Nutrition in Pregnancy
Development before birth is now known to be a critical time period in establishing later life chronic disease risk. Nutrition plays a vital role in this development, but specific guidelines detailing nutritional needs of pregnant women are lacking.
This issue crosses multiple disciplines. Obstetricians, family medicine practitioners, dieticians, epidemiologists and developmental physiologists each understand a piece of the issue, but rarely have the opportunity to work together.
The Moore Institute is working to spur those conversations. In May 2019, the Moore Institute hosted the first Nutrition in Pregnancy Conference in Washington, D.C. The meeting gathered leading scientists, clinicians, dieticians and nutrition advocates.
Talks covered current research in the unique needs of women before and during pregnancy and lactation, and how those nutritional needs impact the lifelong health of the mother and her offspring.
Next steps
- A consensus document will be published soon.
- A second conference with an emphasis on policy and advocacy will be held in November 2021.
More information
If you would like to get updates about the 2021 conference, email for details.
2019 conference details
| Topic | Speaker |
|---|---|
| Welcome | Kent Thornburg, Ph.D., OHSU |
| Evidence that maternal nutrition matters | Barbara Abrams, Dr.P.H., R.D., UC berkeley |
| Offspring consequences: maternal diet and pregnancy outcomes | Kent Thornburg, Ph.D., OHSU |
| Nutritional requirements of the fetus | William Hay, M.D., University of Colorado |
| Paving the way for optimal outcomes - preconception targets to improve women's nutrition | Nancy Krebs, M.D., M.S.P.H., F.A.C.P., University of Colorado |
| Micronutrient requirements during gestation | Usha Ramakrishnan, M.S., Ph.D., Emory University |
| Physiology of Pregnancy: Metabolic Adjustments | Patrick Catalano, M.D., Tufts University |
| Introduction: gestational weight gain - critical issues | Patrick Catalano, M.D., Tufts University |
| Panel discussion: Gestational weight gain: a critical appraisal of the Institute of Medicine guidelines | Emily Oken, M.D., M.P.H., Harvard; Barbara Abrams, Dr.P.H., UC Berkeley; Patrick Catalano, M.D., Tufts; Romy Gaillard, Ph.D., Erasmus University, The Netherlands; Leanne Redman, Ph.D., FTOS, Pennington Biomedical Research Center |
| Animal models of adolescent nutrition during pregnancy | Jacqueline Wallace, Ph.D., D.Sc., University of Aberdeen, Scotland |
| An overview of the sociology of the adolescent | Jennifer Barber, Ph.D., University of Michigan |
| A comparison of dietart patten and outcomes between adolescent and adult pregnant women | Hora Soltani, Ph.D., M.Med.Sci., Sheffield Hallam University, UK |
| Impact of maternal nutrition on human milk | Nicole Marshall, M.D., OHSU |
| Nutrition for preterm infants based on fetal nutrition | William Hay, M.D., University of Colorado |
| Human milk as a biological system | Daniel Raiten, Ph.D., NICHD |
| Impact of nutrition and over-nutrition in pregnancy | Kelle Moley, M.D., March of Dimes |
| Nutrition therapy for gestational diabetes and beyond | Teri Hernandez, Ph.D., University of Colorado |
| Pregnancy post bariatric-metabolic surgery | Jonathan Purnell, M.D., OHSU |
| Maternal diet and offspring skeletal development | Kartik Shankar, Ph.D., University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences |
| Double burden of malnutrition in pregnancy and fetal outcomes: a tale of two generations | Ranjan Yajnik, M.D., F.R.C.P., King Edward Memorial and Research Centre, India |
| Nutrition and preeclampsia | James Roberts, M.D., Magee-Women’s Research Institute |
| Environmental exposure and diet | Emily Oken, M.D., M.P.H., Harvard |
| Fad diets during pregnancy | Diane Stadler, Ph.D., R.D., OHSU |
| Maternal modification of the microbiome and effect on offspring | Jed Friedman, Ph.D., University of Oklahoma Health Science Center |
| Dietary patterns and maternal health and birth outcomes: systematic review results | Kripa Raghavan, Dr.P.H., M.P.H., M.Sc., Center for Nutrition and Policy Promotion, USDA |
| Programmatic action and research priorities to impact women's nutrition to improve nutrition | Parul Christian, Dr.P.H., Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation |
| What should dietary guidelines include? | Alison Steiber, Ph.D., R.D.N., Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics |
| Summary of what we have learned and what we need to study | Andrew Bremer, M.D., Ph.D., NICHD |
Rachel Drake, M.D., Ph.D. Student
Scarlett Hopkins, R.N., M.A., Instructor, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Perinatology Division
Leslie Myatt, Ph.D., Bob and Charlee Moore Endowed Professor, Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology; Associate Director for Women's Health, Bob and Charlee Moore Institute for Nutrition & Wellness
Christie Naze, R.D., C.D.E., Clinical Dietitian Specialist, Center for Women's Health
Jonathan Purnell, M.D., Professor of Medicine, Knight Cardiovascular Institute and Division of Endocrinology; Associate Director for Clinical Research, Bob and Charlee Moore Institute for Nutrition &Wellness
Lisa Rhuman, Director of Operations, Center for Developmental Health, Knight Cardiovascular Institute and Bob and Charlee Moore Institute for Nutrition & Wellness
Joanne Rogovoy, Director of Maternal & Child Health, March of Dimes Oregon
Diane Stadler, Ph.D., R.D., L.D., Associate Professor of Medicine; Division of Health Promotion & Sports Medicine, Director, Graduate Programs in Human Nutrition & Dietetic Internship; Director Curriculum Development, Lao American Nutrition Institute; Associate Director for Nutrition, Bob and Charlee Moore Institute for Nutrition & Wellness
Kent Thornburg, Ph.D., M. Lowell Edwards Chair, Professor Medicine, Director, Center for Developmental Health, Knight Cardiovascular Institute and Bob and Charlee Moore Institute for Nutrition & Wellness
Amy Valent, D.O., Assistant Professor, Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine
Kent Thornburg, Ph.D., M. Lowell Edwards Chair, Professor Medicine, Director, Center for Developmental Health, Knight Cardiovascular Institute and Bob and Charlee Moore Institute for Nutrition &Wellness, Oregon Health & Science University
Linda Barbour, M.D., M.S.P.H., F.A.C.P., Professor of Medicine and Obstetrics and Gynecology, Divisions of Endocrinology, Metabolism, and Diabetes and Maternal-Fetal Medicine; Medical Director OB Diabetes and High Risk OB Clinics; Co-Director Colorado Program for Nutrition and Healthy Development, University of Colorado School of Medicine
Patrick Catalano, M.D., Professor, Obstetrics and Gynecology;Vice Chair of Research, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Mother Infant Research Institute, Tufts University School of Medicine
Nicole Marshall, M.D., M.C.R., F.A.C.O.G, Assistant Professor, Maternal Fetal Medicine, Oregon Health & Science University
Emily Oken, M.D., M.P.H., Professor and Vice Chair, Department of Population Medicine, Harvard Medical School
Lisa Rhuman Director of Operations, Center for Developmental Health, Knight Cardiovascular Institute and Bob and Charlee Moore Institute for Nutrition &Wellness, Oregon Health & Science University
Roberto Romero M.D., Chief, Perinatology Research Branch; Director, Division of Obstetrics and Maternal-Fetal Medicine Intramural Division, NICHD, NIH, DHHS
Ranjan Yajnik, M.D., F.R.C.P., Director, Diabetes Unit King Edward Memorial Hospital and Research Centre, Pune India