We are so grateful for the more than 750 people who came together to share #ILCA17. Whether you joined us virtually or face-to-face, we were honored to be with you as we explored the conference theme of Knowledge, Equity, Diversity: Global Access to Skilled Lactation Care.

Here is a quick recap of some of the images captured by you and by our photographer, Bill Ivy of the Nursing Moms Project.

Together, we shared critical knowledge for our field. Click below to get a recap of some of the plenary sessions via Twitter.

Plenary Session: Gender Diversity, Language, and Inclusion for Lactation Specialists (Aiden Farrow, IBCLC)

Plenary: Bridging the Research-Practice Gap (Sonia Semenic, PhD, RN)

Plenary: Advocacy for Breastfeeding and Skilled Lactation Care: Lessons from Around the World (Arun Gupta, MD, FIAP)

The Global Partners Panel: Furthering the Global Breastfeeding Agenda through Local, National, Regional, and International Advocacy (Arun Gupta, MD, FIAP; Zoe Faulkner, BA (Hons), IBCLC; Rosalie Sarasua, MA, IBCLC)

Plenary Session: The Evidence for Human Donor Milk (Sharon Unger, BSc, MD, FRCP)

ILCA President Michelle Griswold’s Address

Plenary Session: Diabetes and Antenatal Milk Expressing (DAME): A Randomised Controlled Trial (Anita Moorhead, RN, RM, IBCLC)

Plenary Session: Breast Cancer and Its Relationship to Breastfeeding (Fedro Peccatori, MD, PhD)

Plenary Session: Protecting Families from Misleading Marketing Practices Accountability through Human Rights (Marcus Stahlhofer, BSc, MSc)

We shared our gratitude for three departing board members, Sara Gill, Lisa Mandell, and Al Wolf. Want to learn more about what comes next for our outgoing leaders? Click here to read more and to thank Sara, Lisa, and Al.

Sharing Our Gratitude: Sara Gill Farewell Interview

Sharing Our Gratitude: Lisa Mandell Farewell Interview

Sharing Our Gratitude: Al Wolf Farewell Interview

We celebrated those who contribute to our ever-growing field of research through three awards:

Presenting the Patricia Martens Annual Award for Excellence in Breastfeeding Research: Cesar G. Victora

Presenting the Miriam Labbok New Investigator Award: Jason P. Bently

Presenting the Journal of Human Lactation Best Research Article with a Practice Focus Award: Vicky Fallon and Colleagues

We were also reminded that our field still has much work to do to achieve our goals of equity and diversity. We are grateful for the thoughtful conversations that took place, both those that were planned at conference sessions and meetings, and those that took place informally long into the nights in Toronto.

For those seeking additional resources around equity and lactation, here are a few resources:

ILCA’s commitment to the core value of equity

Pandora’s Box Is Already Open: Answering the Ongoing Call to Dismantle Institutional Oppression in the Field of Breastfeeding, Cynthia Good Mojab, MS, IBCLC, RLC, CATSM

The Lactation Equity Action Committee: A Brief History and ILCA’s Role

Lactation Professionals and Gender-Inclusive Language: An Interview with Aiden Farrow, IBCLC

Lactation Support and the LGBTQI Community

Equity in Breastfeeding: Where Do We Go from Here?

2014 Lactation Summit: Addressing Inequities in the Lactation Profession—Summary Report

United Nations Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner. United against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related intolerance

All new online conference format goes far beyond live streaming to bring you the clinical skills you need, connect you with the #ILCA17 community, and build your changemaker toolbox.

What’s New at #ILCA17 Virtual Conference:

LEARNING: More than DOUBLE the continuing education of previous live streaming events. 14 Continuing Education Units will be available for the Virtual Conference.

CONNECTION: BUILD RELATIONSHIPS with the entire #ILCA17 community and join our Online CONNECT Community, exclusively for conference attendees. Chat with both face-to-face and virtual participants, get your questions answered by participating speakers, and find and share resources on the topics discussed at the conference.

BUILD THE SESSIONS YOU NEED: In addition to the scheduled sessions, #ILCA17 virtual attendees get FREE additional continuing education. Choose the content YOU need most by adding one additional credit from our on-demand learning in the Knowledge Center.

LIVE OR ON YOUR TIME: Participate LIVE or watch on YOUR time – 90 full days of ACCESS to your content.

EASY TO USE + HELP WHEN YOU NEED IT: New to virtual conferences? We are here to help! EASY-TO-USE conference platform with dedicated, friendly, and patient tech support. During the live sessions, our professional tech support is supported by skilled moderators. We love bringing your online questions to the floor of #ILCA17!

Virtual Conference Highlights:

• SEVEN plenary speakers: Arun Gupta, Sharon Unger, Anita Moorhead, Rafael Pérez-Escamilla, Doris Fok, Fedro Peccatori, and Marcus Stahlhofer

• TWO concurrent sessions: Lactation and Medications: A Multidisciplinary Approach to Making Hard Decisions and When Evidence Changes Practice: Building a Skill Set for Interpreting and Applying Lactation Research

• ONE workshop session: Infant and Maternal Factors Contributing to the Decision to Treat Restrictive Lingual and Maxillary Frenula: A Review of over 2000 Client Records from 2013-2016

• ILCA Annual General Meeting

• The Global Partners Panel: Furthering the Global Breastfeeding Agenda through Local, National, Regional, and International Advocacy

• Lots of exclusive Virtual Conference content during break times

Equity Access Pricing:

ILCA is committed to ensuring the lactation community has access to #ILCA17, even in low-resource countries. Live streaming pricing is based on the same equity pricing model as our annual membership dues:

Category A: Standard/Clinical Members – $165, Students/Breastfeeding Supporters – $89, Retired – $66

Category B: Standard/Clinical Members – $32, Students/Breastfeeding Supporters – $19, Retired – $13

Category C: Standard/Clinical Members – $8, Students/Breastfeeding Supporters – $5, Retired – $4

Category D: Standard/Clinical Members – $4, Students/Breastfeeding Supporters – $2, Retired – $2

Non-Member Pricing: $241

To find which category your country is in, click here.

FREE registration for the #ILCA17 Virtual Conference winner announced!

Thank you to all those who left comments on Lactation Matters and in this ILCA Facebook post letting us know from whom you are most looking forward to learning during the #ILCA17 Virtual Conference!

Congratulations to our contest winner Barbara Murray! Barbara will have the opportunity to learn from her top picks, Anita Moorhead and Sharon Unger, as well as participate in the rest of our #ILCA17 Virtual Conference lineup.

Not a contest winner? Watch your inbox on 20 June for a special 10% discount code off registration for everyone who participated. See the complete #ILCA17 Virtual Conference agenda online by visiting our website!

Join the International Lactation Consultant Association (ILCA) for the #ILCA17 Virtual Conference!

Our all-new format goes far beyond live streaming to bring you the clinical skills you need, connect you with the #ILCA17 community, and build your changemaker toolbox.

LEARNING: More than DOUBLE the continuing education of previous live streaming. 14 Continuing Education Units will be available for this event. 

CONNECTION: BUILD RELATIONSHIPS with the entire #ILCA17 community and join our Online CONNECT Community, exclusively for conference attendees. Chat with both face-to-face and virtual participants, get your questions answered by participating speakers, and find and share resources on the topics discussed at the conference.

BUILD THE SESSIONS YOU NEED: In addition to the scheduled sessions, #ILCA17 virtual attendees get FREE additional continuing education. Choose the content YOU need most by adding one additional credit from our on-demand learning in the Knowledge Center.

LIVE or ON YOUR TIME: Participate LIVE or watch on YOUR time – 90 full days of ACCESS to your content.

EASY TO USE + HELP WHEN YOU NEED IT: New to virtual conferences? We are here to help! EASY-TO-USE conference platform with dedicated, friendly, and patient tech support. During the live sessions, our professional tech support is supported by skilled moderators. We love bringing your online questions to the floor of #ILCA17!

For more information about the #ILCA17 online conference, a full schedule of events, and registration information, visit the virtual conference webpage!

This year’s International Lactation Consultant Association® (ILCA®) annual conference—Knowledge, Diversity, Equity: Global Access to Skilled Lactation Care—will be held 19-22 July 2017 at the Sheraton Centre Toronto Hotel & Towers in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

While you are enjoying the speakers and connecting with the ILCA community, we know you will also want to take time to explore all that Toronto has to offer.

We’ve assembled a list of some of the top attractions in Toronto. We hope you will share with us in the comments some of your favorite things to do in the area.

• St. Lawrence Market: Part farmer’s market, part artisan fair, part cultural exhibition space, part office building, the St. Lawrence Market is a must-see for any Toronto visitor.

• Casa Loma: A castle? In Toronto? Yes! This European-style castle and former home of Canadian financier Sir Henry Pellatt is complete with decorated suites, secret passages, an 800-foot tunnel, towers, stables, and beautiful five-acre estate gardens.

• Royal Ontario Museum: This family-friendly art and natural history museum has a diverse collection unlike any place else. Paintings, sculpture, glass works, folk art, and textiles on the one hand; dinosaurs, Cenozoic mammals, rocks and minerals, and mummies on the other.

• CN Tower: Listed as one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World, the CN Tower offers awe-inspiring engineering and one amazing view. See Toronto from on high, or make an evening of it and dine at the Tower’s famous 360 Restaurant—1150 feet above the city.

• Toronto Islands: Slip away from the city for bit and take a ferry out to one or more of the Toronto Islands, a short ride from the city center. The islands are a great place for a family picnic, amusement park rides, lounging on the beach, or renting a kayak or bicycle for more exploring.

• Distillery District: Wander the historic Distillery District. Once the home of Canada’s largest distiller, this pedestrian-only neighborhood is a blend of old and new. Victorian buildings and carriage roads are the setting for contemporary cafes, art galleries, and performance spaces.

• Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada: 135,000 square-feet, more than 1.5 million gallons of water, 16,000 aquatic animals, 100 species of fish—right downtown.

• Harbourfront Centre: A 10-acre public trust born of a former warehouse district, now a thriving neighborhood and cultural hub along the shore of Lake Ontario.

• Ontario Science Centre: About 8 miles from downtown, children and adults can explore hundreds of educational exhibits related to science and technology. The facility also includes a planetarium and IMAX theater.

• Hockey Hall of Fame: We HAD to include it! A museum and entertainment destination like no other, a trip to Toronto is not complete without at least a small dose of this iconic sport. Just think what your friends will say when you tell them you’ve seen the original Stanley Cup!

We can’t wait to share with you all Toronto has to offer at #ILCA17!

The 2017 International Lactation Consultant Association Conference, Knowledge, Diversity, Equity: Global Access to Skilled Lactation Care, is being held at the Sheraton Centre Toronto Hotel and Towers from 19-22 July 2017. This four-day conference combines research and practice presentations with clinical and research skill development.

We invite you to consider facilitating Clinical Skills Rotations and/or presenting a concurrent session, workshop, or project or research poster session at the 2017 ILCA Conference. The ILCA Annual Conference showcases educators with exceptional expertise and teaching skills in order to provide quality information to attendees. ILCA’s Call for Abstracts provides an opportunity for lactation specialists and other experts in lactation-related fields to submit proposals to share their insights, expertise, skills, and research with colleagues.

If you are interested in submitting an abstract, please visit the Speaker Submission Site to learn more about 2017 session formats, submission categories, and submission guidelines (you can also find the 2017 Presenter and Facilitator Guidelines HERE and the 2017 Clinical Skills Session Guidelines HERE). More details about ILCA’s Call for Abstracts can be found HERE. The Speaker Submission Site will be open until 9 December 2016 (US calendar and Eastern Standard Time). When the site closes, the Conference Program Task Force and Research Task Force will begin their blind review of submitted abstracts.

If you have any questions about the submission process or if you submit an abstract and do not receive email notification by 9 December 2016, please contact us at conference@ilca.org.

The opportunity to submit a proposal is now closed. Thank you to all who participated.