Don’t miss out on new resources
Please join us as we – together with our partners – chart new paths toward a healthier world. Sign up for our newsletter today.
We and the International Society for Research in Human Milk and Lactation are delighted to introduce the 2025 Trainee Expansion Program (TEP) grant awardees.
Trainee Bridge Fund awardees – USD 100,000 each
Dr. Chris Marco Nana Mbianda, PhD, Postdoctoral Researcher
Isobel Greenhalgh, MRes, BSc(Hons), PhD Candidate
Trainee Travel Fund awardees – up to USD 10,000 each
Dr. Brett Vahkal, PhD, MSc, Postdoctoral Associate
Dr. Cinthia Soledad Mendez, PhD, Molecular Biologist
Karlee Schoff, RD, BSc, MSc Candidate
Dr. Irma Castro-Navarro, PhD, MSc, Postdoctoral Associate
Kristija Sejane, BSc, MSc Candidate
Nazratul Fareha Binti Azman, MSc Candidate
Join us in congratulating these outstanding early career academics and wishing them every success with their projects. Below you’ll find details about their research aims, the universities they will visit and their mentors.
Trainee Bridge Fund (TBF) awardees
Dr. Chris Marco Nana Mbianda, PhD, is a Postdoctoral Researcher, investigating the role of early-life diet on immune cell metabolism.
Chris will travel to The University of Western Australia – The Kids Research Institute Australia to conduct a project under the mentorship of Professor Valerie Verhasselt, PhD, Director of the Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation Centre for Immunology and Breastfeeding.
“Through this TEP project, I aim to gain practical experience and essential skills in designing and implementing research. I am grateful to ISRHML and the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation for their support,” says Chris.
Project: ‘The Role of Colostrum in the Programming of Innate Lymphoid Cells Through Their Metabolism’
This project will provide the first evidence that early-life nutrition shapes immune cell ontogenesis through immune metabolism, by studying how colostrum, the first form of milk, programs the metabolism and functional maturation of innate lymphoid cells.
Beyond fundamental knowledge, the project will support the development of age-appropriate nutritional interventions that may have an impact on infection prevention, vaccine efficacy, and allergy risk in infants, while redefining the biology of colostrum by positioning it not only as a source of antimicrobials and growth factors, but also as a metabolic instructor of the neonatal immune system acting during a unique period of opportunity and vulnerability early in life.
Isobel Greenhalgh, MRes, BSc(Hons), has just submitted her PhD in Early Infant Neurocognitive Development at the University of Cambridge.
Isobel will travel to the University of Zurich to conduct a project under the mentorship of Professor Giancarlo Natalucci, Dr. med., Director of the Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation Center for Neurodevelopment, Growth and Nutrition of the Newborn.
“I’m excited to join a global network of researchers and laboratories dedicated to understanding and harnessing human milk to improve outcomes for the most vulnerable infants. This project will provide crucial insights into an at-risk population and represents an invaluable stepping stone toward a long-term career in infant nutrition and neurodevelopmental research. I’m deeply grateful to the ISRHML and FLRF for welcoming me into this thoughtful, world-leading research community,” says Isobel.
Project: ‘Longitudinal Human Milk Oligosaccharide Exposure and Neurodevelopment in Infants Born Very Preterm’
This project seeks to understand the longitudinal associations between breastmilk nutrition and neurocognitive development in a cohort of very preterm infants. Approximately 2.6 million infants are born very preterm (<32 weeks’ gestation) every year, with these infants at heightened risk of cognitive and neurodevelopmental deficits.
Throughout the project, Isobel will examine how exposures to specific human milk nutrients (human milk oligosaccharides), across the first months of life, map onto infant developmental outcomes at two years of age. This builds upon Isobel’s PhD at the University of Cambridge, in which she examined maternal inflammatory nutrition and early infant neurodevelopment, by allowing her to investigate the critical role of human milk in supporting neurodevelopment in a vulnerable population.
Trainee Travel Fund (TTF) awardees
Dr. Brett Vahkal, PhD, MSc, is a Postdoctoral Associate in maternal-infant signaling, investigating how pregnancy, placental and milk-derived signals shape fetal and neonatal immune development, at Yale University, USA.
Brett will travel to The Institute of Agrochemistry and Food Technology – National Research Council (IATA-CSIC) in Spain to conduct a project under the mentorship of Professor Maria Carmen Collado, PhD.
Project: ‘Milk-Derived Bacterial Extracellular Vesicles and Postbiotics in Early-Life Microbiome Development’
Breastmilk has beneficial bacteria and bioactive molecules that influence early-life microbial colonization and immune development of infants. This project investigates how bacterial extracellular vesicles and postbiotics produced by milk-derived bacteria affect the infant microbiome.
Using milk-derived bacterial isolates and in vitro culture systems established in Dr. Maria Carmen Collado’s laboratory in Valencia, Spain, the project will assess how bacterial extracellular vesicles and postbiotics affect commensal and opportunistic taxa, including Bifidobacterium, Lactobacillus, E. coli, and Staphylococcus. By testing these microbial products in monoculture and coculture systems, the study aims to uncover mechanisms of milk-driven inter-microbial communication during early life.
This project builds on Brett’s doctoral research in bioactive components of breastmilk and advances her postdoctoral development through hands-on training in human milk microbiology and bacterial extracellular vesicle research, supporting a long-term goal of mechanistically defining how maternal milk impacts infant health.
Dr. Cinthia Soledad Mendez, PhD, is a Molecular Biologist (BSc) at the Directorate of Maternity and Childhood, Ministry of Health of the Province of San Luis, Argentina, and a collaborator at the Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas en Retrovirus y SIDA (INBIRS), University of Buenos Aires (UBA–CONICET).
Soledad will travel to the University of California San Diego Human Milk Institute to advance a project under the mentorship of Professor Lars Bode, PhD, Director of the Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation Mother-Milk-Infant Center of Research Excellence.
“The TEP represents a unique opportunity to learn from leading experts in human milk science and to translate this knowledge into locally relevant, evidence-based strategies that strengthen maternal and infant health across my region,” says Cinthia.
Project: ‘Characterization of Human Milk Oligosaccharides in Argentina: Addressing Knowledge Gaps in Global Milk Research’
Human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) are the third most abundant component of human milk and key bioactive molecules involved in infant immunity, gut microbiota development, and early-life programming. Despite their importance, existing data on HMOs remain unevenly distributed across populations and geographic regions, with limited population-based data from Argentina and other parts of Latin America.
This project aims to address these knowledge gaps by characterizing HMOs in breastmilk samples collected in the Province of San Luis, Argentina, generating the first systematic population-based data from this region. Sample collection is being carried out locally, allowing the study of human milk composition within real-world breastfeeding and public health contexts.
In addition, a subset of samples from women living with HIV will be analyzed in collaboration with the Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas en Retrovirus y SIDA (INBIRS), under the scientific leadership of Dr. Natalia Laufer, as part of an ongoing research line on breastfeeding and HIV that has been under development since 2022. This component of the project seeks to expand scientific evidence on human milk composition in specific clinical contexts where data remain limited.
With support from the Trainee Travel Fund, the analytical phase of this project will be conducted at the Human Milk Institute. This experience will combine data generation, capacity building, and international exchange, supporting the generation of locally relevant scientific evidence to inform public health strategies and contribute to the design of policies aimed at improving maternal and infant health in San Luis, while serving as a reference for broader regional initiatives in maternal and child health.
Dr. Irma Castro-Navarro, PhD, MSc, is a Postdoctoral Associate investigating how maternal lifestyle habits influence the composition of human milk at the University of Idaho, USA.
Irma will travel to the University of Oxford to conduct a study under the mentorship of Professor Fadil Hannan, PhD, Director of the Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation Oxford Centre for the Endocrinology of Human Lactation.
“This TEP opportunity represents a significant step in expanding my training – from primarily observational research to mechanistic insights into milk synthesis. I am deeply grateful to ISRHML and the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation for supporting this exciting work,” says Irma.
Project: ‘Investigating the Effects of Cannabinoids on Mammary Epithelial Cell Function’
The use of cannabis among breastfeeding women is increasing, with many women using it to alleviate common postpartum symptoms. However, while cannabinoids are known to transfer into breastmilk, little is known about how maternal cannabis use may affect mammary epithelial cell (MEC) function and, consequently, milk composition.
Irma’s Trainee Expansion Program (TEP) project will address this gap by investigating the in vitro effects of cannabinoids on mammary epithelial cell (MEC) function and nutrient synthesis – including assessment of signaling pathways, tight junction integrity, and biosynthesis of milk lipid droplets and β-casein. This mechanistic approach will help elucidate how cannabis may influence milk production and composition.
Karlee Schoff, RD, BSc, is a Registered Dietitian working towards her MSc in Human Nutrition in the Cochrane Lab at the University of Saskatchewan, College of Pharmacy and Nutrition, Canada.
Karlee will travel to the Bode Lab at the University of California San Diego Human Milk Institute to conduct specialized assays and advance a project under the mentorship of Professor Lars Bode, PhD, Director of the Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation Mother-Milk-Infant Center of Research Excellence.
“I am deeply grateful for the TEP Trainee Travel Fund, as it provides a unique opportunity to grow as a researcher, learn from global leaders in human milk science, and strengthen my commitment to advancing human milk research and becoming an academic scholar. I am looking forward to gaining hands-on experience with advanced analytical methods and learning within a collaborative research environment that will shape my future career,” says Karlee.
Project: ‘Exploring Human Milk Immunological Composition: A Comparative Study of Lactoferrin and Secretory Immunoglobulin A in Antenatal vs Postnatal Colostrum’
Colostrum, the milk produced in the initial days postpartum, is uniquely tailored to support infant immune development. Antenatal colostrum expression (the practice of hand-expressing colostrum before birth) is an intervention that may support milk production and long-term breastfeeding success. However, the composition of antenatal versus postnatal colostrum is poorly described, limiting guidance for pregnant individuals and our understanding of the potential immunological benefits of antenatal colostrum provision for infants.
Under the supervision of Dr. K. Cochrane in the Cochrane Lab at the University of Saskatchewan, and in collaboration with More Milk Sooner (a grassroots breastfeeding support organization), Karlee is conducting a prospective observational pilot study examining the composition of colostrum collected before and after parturition.
The TEP Trainee Travel Fund will provide Karlee with the opportunity to complete sample analysis with the Bode Lab, helping to address an important gap in human milk research and prenatal care and contributing to the limited evidence surrounding the growing practice of antenatal colostrum expression. Analysis of lactoferrin and secretory immunoglobulin A (sIgA), key immune factors measured in the Bode Lab, will inform the potential clinical benefits of antenatal colostrum expression and explore the novel question of how antenatal colostrum compares with that produced postnatally.
Kristija Sejane, BSc, is an MSc candidate in Human Nutrition at the University of British Columbia, Canada.
Kristija will travel to the University of California, Davis, to conduct research under the mentorship of Dr. Daniela Hampel, PhD, FASN, Project Scientist.
“I am deeply grateful to ISRHML and the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation for the opportunity to visit Dr. Hampel’s lab and gain hands-on experience in human milk micronutrient analysis. This experience will give me the opportunity to strengthen my research skills in the human milk field and contribute to advancing our understanding of maternal and infant nutrition,” says Kristija.
Project: ‘Evaluating the Influence of Two Forms of Prenatal Iron Supplementation on Iron and Lactoferrin Concentrations in Human Milk: A Randomized Trial in Vancouver, Canada’
Adequate iron during pregnancy is essential to reduce the risk of adverse birth outcomes, but dietary intake alone is often insufficient. While common oral iron salts, such as ferrous fumarate, have low bioavailability and frequent gastrointestinal side effects, ferrous bisglycinate offers higher absorption with fewer adverse effects.
Previous research has focused on maternal iron status during pregnancy, with limited attention to postnatal outcomes. Through support from the Trainee Travel Fund, Kristy will address this gap by conducting micronutrient analyses on colostrum and human milk samples, aiming to clarify the relationship between maternal iron status and the composition of human milk. This training will give her hands-on experience with mass spectrometry–based techniques and help produce findings that could directly inform maternal and infant nutrition.
Nazratul Fareha Binti Azman is an MSc Candidate in Community Nutrition at the University of Putra Malaysia.
Fareha will travel to University College London to undertake a research attachment under the mentorship of Professor Mary Fewtrell, MD.
“I am excited that this will be my first international research experience at University College London, where I hope to gain valuable exposure to global approaches in human milk and lactation research. This opportunity will help me build confidence, expand my research skills, and move closer to my goal of improving breastfeeding and emotional well-being among mothers of preterm infants,” says Fareha.
Project: ‘Effects of Relaxation Interventions on Maternal Outcomes in Preterm Care’
Mothers of preterm infants frequently experience high levels of psychological stress during neonatal hospitalization, which may adversely affect breastfeeding performance and milk production. While breastmilk provides critical protection against serious conditions such as sepsis and necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), exclusive breastfeeding rates among mothers of preterm infants remain suboptimal, particularly in stressful clinical environments.
This project investigates the impact of simple, low-cost, and culturally appropriate relaxation interventions on maternal physiological and psychological responses among mothers of preterm infants in a Malaysian university teaching hospital. Using a within-subject randomized design, participating mothers experience five conditions: guided imagery meditation, religious recitation, infant video with music, media usage, and a control condition – allowing each mother to serve as her own control across all sessions.
As part of the Trainee Travel Fund, Fareha will have the opportunity to undertake a short-term research attachment, to further strengthen laboratory-based human milk analysis, where she will analyze the energy and nutrient composition of coded Malaysian human milk samples and collaborate on data processing and interpretation to enhance the translational impact of her research.
The Trainee Expansion Program (TEP)
Enormous, heartfelt thanks to everyone who has made TEP a success. Originally planned to run only for five years, it ran for 10, awarding grants to over 60 early career academics. TEP has now successfully concluded.
We are very grateful to ISRHML as well as to Professor Dr. Lars Bode and Dr. Sara Moukarzel for spearheading the initiative, and to each mentor, host and home institution, the awardees, all who applied, and countless others who championed the program.
Thank you sincerely!
About the International Society for Research in Human Milk and Lactation (ISRHML)
ISRHML is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the promotion of excellence in research and the dissemination of research findings in the field of human milk and lactation. These objectives are met through a biennial international meeting, annual symposia and mini symposia, awarding of trainee expansion grants, awards recognizing significant contributions to the field by established researchers, and communication among members and established liaisons with government agencies, public health authorities, industry, and other organizations interested in human lactation.