Here are her answers in her own words: 

Q1: What is your current research area?

My research focuses on the design, implementation, and evaluation of behavioral interventions to improve maternal and child nutrition, including infant feeding. My TEP-funded research focused on infant feeding practices of women who work in the informal sector in urban Tanzania.

Q2: How has the TEP grant impacted your research?

It allowed me to establish a new research collaboration with faculty from Kilimanjaro Christian Medical University College and supported our research to examine the experiences of infant feeding among women working in the informal sector in Moshi, Tanzania. It also highlights the importance of working with wonderful partners, my collaborators from KCMUCo have been so wonderful to work with throughout this project. 

Q3: What new skills have you developed as a result of your TEP grant experience?

What existing skills have you enhanced? This was the first study where I was the PI of a study. I learned a tremendous amount about building relationships, managing research, and working on a project from proposal development through dissemination. It provided an opportunity to enhance my communication skills and gave me opportunities to strengthen my mentoring skills since several undergraduate and graduate students have participated in different phases of this study.

Q4: Can you express what the TEP grant means to you and your research?

The TEP grant allowed me to expand my research to focus on exclusive breastfeeding and lactation, since most of my research had previously focused on complementary feeding and maternal nutrition. I am so grateful for this funding and the opportunity to examine this topic and develop new collaborations. I have been able to build on what I have learned and now have several studies focused on breastfeeding and lactation research. We plan to build on our findings from this research to pursue additional funding, which would not have been possible without the TEP grant.

Q5: What piece of advice would you give a TEP grant applicant?

I would encourage people who are not successful the first time to resubmit. The first year I applied I was not successful, but I made revisions based on reviewer feedback and was successful the second time. Also, work with your mentors during the proposal development phase, their guidance can be so helpful.

Past TEP grant recipient Sarah Reyes, PhD, Msc., MSL-cert, currently a regulatory affairs specialist and human milk scientist at Prolacta Bioscience in the USA, received a Trainee Travel Fund (TTF) grant in 2017. Her TTF grant enabled Sarah to travel to the University of Idaho and gain hands-on experience in microbiome analysis, bioinformatics, and computational techniques needed to study the human milk microbiome.

During her short-term work in Idaho, Sarah learned protocols for extracting DNA, Ribosomal RNA (rRNA) analysis, amplicon quantification, and pooling. She credits the experience as helping her realize there is no right way to analyze microbiome data, but there are multiple wrong ways to avoid.

About her experience, she said: 

“Working at the University of Idaho as a PhD candidate, my role felt more like that of a collaborator than that of a student. The Trainee Travel Fund experience has led to a productive collaboration from which we expect multiple manuscripts.”

Sarah's TTF-enabled work culminated in her doctoral dissertation Bacterial composition of human milk pumped and stored in real-life conditions: A randomized, controlled investigation, published by Cornell University in December 2019.  
(Link to PDF or online full-text dissertation: https://ecommons.cornell.edu/bitstream/handle/1813/70093/ReyesParedes_cornellgrad_0058F_11828.pdf?sequence=1)

Past TEP grant recipient Adriana Gaitán, PhD, currently a scientist and human safety toxicologist at Procter & Gamble in the USA, received a Trainee Travel Fund (TTF) grant in 2017. The grant enabled Adriana, a Guatemalan native, to travel to Boston, Massachusetts, and collaborate with colleagues at the Center for Drug Discovery at Northeastern University. During her short-term work in Boston, she learned the methodology for extracting and processing breast milk samples, and she participated in the endocannabinoid purity check of standards and analysis of standard curves prior to sample analysis. She also was able to observe plasma extraction, process data, and calculate different concentrations of the endocannabinoid metabolome.

About her experience, Adriana said:

“Having the opportunity to visit another laboratory has expanded my knowledge and broadened my research experiences. The data generated in this project will contribute to a better understanding of how the endocannabinoid metabolome might be affected by maternal nutrition status and how it might modulate infant health.”

Through her TTF journey, Adriana was able to experience first-hand how different disciplines work together to gain a better understanding of biological compounds. Her efforts supported reestablishment of collaborative work between the Center for Drug Discovery at Northeastern University and Louisiana State University that continued into future projects.

Adriana’s TTF-enabled work culminated in the study Endocannabinoid Metabolome Characterization of Transition and Mature Human Milk, published in Nutrients in September 2018.

Past TEP grant recipient Kozeta Miliku, MD, PhD, currently postdoctoral fellow at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, and a clinical science officer in the CHILD Cohort Study, received a Trainee Travel Fund (TTF) grant in 2017. While she was living in the Netherlands, Kozeta's TTF grant enabled her to  travel to Canada to work with colleagues at the University of Manitoba on the Canadian Healthy Infant and Longitudinal Development (CHILD) study data.

During her short-term work in Canada, Kozeta gained knowledge on human milk components, especially human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs). She developed new statistical skills required to link and analyze complex biological datasets with large longitudinal clinical datasets. Perhaps most importantly, she also established key relationships with mentors and collaborators with whom she still works regularly today.

Following the completion of her first TTF experience, she applied for and was awarded a second TTF grant in 2019.

About her experience, Kozeta said:

“This was a wonderful experience. I want to thank ISRHML for this great opportunity. Gaining experience with HMO analytical techniques and exploring important research questions in the developmental origins of health and disease (DOHaD) field can lead to knowledge, and that can help in developing and implementing public health policies and clinical protocols in infant food allergies.”

Kozeta's TTF-enabled work contributed to the study Integrated Analysis of Human Milk Microbiota With Oligosaccharides and Fatty Acids in the CHILD Cohort, published in Frontiers in Nutrition in May 2019.  
(Link to PDF or online full-text study: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnut.2019.00058/full)

Past TEP grant recipient Clarisa Medina Poeliniz, PNP, of Rush University in Chicago, Illinois, USA, received a Trainee Travel Fund (TTF) grant in 2017. The grant enabled her to travel to the University of Western Australia and collaborate with research colleagues there.

During her work in Australia, Medina learned to analyze human milk (HM) specimens for sodium and potassium and participated in analysis including defatting HM and better understanding the process for lactose, citrate, and total protein. She also assisted with demographic data and statistical data analysis.

About her experience, she said:

“This travel award has had a direct influence on my future program of study. As a result of this new collaboration, my research now reflects an innovative and significant opportunity to further study the biological versus behavioral and motivational mechanisms that impact lactation outcomes in overweight and obese women.”

Thanks to TTF funding, Medina was able to synthesize her research into a poster submission and present her findings at a Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) conference in Lisbon, Portugal.  

Some of Medina’s TTF-enabled work is reflected in the study Human Milk Biomarkers of Secretory Activation in Breast Pump-Dependent Mothers of Premature Infants, published in Breastfeeding Medicine in 2018. 

Access all of Medina’s research works on Google Scholar here.

Past TEP grant recipient Larisse Melo, MSc, currently a Nutrition Research Technician and Sessional Lecturer at The University of British Columbia received a Trainee Travel Fund (TTF) grant in 2017. The grant enabled the native of Brazil to travel to the Western Human Nutrition Research Center (WHNRC) – one of six human nutrition centers funded by the United States Department of Agriculture/Agricultural Research Center (USDA/ARS) – located on the University of California, Davis campus in the USA. During her short-term work in California, Larisse completed laboratory safety training and learned the process for detecting different vitamin content in colostrum via ultraviolet detection, fluorescence detection, and mass spectrometry analysis. She also learned to detect iron, copper, and zinc in plasma by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES).

About her experience, Larisse said:

“It is unquestionable that the TEP gave me a unique opportunity to deepen my knowledge in the study of vitamins in human milk in addition to growing my professional network in the field and enhancing my lab skills and self-confidence. Having the opportunity to be part of an international scientific network between professors in New Zealand, the United States, and Canada showed me how global the study of nutrition in human milk can be.”

Her TTF journey gave her a unique opportunity to deepen her knowledge in the study of vitamins in human milk, grow her professional network in the field, and enhance her lab skill and self-confidence as a result of the exchange experience.

Larisse's TTF-enabled work is reflected in the study Vitamin A nutritional status in high- and low-income postpartum women and its effect on colostrum and the requirements of the term newborn originally published in Portuguese in the Jornal de Pediatria.
Note: English-language PDF was Google translated from the original Portuguese.

Access all of Larisse’s research works through Google Scholar here.

James Butcher, PhD, Trainee Bridge Fund recipient, is a trained biochemist from the University of Ottawa, where he studied iron regulation in the pathogen Campylobacter jejuni. James subsequently completed a Canadian Institutes for Health Research/Canadian Association for Gastroenterology postdoctoral fellowship in Inflammatory Bowl Disease at the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario and studied the role of the microbiota in this increasingly prevalent disease. 

Alecia-Jane Twigger, PhD, BSc (Hons), Trainee Bridge Fund recipient, is a postdoctoral research associate at the University of Cambridge, England, United Kingdom. The grant enabled her to further her cellular research in human lactation. During her project, which was completed at Helmholtz Zentrum München, Alecia-Jane learned to cultivate three-dimensional organoids from resting breast cells and process them for confocal imaging. She also learned to prepare and sort those cells using fluorescence activated cell sorting (FACS).

About her research, she said:

“Interestingly the FACS profiles of the milk cells are very different to the resting breast cells, despite their ability to generate organoids. Moving forward it will be important to determine novel surface markers for the milk cells that will enable us to discern the population of cells producing milk (lactocytes) and the cells that are able to generate organoids in culture.”

Through her TBF-enabled journey, she was able to significantly expand her research knowledge and laboratory proficiency. It is clear from her record of published studies that she has continued to utilize the skills she developed in further human lactation research.

Some of Alecia-Jane’s TBF-enabled work is reflected in these two studies:

Transcriptional changes in the mammary gland during lactation revealed by single cell sequencing of cells from human milk, obtained from bioRxiv

Mammary gland development from a single cell ‘omics view, published in Seminars in Cell & Developmental Biology

Access all of Alecia-Janes’s research works through Google Scholar here.