28 September 2021. We are excited to announce that our webinar series returned on 28 September 2021, with a presentation titled "Birth cohorts as the Hadron Colliders of research in the Nordic countries," by Camilla Stoltenberg and Alexandra Havdahl of the Norwegian Institute of Public Health. They gave two talks on the famed Norwegian Mother, Father and Child Cohort Study (MoBa), and were joined by a panel for discussion that included Anders Børglum of Aarhus University, Laurie J. Hannigan of the Nic Waals Institute, Lovisenberg Hospital, and Hreinn Stefánsson and Kári Stefánsson of deCODE genetics.
Birth cohorts as the Hadron Colliders of research in the Nordic countries
The Norwegian Mother, Father and Child Cohort Study (MoBa) is a population-based pregnancy cohort study conducted by the Norwegian Institute of Public Health (NIPH). Participants were recruited from all over Norway from 1999 to 2008, and the cohort consists of more than 114,000 children, 95,000 mothers, and 75,000 fathers. MoBa includes genomic data, as well as rich, prospective, and longitudinal measures of environmental exposures, and behavioral, cognitive, and clinical traits. Linkages to a wide range of national registries further enrich the data source. The large number of genotyped family trios allow unique opportunities for studies of the intergenerational transmission of risk for health problems and conditions.
The webinar is open to all, so register now to reserve your spot!
The webinar included two presentations:
- “When an entire country is a cohort,” Camilla Stoltenberg, Director General, NIPH.
- "Using genetic data to understand the causal influences of environmental factors on child development – Mendelian randomization studies in MoBa," Alexandra Havdahl, PI of the psychiatric genetics group (PsychGen), NIPH.
Listen to the webinar
Questions for discussion
- How can birth cohorts function as innovative common goods of research in the Nordic countries?
- What are the challenges in establishing and maintaining birth cohorts?
- How can genotyped family trios be used to achieve novel insights about intergenerational transmission of risk?
Watch previous webinars.
About the Society
The Nordic Society of Human Genetics and Precision Medicine (NSHG-PM) works with stakeholders at national, regional, and global levels to: 1) establish a Nordic framework for research into the genetics of human diseases, evolution, and population history; 2) accelerate discovery of disease-influencing genes; 3) translate these findings for precision medicine to improve public health; and 4) uphold and promote the highest legal, regulatory, social, and ethical standards.
The benefits of membership for you and your research include reduced registration fees at NSHG-PM conferences, symposia, and select workshops. Equally important, you are helping to support the field as NSHG-PM works to educate and advocate for human genetics and precision medicine research in academic, policy, and public education arenas.
NSHG-PM membership runs from January to December. However, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, complimentary 2021 membership will be included for members who pay or join in 2020.