Speakers Abstract
Dr. Ong Yi Ying
Could rapid growth in early childhood leave a biological signature linked to later child neurodevelopment? In this pilot study, we analysed blood samples from 99 children aged 8 years to examine lipid molecules involved in inflammation and its resolution. Encouragingly, these signals could still be detected despite the samples having been stored for about 8 years. Preliminary findings suggest that several lipid markers were related to rapid growth, adiposity, and child cognition/behaviour. Together, these results support the idea that altered inflammatory and omega-3-related pathways may help connect early growth with later child neurodevelopment and warrant investigation in larger studies.
Dr. Matteo Gianella (Prof Maria’s lab)
Rising childhood obesity in Singapore threatens long-term health, human capital, and fiscal stability, with projected annual costs reaching US$58 billion by 2060. This presentation shares ongoing work from a seed grant project developing a cost-mapping framework and dynamic simulation model to evaluate early intervention policies and mitigate direct and indirect economic burdens.
Speakers Biosketch
Dr. Ong Yi Ying
Dr. Yi Ying Ong is a Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Paediatrics, and Human Potential Translational Research Programme (HPTRP) at the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine and a Principal Scientist from the Institute for Human Development and Potential, A*STAR. She holds a PhD in Epidemiology from the National University of Singapore and subsequently did her postdoctoral training at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Her research focuses on how early life factors and growth influence child cardiometabolic health and neurodevelopment.
Dr. Matteo Gianella (Prof Maria’s lab)
Dr. Matteo is Research Fellow in the Department of Paediatrics at the National University of Singapore, working with Prof. Maria De Iorio. He earned his PhD in Mathematical Engineering from Politecnico di Milano under the guidance of Prof. Alessandra Guglielmi. His research centres on Bayesian nonparametrics, with a focus on spatial and spatio-temporal modelling, scalable computational algorithms for statistical inference, and open-source scientific software development. He currently serves as a board member of Young SIS, the young group of the Italian Statistical Society.