EDUCATION

Upcoming COMP Conference

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What:         Conference on “Early Origins of Child Obesity: Bridging Disciplines and Phases of Development.

This conference will forge a next-step research agenda related to the early origins of childhood obesity. This research agenda will include an array of factors (from genetic determinants to societal ones) along a continuum from prenatal life to age 7.

When:         September 30-October 1, 2010

Where:       Chicago, IL

Why:           Factors from early life affect the onset and severity of childhood obesity. Research on these factors has tended to remain within domains characterized by discipline and organizational level (genetics, psychology, and epidemiology) and age range (perinatal, first 1-2 years of life, and the preschool/early primary school years). Yet knowledge within traditional disciplines—defined by field, age focus, and other parameters—is relevant outside the disciplines in which it is discovered and discussed. It is time to develop a research agenda that bridges these divides to develop an integrated understanding of the contribution and interplay of varied factors.

Speakers include:  Tom Baranowski, Karen Campbell, Barbara A. Dennison, Sara Gable, Matthew W. Gillman, Sir Peter Gluckman, Boyd E. Metzger, Cynthia A. Stifter, Robert C. Whitaker.

Conference fees will be very modest. Supported in part by a grant from NICHD. Registration details to follow.

Hosted by: Katherine Kaufer Christoffel, Helen J. Binns, and Xiaobin Wang, Mary Ann and J. Milburn Smith Child Health Research Program, Children’s Memorial Research Center.

Link to more information and registration form.