Grant: Prize - IHDCYH Talks

This video uses animations to explain the exposome, a term used to describe the cumulative exposures that occur throughout the life course, from conception onward, that influence our development, health and well being. The video is intended for a non-expert audience, including parents, educators, or those working in public policy, to understand how social factors, like poverty, food insecurity, or interactions with parents and caregivers can get “under the skin” to influence development and life-long health. A key theme of this video is how individuals who live in resource poor environments are exposed to a number of factors that can become biologically embedded to negatively impact health outcomes and the risk of chronic diseases. We introduce the Social Exposome Cluster, an interdisciplinary network of researchers spanning across 8 faculties at UBC that is led by Dr. Michael Kobor and focuses on the role of the exposome in health and disease. We discuss a specific research study the cluster is involved in, the UBC Baby Tooth Study. This study is a novel, interdisciplinary study that is using baby teeth to quantify early life (beginning before birth) exposures and environments, including levels of heavy metals and stress. A key goal and take-home message of this video is to help the public understand how research on the exposome could be used to develop interventions and policies to mitigate harmful exposures and reduce disparities and optimize the health of individuals and populations in Canada and abroad.