Overview of the NDC Lactation Fellowship curriculum (transitioning from interim 2024-25 curriculum to the final 2026 curriculum)
Your time commitment
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Estimate each module 3 hours in total (you will have already completed a lot of the relevant material in PBL Basics and Intermediate + resource hub). Some will be more, others less, but we anticipate this as the average. That comes to a total of 3 x 29 = 87 hours. This includes
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Guest speaker presentations
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Attendance of 6 'live online' Fellowship sessions
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Completion at your own pace over 5 year period.
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You've already invested in
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Masterclasses (25 hrs) +
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NDC Accreditation (50 hrs), so
total time investment to become an NDC Lactation Fellow = 162 hours (Masterclasses, NDC Accreditation, Lactation Fellowship).
Intended course development ongoing between Feb & July 2026
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Finalise all MCQ assessments
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Development of learning outcomes
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Content summaries (this will be gradual over the next year or so)
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Online + peer group learning & support - still under development, finalised soon
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Graduation of first cohort of early adopters mid-2026
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Guest speakers for second half of 2026 & 2027.
Curriculum overview 2026
| Module # | Module title 2026 | Module title on 2025 spreadsheet + (temporarily) available as a standalone LF module in backend |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Evolutionary context: Homo sapiens + lactation | |
| 2 | Functional anatomy of suck and swallow + airway protection | Fundamentals of clinical breastfeeding support |
| 3 | Maternal milk ejection reflex | Functional anatomy, physiology, mechanobiology of lactation + composition of human milk |
| 4 | Fit & hold: advanced clinical interventions | Fundamentals of clinical breastfeeding support |
| 5 | Evolutionary patterns of breastfeeding + sociocultural disruptors | Fundamentals of clinical breastfeeding support |
| 6 | Functional anatomy, physiology, mechanobiology of lactation | Functional anatomy, physiology, mechanobiology of lactation + composition of human milk |
| 7 | Milk composition, mammary microbiomes, and the maternal-infant immune system | Functional anatomy, physiology, mechanobiology of lactation + composition of human milk |
| 8 | Regulation of human mammary gland secretion: models and mechanisms | Functional anatomy, physiology, mechanobiology of lactation + composition of human milk |
| 9 | Whole person + whole family care: complexity, transdisciplinary generalism, patient-centred communication & lactation medicine | |
| 10 | Antenatal preparation for breastfeeding | Breastfeeding & lactation support in pregnancy and first three weeks postbirth |
| 11 | Initiation of breastfeeding: the first three weeks post-birth | Breastfeeding & lactation support in pregnancy and first three weeks postbirth |
| 12 | Maternal nutrition during lactation + alcohol | Antenatal preparation + initiation of breastfeeding in the first three weeks postbirth |
| 13 | Synchronising breast milk production with infant caloric need | Mismatch between breast milk production & infant caloric need |
| 14 | Non-puerperal induction of lactation + relactation | Mismatch between breast milk production & infant caloric need |
| 15 | Pedagogy, interpreting research, identifying ideology, growing collective intelligence in lactation medicine | Research + pedagogy in lactation education |
| 16 | Nipple pain & damage (inflammation of nipple-areolar complex) | Breast inflammation |
| 17 | Restricted oral connective tissues in infants | Infant medical conditions + lactation and breastfeeding |
| 18 | The fussy breastfed infant | The fussy breastfed infant |
| 19 | Breast inflammation (stroma) | Breast inflammation |
| 20 | Abscess, galactocoele, phlegmon, fistula. Dr Adam Ofri | Breast inflammation (stroma) |
| 21 | Breast imaging in pregnancy & lactation, benign breast disease, idiopathic granulomatous mastitis. Dr Adam Ofri | Breast inflammation (stroma) |
| 22 | Ethics, politics, business, and the WHO Code | Sociocultural context of breastfeeding + running a business in lactation care |
| 23 | Infant medical conditions | Infant medical conditions + lactation & breastfeeding |
| 24 | The preterm infant | The preterm infant: breastfeeding & lactation |
| 25 | Maternal medical conditions | Maternal medical conditions + paid work + lactation & breastfeeding |
| 26 | Maternal medications + supplements during lactation - Associate Professor Treasure McGuire | Maternal medical conditions + paid work + lactation & breastfeeding |
| 27 | Infant development & lactation | Infant development & lactation |
| 28 | Mental health + wellbeing of the lactating woman | Perinatal mental health and wellbeing of the lactating woman |
| 29 | Overmedicalisation, paramedicalisation, and overtreatment of the breastfeeding woman and her infant | Perinatal mental health and wellbeing of the lactating woman |
Related resources
About The NDC Lactation Fellowship
The NDC Lactation Fellowship: what makes it different
The NDC Lactation Fellowship: upskilling leaders in lactation medicine
The NDC Lactation Fellowship: cost and comparisons
NDC Lactation Fellowship Curriculum (Transitioning from interim 2024-25 curriculum to the final 2026 curriculum)