{"id":1975,"date":"2015-08-19T11:53:08","date_gmt":"2015-08-19T11:53:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/carleton.ca\/healthsciences\/?post_type=cu_people&#038;p=1975"},"modified":"2026-03-23T10:05:38","modified_gmt":"2026-03-23T14:05:38","slug":"kristin-connor","status":"publish","type":"cu_people","link":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/healthsciences\/people\/kristin-connor\/","title":{"rendered":"Kristin Connor"},"content":{"rendered":"<header class=\"mb-6 cu-pageheader cu-component-updated md:mb-12\">\n    <h1 class=\"cu-prose-first-last font-semibold !mt-2 mb-4 md:mb-6 text-3xl md:text-4xl lg:text-5xl lg:leading-[3.5rem] relative after:absolute after:h-px after:bottom-0 pb-5 after:w-10 after:bg-cu-red after:left-px\">\n                    \n             \n                \n            <\/h1>\n\n    \n    <\/header>\n\n\n\n<h4 id=\"primary-field-of-specialization\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Primary field of Specialization:<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Developmental Origins of Health and Disease<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 id=\"research-interests\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Research Interests:<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Our translational research is foundational to ensuring healthy human development and chronic disease prevention.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span lang=\"EN-GB\">We seek to understand developmental trajectories in early life, and how these trajectories are established and modified to influence an individual\u2019s lifelong health resilience or disease risk.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Our research uses an interdisciplinary and systems approach to understand<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>how suboptimal nutrition and maternal disease states (metabolic and pro-inflammatory)\u00a0impact development of the placenta, fetus and child<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>how we can use information from the placenta, gut microbes, developing offspring, and other factors in our early environments, to predict future health<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>how we can optimise maternal health and early developmental trajectories to reduce the incidence of suboptimal pregnancy outcomes, poor fetal\/infant growth, and chronic diseases and disorders in later life<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Our research integrates multiple methodologies including molecular biology, histology, and immunology techniques; microbiome analyses; data sciences. Our group leads and participates in multiple pan-Canadian and international research efforts on maternal, pregnancy, and child health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Visit the <a href=\"http:\/\/connorlab.ca\">Connor Lab website<\/a> to learn more and get involved!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Selected Publications<\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Below&nbsp;are some publications that highlight the methods and models we use, and the populations we study<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span lang=\"EN-GB\">White<\/span><span lang=\"EN-GB\"> M, Feucht UD, Duffley E, Molokoane F, Durandt C, Cassol E, Rossouw T, <b>Connor KL<\/b>. (2020) Does <i>in utero<\/i> HIV-exposure and the early nutritional environment influence infant development and immune outcomes? Findings from a pilot study in Pretoria, South Africa. Pilot and Feasibility Studies 6:192 <a href=\"https:\/\/pilotfeasibilitystudies.biomedcentral.com\/articles\/10.1186\/s40814-020-00725-8\">doi.org\/10.1186\/s40814-020-00725-8<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>White M, <strong>Connor KL<\/strong>. (2020)&nbsp;<em>in utero<\/em> HIV exposure and the early nutritional environment influence neurodevelopment in infants before age three: findings from an evidenced review and meta-analysis. <em>Nutrients<\/em> 12:3375 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2072-6643\/12\/11\/3375\">doi: 10.3390\/nu12113375<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span lang=\"EN-GB\">Palladino<\/span><span lang=\"EN-GB\"> E, Van Mieghem T, <b>Connor KL <\/b>(2020)&nbsp;Diet alters micronutrient pathways regulating fetal growth and development in pregnant mice. <em>Reproductive Sciences<\/em> 28:447-461&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/link.springer.com\/article\/10.1007\/s43032-020-00297-1\">doi: 10.1007\/s43032-020-00297-1<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Abdul-Hussein A<sup>^<\/sup>, Kareem A<sup>^<\/sup>, Tewari S<sup>^<\/sup>, Bergeron J, Briollais L, Challis JRG, Davidge ST, Delrieux C, Fortier I, Goldowitz D, Nepomnaschy P, Wazana A, <strong>Connor KL<\/strong>. (2020) Early life risk and resiliency factors and their influences on developmental outcomes and disease pathways: a rapid evidence review of systematic reviews and meta-analyses. <em>Journal of Developmental Origins of Health and Disease<\/em> 4:1-16 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cambridge.org\/core\/journals\/journal-of-developmental-origins-of-health-and-disease\/article\/abs\/early-life-risk-and-resiliency-factors-and-their-influences-on-developmental-outcomes-and-disease-pathways-a-rapid-evidence-review-of-systematic-reviews-and-metaanalyses\/667FFB900B6CCD668975C032E9F8483E\">doi: 10.1017\/S2040174420000689<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Connor KL<\/strong>, Kibschull M, Matysiak E, Nuygen T, Matthews SG, Lye SJ, Bloise E. (2020) Maternal malnutrition impacts placental morphology and transport. An origin for poor offspring growth. <em>Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry<\/em> 78:108329 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/science\/article\/abs\/pii\/S0955286319307405?via%3Dihub\">doi: 10.1016\/j.jnutbio.2019.108329<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Srugo SA, Bloise E, Nguyen T, <strong>Connor KL<\/strong> (2019) Impact of maternal malnutrition on gut barrier defence. Implications for pregnancy health and fetal development? <em>Nutrients<\/em> 11:1375 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2072-6643\/11\/6\/1375\">https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/nu11061375<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Connor KL<\/strong>, Bourque SL, Weaver ICG (2019) A Canadian perspective on the developmental origins of health and disease: understanding the past as a way forward. <em>Journal of Developmental Origins of Health and Disease<\/em> 10:1-4 DOI: <a class=\"app-link app-link__text app-link--accent\" href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1017\/S2040174419000011\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span class=\"text\" data-v-419b2da0=\"\">https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1017\/S2040174419000011<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Al Refai A, Drake J, Kulkarni A, <strong>Connor KL<\/strong>, Shannon P, Toi A, Chitayat D, Blaser S, Abbasi N, Ryan G, Van Mieghem T (2019) Fetal myelomeningocele surgery: only treating the tip of the iceberg<em>. Prenatal Diagnosis<\/em> 39:10-15 <a href=\"https:\/\/obgyn.onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/abs\/10.1002\/pd.5390\">https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1002\/pd.5390<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Connor KL<\/strong>, Chehoud C, Altrichter A, Chan L, DeSantis TZ, Lye SJ (2018) Maternal metabolic, immune, and microbial systems in late pregnancy vary with malnutrition in mice. <em>Biology of Reproduction<\/em> &nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1093\/biolre\/ioy002\">doi.org\/10.1093\/biolre\/ioy002<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Bansal A, Bloomfield FH, <strong>Connor KL<\/strong>, Dragunow M, Thorstensen EB, Oliver MH, Sloboda DM, Harding JE, Alsweiler JM (2015) Glucocorticoid-induced preterm birth and neonatal hyperglycemia alter ovine beta cell development. <em>Endocrinology<\/em>&nbsp;156:3763-3776&nbsp;doi: 10.1210\/en.2015-1095<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Anderson LN, Briollais L, Atkinson HC, Marsh JA, Xu J, <strong>Connor KL<\/strong>, Matthews SG, Pennell CE, Lye SJ (2014) Investigation of genetic variants, birthweight and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis function suggests a genetic variant in the SERPINA6 gene is associated with corticosteroid binding globulin in the Western Australia Pregnancy Cohort (Raine) Study. <em>PLOS One<\/em> 9(4):e92957<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Adams LA, White SW, Marsh JA, Lye SJ, <strong>Connor KL<\/strong>, Maganga R, Ayonrinde OT, Olynyk JK, Mori TA, Beilin LJ, Palmer LJ, Hamdorf JM, Pennell CE (2013) Association between liver-specific gene polymorphisms and their expression levels with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. <em>Hepatology<\/em> 57:590-600<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Connor KL<\/strong>, Vickers MH, Beltrand J, Meaney MJ, Sloboda DM (2012) Nature, nurture or nutrition? Impact of maternal nutrition on maternal care, offspring development and reproductive function. <em>The Journal of Physiology<\/em> 590:2167-2180<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2380,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"cu_people_first_name":"Kristin","cu_people_last_name":"Connor","cu_people_initials":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"cu_people_type":[6],"cu_people_expertise":[],"class_list":["post-1975","cu_people","type-cu_people","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","cu_people_type-faculty"],"acf":{"cu_people_job_title":"Associate Professor","cu_people_degree":"PhD (Toronto)","cu_building":false,"cu_people_office_num":"","cu_people_pronoun":"none","cu_people_designation":"","cu_people_email":"kristin.connor@carleton.ca","cu_people_phone":"","cu_people_phone_ext":"","cu_people_linkedin":"","cu_people_bluesky":"","cu_people_twitter":"","cu_people_instagram":"","cu_people_facebook":"","cu_people_website":"http:\/\/connorlab.ca","cu_people_orcid":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/healthsciences\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_people\/1975","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/healthsciences\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_people"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/healthsciences\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/cu_people"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/healthsciences\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/healthsciences\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_people\/1975\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5448,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/healthsciences\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_people\/1975\/revisions\/5448"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/healthsciences\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2380"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/healthsciences\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1975"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"cu_people_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/healthsciences\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_people_type?post=1975"},{"taxonomy":"cu_people_expertise","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/healthsciences\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_people_expertise?post=1975"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}