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The Research Centre for Early Origins of Health and Disease is a leader in the investigation of the social and biological determinants of intergenerational health and the development of interventions to improve health of the individual in infancy, childhood and later in life, in Australia and globally. Professor Julie Owens (Director), Associate Professor Michael Davies (Co-Director) & Associate Professor Michael Ridding (Co-Director, pictured) |
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Aims
- Understand how events in early life, including those experienced by previous generations, can influence key aspects of our health
- Identify conditions during early life that promote health and minimise disease in later life and generations
- Identify modifiable factors in early life for use in clinical and public health interventions to promote lifelong health and to test such interventions
- Conduct original, fundamental and applied multidisciplinary research, addressing metabolic, neurological and reproductive health in offspring
- Build multi-disciplinary research capacity through strategic partnerships, career development, training and education
- Promote translation of research outcomes into better health through new and improved public health measures and clinical practice
Research
Early Origins of Health and Disease research focuses on those aspects of health that are profoundly influenced by events in early life and possibly in previous generations, including metabolic and cardiovascular health, reproductive health and a new emerging area, that of neurological function.
Our research programs span a continuum from epidemiological and ecological studies in humans and experimental paradigms in nonhuman species, to studies of the molecular, genetic and epigenetic basis of early life programming of health and disease.
The current research programs are:
- Intergenerational growth and risk of metabolic disorders
- Early life influences on obesity and fat patterning in children: environmental determinants and socio-cultural context
- Perinatal origins of neuromotor and cognitive dysfunction
- Maternal stress and sex differences in perinatal growth and survival: maternal asthma, fetal growth restriction
- Early life programming of diabetes and obesity: fetal growth restriction, maternal nutrition
For further information please visit the Research Centre for Early Origins of Health and Disease web site
