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HMI'26 Program Day 3 - Main Symposium

Thursday, March 12, 2026

 

8:00 AM

Check-in opens
Light breakfast will be served

9:00 AM

Morning session begins

White Couch: Every Baby Deserves the Best Start to Life

Location:

Samuel H. Scripps Auditorium

Moderator:

Lars Bode, PhD
Director, Human Milk Institute
UC San Diego

 

9:00 AM

Opening Lecture
"Operation Stork Speed": Rethinking infant formula regulation: What does it mean for parents and for supporting breastfeeding?

Steven A. Abrams, MD
Professor of Pediatrics
Interim Assistant Dean of Admissions
Dell Medical School at the University of Texas at Austin

 

9:30 AM

Human milk research at the NIH and its importance to human health

Andrew Bremer, MD, PhD
Director, Office of Nutrition Research
National Institutes of Health

 

9:45 AM

Born Well Initiative: Strengthening Maternal & Infant Health Outcomes in San Diego

Dale Fleming
Community Impact Partner
San Diego Foundation

 

10:00 AM

White Couch Panel Discussion
Every Baby Deserves the Best Start to Life

Panelists

  • Steven A. Abrams, MD - University of Texas at Austin
  • Andrew Bremer, MD, PhD - National Institutes of Health
  • Dale Fleming - San Diego Foundation

Moderator

  • Lars Bode, PhD - Human Milk Institute, UC San Diego

 

10:45 AM

Patient Family Perspective
Breastfeeding & the Postpartum Mind: Understanding the Emotional Landscape

Smadar Garritson, LCSW, CLC
Primary Therapist, Huntington Hospital Maternal Wellness Program
Adjunct Clinical Instructor, USC Keck School of Medicine

11:00 AM

Poster Session II
Coffee will be served

12:30 PM

Lunch

1:30 PM

Afternoon session begins

Hot Topics in Human Milk Research and Innovation

Location:

Samuel H. Scripps Auditorium

Moderator:

Lars Bode, PhD
Director, Human Milk Institute
UC San Diego

 

1:30 PM

Impact of insulin resistance on secretory activation

Fadil Hannan, PhD
Director of the Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation Oxford Centre for the Endocrinology of Human Lactation (LRF OCEHL)
Nuffield Department of Women’s Reproductive Health
University of Oxford
United Kingdom

 

2:00 PM

Milk, microbes, and malnutrition: mechanisms governing neurodevelopment and behavior in a mouse model

Elena Coley-O'Rourke, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow
Boston Children’s Hospital

 

2:30 PM

Short talk selected from submitted abstracts
Maternal Breast Milk Influences Immune and Metabolic Outcomes in Type 1 Diabetes Susceptible Murine Offspring

LeeAnn Hewitt
PhD Candidate and Registered Nurse
University of Florida

 

2:45 PM

Short talk selected from submitted abstracts
Refinements in Understanding Human Milk-Derived Components in Their Use as “Liquid Breast Biopsies”

Jayne Martin Carli, PhD
Assistant Professor
University of Colorado Anschutz School of Medicine

3:00 PM

Coffee and Meet-Up Hub

3:30 PM

White Couch session begins

The White Couch: Breastfeeding Medicine and the Future of "Lactology"

Location:

Samuel H. Scripps Auditorium

Moderator:

Michelle Leff, MD
Human Milk Institute
UC San Diego

 

3:30 PM

The Journey from Physician Breastfeeding Champions to Board Certified Breastfeeding and Lactation Medicine Specialists

Anne Eglash, MD, NABBLM-C, IBCLC, FABM
Clinical Professor, Department of Family and Community Medicine
Medical Director, UW Breastfeeding and Lactation Medicine
University of WI School of Medicine and Public Health
President, The Institute for the Advancement of Breastfeeding and Lactation Education

 

3:50 PM

Structures, Strategy, and Science: Charting the Path of a New Medical Discipline

Casey Rosen-Carole, MD, MPH, MSEd, FABM
Chief of the Division of Breastfeeding & Lactation Medicine
Associate Professor of Pediatrics and OBGYN
Fellowship Director, Breastfeeding & Lactation Medicine, LILAC
Consultant, Lactation Study Center, URMedicine MotherToBaby, Finger Lakes Environmental Health Center
University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry

 

4:10 PM

White Couch Panel Discussion
The Future of "Human Lactology"

Panelists

  • Michelle Leff, MD - UC San Diego
  • Anne Eglash, MD, NABBLM-C, IBCLC, FABM - University of Wisconsin
  • Casey Rosen-Carole, MD, MPH, MSEd, FABM - University of Rochester
  • Kristina Chamberlain - UC San Diego Extended Studies

Moderator

  • Lars Bode, PhD - Human Milk Institute, UC San Diego

4:45 PM

Poster Awards and Closing Remarks

5:00 PM

End of Day 3