Douglas College Breast/Chestfeeding Education Day 2026

Dr. Rebecca Hoban is a board certified neonatologist with a strong clinical, research, and educational interest in human milk and lactation. Dr. Hoban graduated from Indiana University School of Medicine and completed pediatric residency at Cincinnati Children’s, neonatology fellowship at Tufts Floating Hospital Boston, and a masters in public health at Harvard.  She has held positions as a staff neonatologist at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago and the Hospital for Sick Children/University of Toronto in Canada, before moving back to the US in 2023 to become Director of Breastfeeding Medicine for the Division of Neonatology at Seattle Children’s Hospital and the University of Washington.   She brings extensive clinical, educational, and training experiences from a dozen countries and is active in clinical and translational human milk research. Recent research and clinical projects include improving human milk provision in the high-risk neonatal population, milk sodium and biomarkers to predict lactation success, lactation in the context of substance use, and human milk as potential stem cell therapy in preterm infants with intraventricular hemorrhage.

Guest speakers

Melissa Cole, MS, IBCLC, RLC is a board certified lactation consultant, neonatal oral-motor assessment professional, and clinical herbalist in private practice. Melissa has been passionate about providing comprehensive, holistic lactation support and improving the level of clinical lactation skills for health professionals. She enjoys teaching, researching and writing about wellness and lactation-related topics. Melissa holds a bachelor of science degree in maternal child health and lactation consulting and her master’s work is in therapeutic, clinical herbalism. Melissa actively conducts research and collaborates with several lactation and health care professional associations.

Jessy Dame is a very proud Two-Spirit, Métis, Certified Registered Nurse. Jessy was a recipient of the King Charles III Coronation Medal in September 2024. Jessy’s family is from Treaty 1 and 2 territory, which is known today as Winnipeg and St Rose-du-lac. Jessy has worked within Neonatal/Postnatal health. He currently works casually within a queer sexual health clinic in downtown Vancouver. Jessy is the Indigenous Sex and Gender Leader within the Indigenous Wellness team and the Director of Two-Spirit Health with the Community Based Research Centre. Through these roles Jessy is able to work with and for the Two-Spirit community to create resources and advocate for services

Time PST

Topic

Speaker

8:30-8:45 am

Welcome and Introduction 

Denise Cacchioni

8:45-11:00

Evaluating Beyond the Frenulum

Melissa Cole 

11:00-11:15

Break

11:15-12:30 pm

Baby Feeding Beyond the Binary

Jessy Dame

12:30-1:15

Lunch

1:15-2:45

Lactation Physiology and Support

Dr. Rebecca Hoban

2:45-3:00

Break

3:00-4:30

Milk as Medicine 

Dr. Rebecca Hoban

4:30-4:45

Closing Remarks

Denise Cacchioni