Our research profiled in lecture series
Four Liggins Institute researchers will give lectures in the Centre for Continuing Education series Winter Week on Campus, which runs through the week 07-11 July 2014.
The “Healthy start for a healthy life” series within the series focuses on child health with talks by Professors Jane Harding, David Cameron-Smith, Wayne Cutfield and Paul Hofman explaining how advances in neonatal care, the timing of birth and early life nutrition shape life-long health, and what can be done to ensure the best start for all children. The series is open to the public.
Programme and enrolment details
Monday 07 July 11.30am-12.30pm
Caring for newborn babies to improve life-long health
Professor Jane Harding ONZM MBChB DPhil FRACP FRSNZ
Professors Sir Graham (Mont) Liggins and Sir William (Bill) Liley, both working in Auckland in the 1960s, pioneered ways to treat babies before birth, markedly improving chances of survival. New research about how these and other early events can shape lifetime health has important implications for how we treat babies today. This lecture discusses how these are helping us develop the best treatments for vulnerable babies.
Tuesday 08 July 11.30am-12.30pm
The first thousand days – the importance of good nutrition
Research shows that from the time of conception until around two years of age a child adapts to its nutritional environment in ways that will set the course of its development and life-long health. This lecture explores the opportunities that this presents and how we might optimise health through better understanding requirements for maternal nutrition, breast feeding and weaning.
Wednesday 09 July 11.30am-12.30pm
A delicate balance
Professor Wayne Cutfield BHB MB ChB DCH MD FRACP
The optimal fetal environment is delicately poised and even small deviations from a normal pattern of development can have a significant impact, increasing the risk of later disease. Children born small for their gestational age, preterm, post term and to women who experienced extreme morning sickness have all been shown to have increased risks of later obesity, diabetes and heart disease. This lecture will discuss how small variations in the nutritional environment at conception, during pregnancy and at the time of birth can put our adult health at risk.
Thursday 10 July 11.30am-12.30pm
Managing childhood obesity
Professor Paul Hofman MbChB, Dip Obs, FRACP
Childhood obesity is currently challenging health professionals and policy-makers around the world. It is now recognised as a precursor to the major adult diseases obesity, diabetes and heart disease and that many of its origins lie in early life events. While much research is currently focused on discovering the nature of these early biological events and how to prevent them, it is also important to manage children already affected. This talk will discuss strategies to intervene before overweight children grow to become overweight parents to a further overweight generation.
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