DOHaD is almost here; it’s not too late to participate

Twenty-two years ago, David Barker, M.D., PhD., F.R.S., OHSU faculty member and professor of clinical epidemiology at the University of Southampton, UK, made a discovery that would change the way researchers think about chronic disease. What Dr. Barker found was that babies with lower or higher than average birth weight had a significantly higher risk for developing heart disease later in life.

Fast forward to now, and Dr. Barker’s research has grown into a booming new discipline. OHSU, one of the leaders in developmental origins of disease research, will be hosting the 7th Annual Congress on Development Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaD) in Portland later this month. More than 650 researchers and other health professionals are expected to attend, representing 40 different countries.

Not attending the conference? There are still ways to participate (for free!)

• Thursday, September 22 at 7 p.m. – Anne Murphy Hall, author of the best-selling Origins: How the Nine Months Before Birth Shape the Rest of Our Lives, will be speaking at Portland State University.
• Tuesday, September 20 at 12 p.m. – A brown bag symposium at the Downtown Waterfront Marriott for health care providers and public health professionals.

Get more information about the conference or Anne Murphy Hall’s lecture. Other interesting reads: a list of DOHaD investigators at OHSU and “A very brief description of DOHaD” by OHSU’s Heart Research Center Director Kent Thornburg, Ph.D.