Last month, from 9-11 July, the DPB-lab visited the conference of the International Congress of Infant Studies (ICIS). It was hosted in Glasgow (Scotland), with around 850 scientists showcasing their work related to early development. The congress brought researchers together from around the globe with diverse perspectives and techniques to study infant development.

Our own DPB research was shared via poster sessions and symposia. Nicole Rheinheimer and Ana Okorn organized a symposium on the effects of perinatal stress on caregiver and infant outcomes. Ana presented her work focusing on maternal stress experienced when returning back to work after maternity leave, while Nicole focused on stress-reducing effects of spending time outdoors. Moreover, Nina Bruinhof and Hellen Lustermans organized a symposium on Lactocrine Programming, where seven researchers presented their latest findings on the links between milk composition and development. Nina and Hellen presented results of the SMILEY study, with Hellen showing the role of maternal stress on milk cortisol and Nina presenting her findings on the link between milk cortisol on infant behavior. Lastly, Carolina shared the findings on the SKIPPY study and how the skin-to-skin intervention related to the development of the gut bacteria in the first months of life.

It was great fun to meet colleagues in real life again and share research insights and ideas over lunch and dinner.