UWA PLUS
Breastfeeding - A Foundation for Human Health 1 and 2
No country in the world is meeting minimum recommended durations for breastfeeding. Early weaning is resulting in significant costs to human health, survival, economic and environmental outcomes. Although scientific discoveries that improve our understanding of how breastfeeding works are increasing, these discoveries are taking many years to reach patient care. These Lactology courses fast-track this new knowledge from the laboratory to the community.
Upon successful completion, you’ll receive:
- 3 PD Points -stackable for unspecified academic credit in award courses
- A Certificate of Achievement
- A UWA Plus Professional Development Transcript, listing all successfully completed micro-credentials
Delivery mode
- Online
- Start date
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- Breastfeeding a foundation for human health 1: Monday 11th September 2023
- Breastfeeding a foundation for human health 2: Monday 30th October 2023
Applications close
- One week prior to start date
- Duration
- Each UWA lactology course is delivered over a 6 week period
- Each UWA lactology course delivers 75 hours of learning comprising pre-recorded lectures, online discussion, live question and answer sessions, reading and assessments.
- Academic Lead
- Melinda Boss
- Cost
- Introductory price of $495 (incl GST) for each UWA lactology course
- Critical information summary
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Breastfeeding: A foundation for human health - micro-credential 1 (PDF 115KB)
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Breastfeeding: A foundation for human health - micro-credential 2 (PDF 114KB)
Effort

What you'll learn
Breastfeeding: A foundation for human health, course 1:
- Learn about latest breastfeeding research, provided by global experts in the field.
- Be guided to understand how to interpret scientific research and the specific challenges relating to breastfeeding.
- Practise how to apply this new knowledge to subsequent breastfeeding care.
Breastfeeding: A foundation for human health, course 2:
- Learn about global breastfeeding perspectives and current challenges
- Apply your new knowledge to actively contribute to the development and improvement of fundamental breastfeeding standards
An evidence-based foundation for improved delivery of consistent, effective care
Latest global perspectives and current breastfeeding challenges
New discoveries that can be used to strengthen breastfeeding care

Why study this course?
Breastfeeding - A Foundation for Human Health course 1
Graduates will be able to:
- Describe the importance of breastfeeding and its impact on health, the economy and the environment
- Apply framework for screening breastfeeding to identify normal function
- Critically analyse breastfeeding research and apply their understanding of current gaps in knowledge to interpret research outcomes
Breastfeeding - A Foundation for Human Health course 2
Graduates will be able to:
- Describe current breastfeeding challenges and perspectives from a range of geographic, social and societal settings.
- Apply their understanding of current breastfeeding challenges to create and extend standards in lactation terminology
- Apply their understanding of contemporary challenges for breastfeeding families in order to analyse and communicate evidence-based breastfeeding information
Who should study this course
These UWA breastfeeding short courses are designed to suit anyone with an interest in how breastfeeding works. This includes, but is not limited to, those working in a healthcare field with breastfeeding mothers and infants (eg lactation consultants, doctors, nurses, midwives, child health nurses, speech pathologists, pharmacists, dietitians, sonographers) as well as those interested in pursuing a career in lactation research, or developing lactation education
Recommended prior knowledge
It is recommended to study UWA breastfeeding course1 before UWA breastfeeding course 2, however this is not essential.
How does it work?
These short professional qualifications are 100% online and can be completed as a one-off or stacked together. Each Lactology course consists of 6 lectures plus interactive tutorials and assessments totalling 75 hours of learning. This is delivered over 6 weeks. Interactive activities can be attended online in real-time, or a recording can be watched at a time that is convenient for the student.
What's next after this course?
- PD Points earned by completing these UWA breastfeeding courses can also be converted to academic credit if you commence an undergraduate/postgraduate course.
- Research discoveries from UWA have revolutionised understanding of the function of the lactating breast, and statistics show that breastfeeding is failing to function normally most of the time. It is widely quoted that it takes about 17 years for just 14% of original research to reach patient care. Our new UWA Lactology courses deliver these latest discoveries to help strengthen current available care and improve breastfeeding outcomes for families.