Dates: 25 – 27 September 2024
Location: Bad Kreuznach (near Frankfurt/Main)
To discuss the current state of early-life research and identify gaps that are particularly important and relevant for interdisciplinary study, 24 participants representing the fields of economics, epidemiology, medicine and public health spent three days near Frankfurt (Main) in Bad Kreuznach for this GLOHRA-supported workshop. Aiming to establish causal evidence and explore synergistic research methods in early-life research, the workshop featured sessions on stress in early life, nutrition in early life and growing up in a changing climate. Maya Rossin-Slater, from Stanford University, also delivered a keynote lecture which focused on the role of public policy in the early-life environment and life course trajectories. The opening talk by Reyn van Ewijk on cross-disciplinary early-life research, introduced several obstacles to interdisciplinary work, for example skepticism toward other research fields and misunderstandings due to different scientific languages. Participants expanded on these themes and further discussed the challenges of combining interdisciplinary research with academic career development.