In conjunction with the 12th World Congress on the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaD), being held in Vancouver BC, August 27-31, 2022.

Early childhood development is determined by the interaction between our genetic make-up and the environment, all of which includes the situation and lifestyles of both mother and father before, during and even shortly after pregnancy. Pandemics such as COVID-19, circumstances of famine and poor nutrition, and traumatic events such as warfare have direct and indirect actions on the mother, developing baby, newborn and growing child. These include altered availability and access to food and water, and stress; effects that have impact during pregnancy, in the family setting, and for the newborn and in the crucial early years of life. There are huge inequities in the impact of environmental factors and corresponding discriminations in access to help and treatment. Refugees, migrants, marginalized groups, and Indigenous people are especially susceptible. The impact of such factors are transmitted through several generations. Treatments and societal knowledge are influenced by a lack of sound scientific knowledge and by misinformation, especially through social media . Public health policies are urgently needed to reflect these concerns, both in the short and long terms for the benefit of all sectors in society.

Sponsor: Fonds de Recherche du Quebec and Remi Quirion OC CQ FRSC, Chief Scientist of Quebec and President of the International Network for Government Science Advice (INGSA)

Panelists: Janet Rossant CC FRS, early human development, child health, research funding, research-based changes to government policy

Sir Peter Gluckman KNZM FRS, mechanisms of developmental programming, growth, executive brain function, impact and application to public policy, first nations

Senator Stan Kutcher ONS MD FCAHS, early childhood mental health, research informed development of government policies, weaponization of misinformation, first nations.

Caroline Quach MD FCAHS, COVID-19 pandemic, vaccination policy and implementation, public health, pediatric health

Michael Meaney CM FRSC, maternal and newborn stress, intergenerational aspects, childhood learning and behaviour

Tessa Roseboom MD PhD, impact of pandemics, COVID-19, famine, food and water security, health access and inequities, pediatric health

Margo Greenwood OC Scientific Director of the CIHR Institute of Indigenous Peoples' Health

Open Public Panel: Pandemics and Trauma: Impacts on Childhood Development