MAMA Lab

~ Re-post from .halifax ~
Congratulations to Dr. Kyly Whitfield, Chair and Associate Professor in the Applied Human Nutrition Department at MSVU .ahn , who recently received USD$1.49 million from Weiss Asset Management Foundation to co-lead a three-year research study examining whether thiamine (vitamin B1) supplementation during pregnancy and early childhood better supports infant brain development.

Thiamine is a critical vitamin for brain development; however, thiamine deficiency is common in some low-income settings that have more carbohydrate-heavy diets, including Cambodia. Deficiency can cause lifelong health consequences. This public-health need is what drives Dr. Whitfield to help find a solution through research.

This study is co-led by Dr. Whitfield and Mr. Hou Kroeun at , alongside a team of nutrition and infant development researchers in Australia, France, and the United States.

The team is grateful to Factors Group of Nutritional Companies Inc. who are generously donating the thiamine supplements for the study.

Dr. Whitfield also supports many student researchers. More than a dozen students in Undergraduate and Graduate Applied Human Nutrition programs have trained in the MAMA Lab. Many students – including at least one MSVU master’s student – will have the opportunity to work on this new study, and many students will benefit from the study’s data in the future.

Congratulations to MSc student Devora Goldberg, who presented her findings at the conference earlier this month! 🎉
We learned that 1 in 6 Nova Scotians took prenatal supplements - mainly gummies - that didn’t contain any iron!🤰
goldberg1

Are you 37+ weeks pregnant or have you given birth at the IWK within the past 2 weeks?
You may be eligible to participate in our study.

👉 Click the link in our bio to complete a brief screening survey.

BreastfeedingSupport NewMom ThirdTrimester ACEStudy MoreMilkSoonerKit HalifaxMoms NovaScotiaMoms IWK PerinatalResearch

Congratulations to BSc honours student Koen Schlief on his successful proposal presentation at the Applied Human Nutrition Research Day! We can’t wait to see the perinatal folate intakes of Nova Scotians after you run the data next semester!

Tavleen began her Bachelor of Science in Applied Human Nutrition, majoring in Dietetics, in 2023 as a transfer student from British Columbia. She is excited to be part of a research team focusing on Antenatal Colostrum Expression. Tavleen is eager to contribute to studies that advance understanding in pregnancy, women’s health, and newborn care, with a future goal of becoming a Registered Dietitian.

Outside of the lab, Tavleen enjoys travelling, especially to the mountains, watching mystery shows, and spending quality time with family and friends over a good board game night.

Happy to represent our team, presenting ‘Role of social norms on early child marriage decisions among the parents of married and unmarried adolescent girls in Bangladesh: a matched cohort study’ at the Canadian Conference on Global Health for the past few days! And always wonderful to run into old friends!

We’re so proud of Jessica O’Flaherty, MScAHN, recipient of the Graduate Thesis Award, a distinction earned at the Fall Convocation Ceremony 2025! 🎉
Her outstanding work, “Formulation of a salt premix solution co-fortified with iodine and thiamine”, showcases excellence in research and a remarkable contribution to the field of nutrition. Congratulations, Jessica!

Congratulations to Devora Goldberg on the successful defence of her MSc thesis entitled Prenatal Iron Supplementation in Nova Scotia: An Exploratory Cross-Sectional Study of Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices! 🎉 An amazing presentation, and such a supportive audience, including her children!
Devora will be sharing results here soon, so stay posted 🤰

Thrilled to speak about hidden hunger on the most recent podcast! Check it out: link in bio 🎙️🎧

Big thanks to everyone in Nova Scotia who participated! 💙
We’ll be drawing the 3 gift card winners next week and contacting them directly. 🎉
Keep an eye on mamalab.ca + our socials for updates after we dive into the data! 📲🔍

🌟 Thank you, Nova Scotia! 🌟
We’re grateful for your participation! We’ll be doing the draw next week and reaching out directly to the 3 lucky gift card winners. 🎁
Stay tuned to mamalab.ca and our social media channels for updates once we’ve analyzed the data. 👀📊