Eline Tommelein, PharmD, PhD, LC
Prof Eline Tommelein obtained her master’s degree in Drug Development in 2011. She subsquently started her PhD research at the Pharmaceutical Care Unit (UGent), focusing on the one hand on continued pharmaceutical care for patients with COPD and on the other hand on older patients with polypharmacy. She obtained her PhD in September 2016. In 2019, after an academic break of 3 years, during which she started her own continuous education company ‘Medicourse’ she returned to academia, taking up a professorship at the ‘Vrije Universiteit Brussel’. She oversees the courses ‘Line project III: introduction to the pharmaceutical practice’, ‘Integrated pharmacology and pharmacotherapy I and II’ and ‘Internship in the community pharmacy and serious gaming’. She also teaches the elective course ‘Nutrition in the first two years of life’ and provides several guest classes considering food supplements.
In the meantime, she followed additional training in clinical chemistry in Utrecht (The Netherlands) in 2012 and obtained certification of medication reviewer (PIAF pharmacist) in November 2015. In 2018 she graduated as a smoking cessation specialist. In 2020 she completed the postgraduate as a lactation consultant.
Prof Tommelein is the author of multiple handbooks including Bottle feeding: breast milk or formula via the bottle; Breastfeeding: a practical guide for healthcare professionals and Transitioning from milk to solids: a practical guide, all of which appeared in 2019 and 2020. In 2022, she published a book for the public, titled Eat like an expert, mini with co-author Dr Rolinde Demeyer.
Since obtaining her pharmacy degree in 2011, Prof Tommelein continuously worked in various public pharmacies in Belgium. This way, her work remains related to practice, and she can respond well to the needs and questions of the healthcare landscape. She carries out teaching assignments for professional organisations and continuous education organisations. She currently teaches pharmacology in the midwifery schools of VIVES (Kortrijk, Belgium), Karel de Grote College, Antwerp, Belgium, Artevelde University college, Ghent, Belgium and Erasmus Hogeschool ,Brussels, Belgium. In addition, she provides classes regarding clinical chemistry in the Master of Pharmaceutical Care program at Ghent University and is a guest teacher at the University of the Western Cape in South Africa.
The use of galactagogues and health products during lactation
This presentation explores the use of health products by breastfeeding women, offering healthcare providers a structured overview and practical strategies to support safe and informed use. In the first part, we will discuss common patterns in health product use during lactation—including prescribed medications, over-the-
counter products, supplements, and herbal remedies—and share tips and tricks to help professionals accurately assess what lactating women are using, including products they may not spontaneously mention. The second part of the session will focus on galactagogues, both pharmacological and herbal, with a critical look at their evidence base, safety profiles, and common usage in practice.
1.25 L (I, VI, V, VII) CERP
