Events

About our guest speaker program

The NDC Institute is excited to launch our guest speaker program for 2024 and 2025. We think of this as a live online conference, offered in bite-sized pieces at a convenient time of day for professionals with busy lives, right throughout the year.

We will bring you monthly presentations by, and discussions with, highly qualified experts on a range of topics relevant to the care of parents with infants. The presentations will be of interest to

• Health professionals and providers who are current members of The NDC Institute, for whom attendance is free of charge, and

• Health professionals and providers from the public who are welcome to join us live online for a small fee.

2024 guest speaker program

Date	Time	Presenter	Title
Tues 8 Oct 24	7.00-8.30pm (AEST)	Dr Kate Rassie	Diabetes, PCOS,  breastfeeding
Tues 29 Oct 24	7.00-8.00pm (AEST)	Dr Adam Ofri	Lactation-related breast complications (abscesses, galactoceles, and fistulas)
Tues 26 Nov 24	7.00pm (AEST)	Prof Donna Geddes	A research update on the composition of human milk

Following the excellent presentations by Dr Kate Rassie and Dr Adam Ofri, we are delighted to confirm that our next guest presenter is Professor Donna Geddes.

Professor Donna Geddes

Tuesday 26 November 2024, 7.00-8.00pm (AEST) A research update on the composition of human milk

Professor Donna Geddes is Director, School of Molecular Sciences, Centre for Human Lactation Research and Translation and Senior Principal Research Fellow, School of Molecular Sciences. Donna has dedicated her career to advancing our understanding of human lactation and maternal-infant health. She has had several leadership roles including, Head of the Geddes Hartmann Human Lactation Research Group, Director of the Australian Breastfeeding Research + Lactation Research and Science Translation Network, and Milk Sensor Lead and ARC Industrial Transformation Training Centre for Next-Gen Technologies in Biomedical Analysis.

Further details on how to register for Professor Geddes presentation are detailed below.

2025 Guest Speaker Program

Date	Time	Presenter	Title
Tues 25 Feb 25	7.00-8.00pm (AEST)	Dr Adam Ofri	Breast Imaging in the pregnant and lactating patient
Tues 11 Mar 25	7.00-8.00pm (AEST)	Dr Kate Rassie	Obesity and breastfeeding
Tues 25 Mar 25	7.00-8.00pm (AEST)	Dr Sharon Perella	Preterm breastfeeding
Tues 8 Apr 25	7.00-8.00pm (AEST)	Dr Adam Ofri	Idiopathic granulomatous mastitis + benign breast diseases
Tues 13 May 25	8.00-9.00pm (AEST)	Dr Kate Rassie	Estrogen, bones and breastfeeding
Tues 1 July 25	7.00-8.00pm (AEST)	Dr Felicity Davis	Mechanobiology and breast inflammation
Date TBC	7.00-8.00pm (AEST)	Dr Rob Purssey	Exploring the role of SSRIs in perinatal mental health
Date TBC	7.00-8.00pm (AEST)	Dr Johanna Lynch	The nature of holistic generalism in medical practice
Date TBC	7.00-8.00pm (AEST)	Dr Johanna Lynch	The senses and emotional and mental wellbeing

Dr Adam Ofri

Tuesday 25 February 2025, 7.00-8.00pm (AEST) Breast imaging in the pregnant and lactating patient

Tuesday 8 April 2025, 7.00-8.00pm (AEST) Idiopathic granulomatous mastitis + benign breast diseases

Dr Adam Ofri is a Breast Surgeon with Northern Breast Care in North Sydney, Goals in Bondi Junction and is a Visting Medical Officer at Bega South-East Regional Hospital. He has interests in preventative breast care (including tailored breast screening and risk assessment), benign and malignant breast disease. He also has a passion for academia being a Senior Lecturer at the University of Sydney, and a Clinical Research Fellow at the Royal Prince Alfred Institute of Academic Surgery. He is the recipient of the 2023 and 2024 Clinical Research Fellowships for Breast Cancer Trials and was awarded the 2023 John Collins Medal. His research is focussed on evaluating targeted axillary dissection in Australia and New Zealand, as well as designing a national RCT to evaluate DCISionRT.

You can visit Dr Ofri's website here.

Dr Kate Rassie

Tuesday 11 March 2025, 7.00-8.00pm, Obestity and Breastfeeding

Tuesday 13 May 2025, 8.00-9.00pm, Estrogen, bones and breastfeeding

Dr Kate Rassie is a consultant endocrinologist at Monash Health and at Jean Hailes for Women’s Health, Melbourne. She is also a final-year PhD candidate at Monash Centre for Health Research and Implementation, Monash University. Her doctoral thesis focuses on the relationships between maternal metabolic health and breastfeeding, with a focus on insulin-resistant conditions such as PCOS and diabetes. Clinically, she works in diabetes, obesity and metabolism; and is across all aspects of female hormonal health including menopause, PCOS and menstrual disorders.

Details on Dr Rassie's research group at Monash University, Melbourne can be found here.

Dr Sharon Perrella

Tuesday 25 March 2025, 7.00-8.00pm (AEST) Preterm Breastfeeding

Dr Sharon Perrella, PhD(Dist) RN RM IBCLC, is a Research Fellow at the Geddes Hartmann Human Lactation Research Group, UWA. Sharon has a clinical background and experience in paediatrics, midwifery and neonatal intensive care with a special interest in preterm breastfeeding and milk production. Since PhD graduation Sharon has used ultrasound and intraoral vacuum measurement to examine sucking dynamics and suck-swallow-breathe coordination, while her current work focuses on the identification and management of women at risk of reduced breastfeeding duration. Her clinical knowledge, experience and desire to improve outcomes for mothers and infants has driven her passion to make a difference by leading human lactation research, resulting in new knowledge and meaningful changes in evidence-based care.

How to register and join online

All NDC Institute Masterclass, Accreditation Pathway and Maintenance, and NDC Providers + Educators registrants are welcome to join the live online Guest Presenter presentations at no additional cost. The zoom link for the presentation can be found in the education hub as follows:

Module 1 - Masterclass registrants

Module 2 - NDC Maintenance members

Module 3 - NDC Accreditation members

Evaluation Module: NDC for Provider+Educator registrants

Step #4 - Sleep Baby and You registrants

Registered health professionals who are not members of the NDC Accreditation and Pathway programs can join by registering via the Eventbrite links below:

Prof Donna Geddes, Tuesday 26 November 2024 A research update on the composition of human milk - Registration

Dr Adam Ofri, Tuesday 25 February 2025 Breast Imaging in the pregnant and lactating patient - Registration

Dr Kate Rassie, Tuesday 11 March 2025 Obesity and breastfeeding - Registration

Dr Sharon Perrella, Tuesday 25 March 2025 Preterm breastfeeding - Registration

Dr Adam Ofri, Tuesday 8 April 2025 Idiopathic granulomatous mastitis + benign breast diseases - Registration

Dr Kate Rassie, Tuesday 13 May 2025 Estrogen, bones and breastfeeding - Registration

Presentations will not be available by recording (other than in specific sections of the NDC Lactation Felllowship).

Further details on our guest speaker program are coming soon - please watch this space!