Deep Dive A:

Maternal-Pediatric Therapeutics and the Future of LactMed (MPRINT Session)

Overview:

This session will delve into the safety and impact of various medications and therapeutics on breastfeeding mothers and their infants, using data-driven approaches to better understand their effects and implications for maternal and pediatric health.

Co-sponsor:

NIH/NICHD MRPINT

Location:

Samuel H. Scripps Auditorium

Capacity:

250 attendees

Moderator:

Christina Chambers, PhD, MPH
Human Milk Institute
UC San Diego

9:00 AM

Introduction and Overview

Christina Chambers, PhD, MPH
Distinguished Professor, Department of Pediatrics
Human Milk Institute
UC San Diego

9:10 AM

tbd

Camille Fabiyi, PhD, MPH
Program Officer
Obstetric and Pediatric Pharmacology and Therapeutics Branch (OPPTB) and Pregnancy and Perinatology Branch (PPB)
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)
National Institutes of Health (NIH)

9:30 AM

LactMed: A Short History

Philip O. Anderson, Pharm.D., FCSHP, FASHP
Affiliate Clinical Professor
Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences
UC San Diego

9:50 AM

Maternal and Pediatric Precision Therapy Knowledge Portal: How AI can help women in lactation?

Lang Li, PhD
Professor and Chair
Department of Biomedical Informatics, College of Medicine
The Ohio State University

10:10 AM

Human milk composition in women with systemic autoimmune rheumatic diseases

Rashmi Dhital, MD
Vanderbilt University Medical Center

10:30 AM

Shaping of neonatal buccal cell lipidome profiles through infant feeding practices

Theresa M Casey, PhD
Associate Professor
Department of Animal Sciences
Purdue University

10:50 AM

Short talk selected from submitted abstracts
to be selected

this could be YOU...
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11:10 AM

Short talk selected from submitted abstracts
to be selected

this could be YOU...
submit an abstract!

Deep Dive B:

Low Milk Production is Real: Maternal Mechanisms, Clinical Relevance, and Translational Implications

Overview:

Low milk production is a biologically measurable condition, not merely perceived. Emerging biomarkers and machine learning models offer diagnostic potential to support targeted interventions and improve maternal-infant outcomes. This session explores maternal physiological, genomic, and cellular mechanisms underlying lactation insufficiency, highlighting the need for translational research in this area.

Co-sponsor:

Medela AG

Location:

Breakout room

Capacity:

45 attendees

Moderators:

Dr. Angela Lang, Dr. Nania Schärer-Hernández and Dr. Leon Mitoulas
Medela

9:00 AM

Introduction

Dr. Angela Lang and Dr. Leon Mitoulas
Medela

9:05 AM

What is low milk production?

Donna Geddes, PhD
Professor
University of Western Australia, Perth

9:25 AM

Genomic insights of low milk production

Yarden Golan, PhD
Assistant Professor
Cornell University

9:45 AM

Molecular and cellular mechanisms governing milk production

Lindsay Hinck, PhD
Distinguished Professor of Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology
University of California, Santa Cruz

10:05 AM

Moderated Discussion

Dr. Nania Schärer-Hernández and Dr. Leon Mitoulas
Medela

10:25 AM

Maternal factors and predicting low milk production

Xuehua Jin
PhD Candidate
University of Western Australia, Perth

10:50 AM

The big picture: Antenatal and post-partum risk factors and practice change opportunities

Donna Geddes, PhD
Professor
University of Western Australia, Perth

11:15 AM

Discussion and Wrap up

Dr. Angela Lang and Dr. Leon Mitoulas
Medela

Deep Dive C:

Reimagining Lactation Education: Using Gamification to Improve Clinical Readiness, Cultural Responsiveness, and Health Equity

Overview:

Although breastfeeding is a cornerstone of infant and maternal health, most medical training programs offer limited instruction in lactation beyond basic physiology. This gap in education contributes to clinical uncertainty, inconsistent guidance, and missed opportunities to support breastfeeding, especially for medically complex infants and their pump-dependent mothers. NICU dyads face distinct barriers that require a nuanced, evidence-based, culturally sensitive, and interdisciplinary model of care—yet most providers report feeling underprepared to meet these needs. There is a critical need to enhance both the content and delivery of lactation education in clinical training programs.

This session invites participants to explore how expanding interdisciplinary NICU lactation education can improve outcomes for vulnerable populations, reduce disparities in care, and empower every member of the healthcare team to provide coordinated, culturally responsive, and evidence-based support. To bring these principles into practice, we’ll introduce a unique tabletop role-playing game developed specifically for medical trainees. Through immersive, case-based scenarios, learners will navigate complex clinical decisions, refine communication strategies, and reflect on systemic challenges—all within a collaborative, game-based learning environment.

Whether you're an experienced educator or a clinician looking to enhance your teaching toolkit, this session will challenge you to rethink how we teach lactation—and how to make that learning meaningful, memorable, and impactful.

Learning Objectives:

1. Identify gaps in medical training and describe how limited lactation education and cultural, social, and structural barriers affects provision of Mother’s Own Milk in the NICU.
2. Analyze barriers to breastfeeding in the NICU and recognize the roles of parents, clinicians, and stakeholders in delivering equitable, evidence-based, and collaborative lactation support.
3. Evaluate game-based learning as an instructional strategy to build NICU-specific lactation skills, strengthen communication, and foster team collaboration.

Co-sponsor:

available

Location:

Breakout room

Capacity:

40 attendees

Moderators:

Claire Eden, BA, IBCLC
EPIC Breastfeeding Program Director
Georgia Chapter, American Academy of Pediatrics

Joanie Randle, MSN, MSHS, IBCLC
Clinical Research Nurse
Center for Perinatal Research, Division of Neonatology
Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Columbus, Ohio

9:00 AM

Introduction and Overview

9:10 AM

Lactation Care In the NICU: The Struggle is Real (Joanie Randle)

A New Paradigm of Lactation Care in the NICU (Claire Eden)

Game-based Learning (Claire Eden and Joanie Randle)

Let the games begin! (All participants)