Kristin Connor

Biography

Kristin Connor Assistant Professor Degrees: PhD (Toronto)

Research Interest

Primary field of Specialization: Developmental Origins of Health and Disease Research Interests: Our research uses a systems approach to understand the pathways that lead to poor development and chronic disease risk. We investigate interactions between the environment, the host, and its resident microbes, using animal models and human cohorts. We aim to understand how suboptimal environments including poor nutrition, stress and metabolic diseases in mothers, shape her pregnancy and risk for adverse pregnancy outcomes including preterm birth. We also aim to understand how these environments impact development of the placenta and fetus (particularly the gut and brain) and the growth of the infant postnatally, resetting the metabolic, endocrine and immune mechanisms that contribute to chronic disease.