Nominations for Position: Social Media Chair
Eow Shiang Yen
Universiti Putra Malaysia, Malaysia
Tell us about yourself
I am Eow Shiang Yen, currently a third-year doctoral student in Community Nutrition at the Department of Nutrition, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences (FMHS), Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM). My doctoral research MYBIOTA is a prospective cohort study aiming to determine the association between gut microbiota with infant health (temperament, gastrointestinal disorders, eczema, asthma, and developmental delays) in Selangor, Malaysia. I completed my Master’s degree in Community Nutrition at Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, FHMS, UPM, in 2019 with my thesis focusing on the factors associated with autism severity in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. My Bachelor’s degree in Nutrition and Community Health was obtained under the same department in 2017 with First Class Honor, during when I won the the University Award of Best Non-Indigenous Graduate and became the valedictorian of FMHS and the Best Graduate in B.Sc. (Nutrition and Community Health). My research interests include microbiota, gut health, disordered eating and nutritional status of children. I presented research findings in national and international conferences such as Sleep Congress of Asian Society of Sleep Medicine (ASSM), International Congress on Obesity and Metabolic Syndrome, Scientific Conference of Nutrition Society of Malaysia (NSM), Southeast Asia Public Health Nutrition (SEA-PHN) Conference, and Asian Congress of Nutrition (ACN). I won the Postgraduate Thesis Prize 2021 in the 36th NSM Annual Science Conference, the Young Investigator Award of THE RD Sleep Congress of ASSM, the Dupont Award of ACN 2019, and the Best Poster Award in the SEA-PHN Conference 2017. I also contribute as an active member in nutrition-related organizations such as NSM, Malaysian Association for the Study of Obesity, Malaysian Society of Body Composition, American Society for Nutrition, and International Society for Research in Human Milk and Lactation.
Apart from my academic involvement, I am also active and undertaking leadership position in a number of nonprofit organizations related to youth, sustainable development goals and religion. I currently serve as the Executive Committee of the Malaysian Youth Council (MYC), holding the portfolio of unity, national integration, and consumerism. I represent MYC in the Youth Committee of Regional Centre of Expertise Greater Kuala Lumpur. I am also the General Secretary of Young Buddhist Association of Malaysia, a national Buddhist organization with 273 member organizations, 13 state liaison committees and 12 standing committees. My hobbies and interests include video editing, reading, religious studies, football, basketball, and productivity tools.
How are you qualified for this role?
My involvement in a number of nonprofit organizations of different nature equips me with practical experience in managing social media. I am familiar with various social media platforms including Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, and WhatsApp. Each of them has different strengths and is suitable for different types of contents which ISRHML can capitalize on to increase the impact of publicity and draw more followers. I frequently perform tasks relevant to social media management including page management, scheduling and premiering posts, designing electronic and printed copies, video shooting and editing, live streaming and copywriting. My experience informs me that social media management evolves quickly and I must develop the habits of learning continuously and adjusting flexibly based on the latest specifications, algorithms, and trends. The experience and feedback I have gained from managing social media enables me to appreciate the importance of proofreading prior to posting because it reflects the professionalism and image of an organization and also how to respond to mistakes when they unfortunately happen. There are human elements to consider when it comes to social media management involving a group of staff members and volunteers liaising together and sometimes there are tight deadlines to meet and urgent tasks to handle. I am confident that I possess not only the technical competence in social media management but also the maturity in liaising with others and handling tasks calmly under pressure.
What do you hope to accomplish in this role?
Firstly, I hope to improve my understanding on ISRHML and networks in the ISRHML community through this role. My participation in ISRHML so far has been limited to attending webinars and networking sessions of short duration. Therefore, I relish the opportunity to have more active and deeper involvement in this organization by working with the ISRHML team to be of service to this organization. Secondly, I hope to utilize my competence and experience in social media channels to attract more followers, create higher engagement, and produce greater publicity impact for the existing ISRHML channels including the Facebook Page and Twitter account. There could be variations in the types of contents produced and even campaigns and competitions being held to achieve this purpose. This aspect is important due to ISRHML social media playing a complementary role to the already-upgraded-and-well-running ISRHML website and networks among the ISRHML community. Thirdly, I will explore with the ISRHML Social Media committee whether there is a necessity for creating more social media channels which can diversify and amplify the publicity efforts. This proposal will have to tally with the long term development of both ISRHML and Social Media committee and I look forward to having discussions and coordination to make it happen if needed. Finally, I hope that during my term of service I could further sharpen my skills on effective information dissemination, marketing, publicity, social media management, team liaison, and many other aspects. Choosing to nominate myself to undertake this role is part of my commitment to continuous and lifelong learning.
Michael Pitino
Oregon State University, United States
Tell us about yourself
I am currently a postdoctoral research fellow at Oregon State University in the lab of Dr. Dave Dallas and I am a recipient of the ISRHML trainee bridge fund. I am Canadian and trained at the University of Toronto with Drs. Deborah O’Connor and Sharon Unger during my MSc (2018) and Ph.D. (2023). I have been working in the field of human milk and lactation for almost 10 years and my research interests lie at the intersection of nutrition and food science, primarily in the optimization of donor human milk processing and the subsequent impact of processing on infant nutrient digestion and absorption. Throughout my graduate school experience, I was involved with my department’s graduate student association, most recently serving as Vice-President and President. I am also currently a member of the Canadian Nutrition Society, Trainee Leadership Committee, sitting on the trainee mentorship sub-committee and I am a regular contributor to Nutrizine, a trainee-led newsletter, highlighting events, accomplishments, and publications.
How are you qualified for this role?
I feel I am qualified for this role as I have several years of leadership experience on trainee-led organizations and I am passionate about working together with like-minded individuals to support ISRHML trainees academically, and in their career development. I have experience organizing well-attended networking events and webinars. I can also effectively leverage various social media platforms, including twitter, to promote trainee accomplishments and engage an audiences on an international scale.
What do you hope to accomplish in this role?
With the help of social media and other communications platforms, I hope to increase the reach of the ISRHML TIG to more trainees worldwide, effectively ensuring a more inclusive, equitable and diverse global community, while ensuring existing trainees feel connected and supported. I also hope to engage all ISRHML trainees in TIG sponsored events and initiatives, supporting the leaders of tomorrow.
Nominations for Position: Global Representation Chair
Andrea Chiara Masi
Newcastle University, United Kingdom
Tell us about yourself
I am about to finish my PhD in Translational Research and I will soon start a PostDoc to build on my doctoral findings. I completed my Undergrad and Master degrees at Florence University (Italy). I carried out my master’s dissertation work in Dr MC Collado’s lab working on breast milk and infant microbiome, and I got so passionate about the subject that I have continued working in this field ever since.
How are you qualified for this role?
My research focusing on understanding the role of human milk on preterm infants gut microbiome and their health status. I am very passionate about human milk research and understanding how this complex biofluid can shape the babies’ health. Being a trainee working on this subject, I think I would suitable for the role. This would be my first experience being part of a committee, and I am very keen to learn new skills and connect with trainees with similar interests.
What do you hope to accomplish in this role?
Being part of the TIG Governing committee I wish develop my skills outside of the lab and the pure research area. I think this opportunity would be very valuable at this time in my career, as this would also allow me to connect with peers across multiple countries. I think it is very important to build inclusive communities in research but also in any other field, and thus I would really appreciate being involved in the committee and being able to actively participate in the ISRHML activities.
Kelsey Johnson
University of Minnesota, United States
Tell us about yourself
I am a postdoc at the University of Minnesota advised by Frank Albert, Ran Blekhman, and Ellen Demerath. My background is in human statistical and population genetics. My postdoc research focuses on how maternal genetics influences gene expression in human milk, and the impacts of milk variation on the infant gut microbiome. My long-term goal is to obtain an independent faculty position and lead a group performing interdisciplinary research across human genomics, lactation biology, and infant health. I would like to join the TIG leadership to make a meaningful contribution to the Society and to connect with other human milk scientists across the world.
How are you qualified for this role?
I am nominating myself for two roles: Trainee Membership Chair and Global Representation Chair. I believe I could be an effective TIG governing committee member in either role. I have been a member of several governance groups, including current positions in the University of Minnesota Faculty Senate and Postdoctoral Association. Through these roles I have gained experience I feel would be useful as a member of the TIG leadership, including new member recruitment, coordinating efforts with other groups across the University, and making effective decisions and accomplishing goals as part of a team. I believe that outreach and engagement to trainees are essential to the health of the organization, and that developing and maintaining professional opportunities and a welcoming environment must go hand-in-hand with new member recruitment.
What do you hope to accomplish in this role?
My first goal, if elected as Global Recruitment Chair, would be to learn more about ISRHML/TIG’s current efforts in global engagement and equity, such as the Global Recruitment Committee, and understand how I can support those efforts. Additionally, I would hope to address the following TIG objectives:
- Foster academic and professional development of trainees through networking, workshops, resources, mentorship, and leadership opportunities
- Expand the diversity and inclusion of our trainee membership, governance, and events;
by achieving the following:
Identify: I would identify countries/Universities with substantial human milk and lactation research that are not represented in recent ISRHML activities, focusing on low- and middle-income countries.
Engage: For identified countries/Universities, I would reach out to publication trainee authors via email with an introduction to ISRHML and the invitation to join TIG slack and virtual events. Promoting inclusion requires meaningful participation and engagement. The success of this committee lies in its ability to cultivate an environment where trainees feel safe taking risks and actively engaging.
Support: I would seek to expand funding opportunities, from ISRHML and elsewhere, for trainees from underrepresented countries to attend and present at ISRHML in-person conferences.
Michael Pitino
Oregon State University, United States
Tell us about yourself
I am currently a postdoctoral research fellow at Oregon State University in the lab of Dr. Dave Dallas and I am a recipient of the ISRHML trainee bridge fund. I am Canadian and trained at the University of Toronto with Drs. Deborah O’Connor and Sharon Unger during my MSc (2018) and Ph.D. (2023). I have been working in the field of human milk and lactation for almost 10 years and my research interests lie at the intersection of nutrition and food science, primarily in the optimization of donor human milk processing and the subsequent impact of processing on infant nutrient digestion and absorption. Throughout my graduate school experience, I was involved with my department’s graduate student association, most recently serving as Vice-President and President. I am also currently a member of the Canadian Nutrition Society, Trainee Leadership Committee, sitting on the trainee mentorship sub-committee and I am a regular contributor to Nutrizine, a trainee-led newsletter, highlighting events, accomplishments, and publications.
How are you qualified for this role?
I feel I am qualified for this role as I have several years of leadership experience on trainee-led organizations and I am passionate about working together with like-minded individuals to support ISRHML trainees academically, and in their career development. I have experience organizing well-attended networking events and webinars. I can also effectively leverage various social media platforms, including twitter, to promote trainee accomplishments and engage an audiences on an international scale.
What do you hope to accomplish in this role?
With the help of social media and other communications platforms, I hope to increase the reach of the ISRHML TIG to more trainees worldwide, effectively ensuring a more inclusive, equitable and diverse global community, while ensuring existing trainees feel connected and supported. I also hope to engage all ISRHML trainees in TIG sponsored events and initiatives, supporting the leaders of tomorrow.
Nominations for Position: Newsletter Editor
Omobolaji Adewuyi
University of Ibadan, Nigeria
Tell us about yourself
I am a Ph.D. candidate from the Department of Human Nutrition, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan investigating the role of Multiple Micronutrient supplementation on human milk and serum selenium.
How are you qualified for this role?
I am currently a member of the Editorial Board of ISRHML Newsletter, a role I’ve been in for about 2 years. The experience gained can be brought onboard TIG Newsletter
What do you hope to accomplish in this role?
- Be proactive while compiling highlights of trainee accomplishments – come up with yearly and quarterly schedule
- Ensure TIG events are well captured in the quarterly ISRHML newsletter (Milk Minutes)
- Coordinate trainee guest writers to contribute to the Milk Minutes newsletter – reach out to trainees well ahead of time
- Work with the team to ensure that there is continuous update to the TIG pages of the ISRHML website
Adrianna Greco
University of British Columbia, Canada
Tell us about yourself
I am a first year PhD student with Dr. Yvonne Lamers in the Human Nutrition program at the University of British Columbia, Canada. I completed my master’s degree at the University of Toronto and dietetic training at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, Canada. During my master’s degree I worked with Dr. Deborah O’Connor in the Department of Nutritional Sciences to validate new instrumentation for micronutrient analysis in human milk, and assessed vitamin B12 concentrations in donor milk provided to very-low-birthweight infants. This experience sparked my interest in human milk research. My current research is focused on assessing the nutrient intake and dietary patterns of mothers and their toddlers, an understudied developmental phase in the first 1000 days of life. I am strongly committed to improving the health and nutritional care of children and their families, and am passionate about community outreach and knowledge translation.
How are you qualified for this role?
I am experienced in methods of online communication and knowledge translation. During my master’s degree at the University of Toronto, I was a key Featured Article writer for ‘Nutrizine’, the student-led magazine in the Department of Nutritional Sciences, which focused on highlighting evidence around current trends in nutrition as well as highlighting the research of students and faculty in the department. I was also involved in the conception and design of each issue. This included developing overall themes for each publication and helping select key articles, interviews, and events to highlight. I am also experienced in website development and have managed social media pages for previous student-led organizations, including Obesity Canada Students and New Professionals (Toronto Metropolitan University Chapter). I believe these experiences set me up well to take over the role of Newsletter Editor in TIG.
What do you hope to accomplish in this role?
As Newsletter Editor, I hope to showcase the research and initiatives undertaken by the ISRHML community and specifically trainee members of ISHRML. I plan to support members of the Newsletter Committee so that the newsletter can continue to be used to promote members of the ISRHML community and highlight the wide array of diverse research being done in the human milk and lactation community. Ultimately, I would like to expand the reach of Milk Minutes so that the exciting work being done in this group can be promoted to other researchers, professionals, and scientific groups, in order to promote and bring awareness to the benefits of human milk feeding.
Nominations for Position: Trainee Membership Chair
Sarah Nyquist
Gladstone Institutes, United States
Tell us about yourself
I am a first year post-doc interested in using computational biology tools to study human milk. My prior work focused on using single cell RNA-seq methods to longitudinally profile the transcriptional changes in the cellular composition of human milk over the course of lactation. I am fascinated by how milk composition changes in different environments and how the experience of lactation relates to parental health. I am currently collaborating with several members of the human milk research and ISRHML community to use computational biology and machine learning tools to understand human milk biology. In my spare time I love spending time outdoors, hanging out with my cats, and going to museums.
How are you qualified for this role?
As a recent member of ISRHML coming from a research lab without other milk researchers, I can relate personally to the difficulties of joining a new field. I was lucky to meet some of the incredible scientists in ISRHML and TIG who helped me gain my footing and I am motivated to play that role for any new members. In addition, during graduate school, I was part of the graduate women mentorship committee where I helped to run a program to facilitate mentor relationships between graduate students across the university and alumni in their field of interest. As part of this role, I recruited graduate students and mentors, identified matches, and set up networking events for participants. I believe that my experience in recruiting, making connections between members, and reaching out to new graduate students have prepared me to take on the role of Trainee Membership Chair.
What do you hope to accomplish in this role?
At every stage of my career so far, I have been incredibly fortunate in finding generous mentors and advisors who made me feel welcome and empowered to pursue my goals. If selected as trainee membership chair, I hope to facilitate these relationships for new trainees starting out in the lactation and milk field as well as those joining the organization for the first time. It can make a world of difference to feel included and welcomed into a new group when attending a meeting for the first time, so I hope to continue the work done by previous TIG leadership to reach out to and include new TIG members at conferences and virtual events as well as recruit additional trainees to join the group. As part of this, I would be interested in facilitating 1:1 connections or small interest groups between trainees at different institutions to catalyze collaborations and career guidance within TIG.
Aria Grabowski
University of Michigan, United States
Tell us about yourself
Hi! My name is Aria Grabowski. I received my Bachelor of Science in Biology and my Master of Public Health in Nutritional Sciences and Registered Dietitian certification from the University of Michigan. Currently, I am a PhD student in the Department of Nutritional Sciences at the University of Michigan School of Public Health. I am anticipating graduating in May 2025 with my doctoral degree in Nutritional Epidemiology. My interest in human milk and lactation developed during my MPH, when I had the opportunity to work with LiquidGoldConcept,Inc and at a local WIC agency. My current research focuses on environmental (heavy metal and diet) exposure during breastfeeding and its impact on maternal and infant outcomes. Specifically, I am interested in how maternal diet during breastfeeding and heavy metals in human milk intersect to impact offspring metabolic and bone health. I am very passionate about ensuring translational research in human milk and lactation research to the clinical setting.
How are you qualified for this role?
Throughout my education journey, I have had the opportunity to be on numerous organization boards which has prepared me well for this position. Currently I am the chair for a PhD/MS workshop and on a school-wide Social PhD committee. As the PhD/MS workshop chair, I coordinate networking and research presentation opportunities in our department. This has allowed for increased peer-to-peer feedback and connections with each other. Although on a much smaller scale, the feedback from this experience and lessons learned will help me as the trainee membership chair. Additionally, as my role on the school-wide Social PhD committee, I have connected with numerous collaborators and learned about the issues trainees are facing and how best to support them!
What do you hope to accomplish in this role?
The world of human milk research is a fantastic community. The research team I am primarily part of is not focused on human milk research, and as such I have had to become the human milk “expert” on my team. This has shown me how helpful members of this community are, but also how difficult finding resources can often be. As the trainee membership chair, I hope to be that bridge for trainees that are newly entering the field and struggling, as I was, to get connected to resources. Additionally, I want to introduce more social networking opportunities while in this role. From my experience at conferences, I have made the best connections in non-formal settings where trainees feel comfortable. I want to create this kind of environment with networking opportunities for trainees. This is a tall-task due to the impressive breadth and geographic range that ISRHML has, but I think it is an important task that I will aim to accomplish. Ensuring we create a supportive network of trainees is imperative to advancing each-other’s careers and the field.
Kelsey Johnson
University of Minnesota, United States
Tell us about yourself
I am a postdoc at the University of Minnesota advised by Frank Albert, Ran Blekhman, and Ellen Demerath. My background is in human statistical and population genetics. My postdoc research focuses on how maternal genetics influences gene expression in human milk, and the impacts of milk variation on the infant gut microbiome. My long-term goal is to obtain an independent faculty position and lead a group performing interdisciplinary research across human genomics, lactation biology, and infant health. I would like to join the TIG leadership to make a meaningful contribution to the Society and to connect with other human milk scientists across the world.
How are you qualified for this role?
I am nominating myself for two roles: Trainee Membership Chair and Global Representation Chair. I believe I could be an effective TIG governing committee member in either role. I have been a member of several governance groups, including current positions in the University of Minnesota Faculty Senate and Postdoctoral Association. Through these roles I have gained experience I feel would be useful as a member of the TIG leadership, including new member recruitment, coordinating efforts with other groups across the University, and making effective decisions and accomplishing goals as part of a team. I believe that outreach and engagement to trainees are essential to the health of the organization, and that developing and maintaining professional opportunities and a welcoming environment must go hand-in-hand with new member recruitment.
What do you hope to accomplish in this role?
If elected as Trainee Membership Chair, my first goal would be to learn about the ongoing work of TIG and the ISRHML Membership committee, to understand how I can support these efforts and where new approaches might be needed. My primary objectives would be to expand TIG’s membership, and to enhance connections between existing members. I would support TIG’s efforts in trainee-focused webinars and other professional opportunities, as these events are a key way to draw in and engage new members. I would focus on identifying potential new trainee non-members through ISRHML event rosters, and also by outreach to trainee authors of human milk and lactation publications who are uninvolved in ISRHML. In collaboration with the Global Recruitment Chair, I would place particular emphasis on expanding membership in regions currently underrepresented in ISRHML.