MSE seminar today on “The maternal microbiota and offspring development: Towards a translational systems approach in maternal-child health.” by Dr. Eldin Jašarević

You can find up to date details on the event page for all the talks in this series.

Spring 2023; January 18 – May, Wednesdays from 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM EST.

Presented over Zoom. Registration is free!

You can register for any or all of the events from the same link here.

Hosting Organizations: MSE and the University of Maine Institute of Medicine.


Prenatal to early-life microbes and health

Theme organized by Emily Wissel.

“The maternal microbiota and offspring development: Towards a translational systems approach in maternal-child health.”

Dr. Eldin Jašarević, PhD.

February 15, 2023; Wednesday,11:00 AM – 12:00 PM EST. This event has passed, watch the recording.

Eldin (he/him) is an Assistant Professor in the Departments of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences and Computational and Systems Biology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. He is also Primary Investigator at Magee-Womens Research Institute. Eldin
received a PhD in Neuroscience at the University of Missouri and the Thompson Center for Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disorders studying the combined effects of maternal stress and diet on sex-specific brain development in mice. Eldin completed his postdoctoral training in
the laboratory of Dr. Tracy Bale at the University of Pennsylvania and University of Maryland School of Medicine. His postdoc work showed that lifetime experiences influence the composition and function of maternal microbiome, and vertical transmission of these communities is causally linked to poor health outcomes in offspring. Current research interests include mining the human maternal microbiota for novel functions that contribute to offspring development, and ultimately gaining a better understanding of the ways in which the prenatal
environment shapes the postnatal response to the external microbial world. For this work, Eldin has been selected as a Kavli Fellow of the National Academy of Sciences and is the recipient of a National Research Service Award from NIMH, and a Research Scientist Development Award from NIDDK.

Upcoming seminars on Prenatal to early-life microbes and health

“Intersecting breastmilk and microbiome science with the complexity of working with humans in a clinical context”

Dr. Merilee Brockway, PhD RN IBCLC, February 22, 2023; Wednesday,11:00 AM – 12:00 PM EST. Register for the Zoom link here.

“Title TBD”

Dr. Sarah Lebeer, PhD, March 1, 2023; Wednesday,11:00 AM – 12:00 PM EST. Register for the Zoom link here.

Panel discussion on Prenatal to early-life microbes and health

March 8, 2023; Wednesday,11:00 AM – 12:00 PM EST. Register for the Zoom link here.

This week, we’ll be bringing all of our Theme 2 speakers back to engage in a panel discussion together on the microbiome in early life. Panel will be hosted by Emily Wissel.

Please note, this session will only be featured live in real-time and will not be recorded.


Logo designed by Alex Guillen

MSE seminar this Wednesday on “The maternal microbiota and offspring development: Towards a translational systems approach in maternal-child health.” by Dr. Eldin Jašarević

You can find up to date details on the event page for all the talks in this series.

Spring 2023; January 18 – May, Wednesdays from 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM EST.

Presented over Zoom. Registration is free!

You can register for any or all of the events from the same link here.

Hosting Organizations: MSE and the University of Maine Institute of Medicine.


Prenatal to early-life microbes and health

Theme organized by Emily Wissel.

“The maternal microbiota and offspring development: Towards a translational systems approach in maternal-child health.”

Dr. Eldin Jašarević, PhD.

February 15, 2023; Wednesday,11:00 AM – 12:00 PM EST. This event has passed, watch the recording.

Eldin (he/him) is an Assistant Professor in the Departments of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences and Computational and Systems Biology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. He is also Primary Investigator at Magee-Womens Research Institute. Eldin
received a PhD in Neuroscience at the University of Missouri and the Thompson Center for Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disorders studying the combined effects of maternal stress and diet on sex-specific brain development in mice. Eldin completed his postdoctoral training in
the laboratory of Dr. Tracy Bale at the University of Pennsylvania and University of Maryland School of Medicine. His postdoc work showed that lifetime experiences influence the composition and function of maternal microbiome, and vertical transmission of these communities is causally linked to poor health outcomes in offspring. Current research interests include mining the human maternal microbiota for novel functions that contribute to offspring development, and ultimately gaining a better understanding of the ways in which the prenatal
environment shapes the postnatal response to the external microbial world. For this work, Eldin has been selected as a Kavli Fellow of the National Academy of Sciences and is the recipient of a National Research Service Award from NIMH, and a Research Scientist Development Award from NIDDK.

Upcoming seminars on Prenatal to early-life microbes and health

“Intersecting breastmilk and microbiome science with the complexity of working with humans in a clinical context”

Dr. Merilee Brockway, PhD RN IBCLC, February 22, 2023; Wednesday,11:00 AM – 12:00 PM EST. Register for the Zoom link here.

“Title TBD”

Dr. Sarah Lebeer, PhD, March 1, 2023; Wednesday,11:00 AM – 12:00 PM EST. Register for the Zoom link here.

Panel discussion on Prenatal to early-life microbes and health

March 8, 2023; Wednesday,11:00 AM – 12:00 PM EST. Register for the Zoom link here.

This week, we’ll be bringing all of our Theme 2 speakers back to engage in a panel discussion together on the microbiome in early life. Panel will be hosted by Emily Wissel.

Please note, this session will only be featured live in real-time and will not be recorded.


Logo designed by Alex Guillen

MSE speaker series featuring a panel on ‘Gut microbiome, nutrition, and food security’ today!

You can find up to date details on the event page for all the talks in this series.

Spring 2023; January 18 – May, Wednesdays from 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM EST.

Presented over Zoom. Registration is free!

You can register for any or all of the events from the same link here.

Hosting Organizations: MSE and the University of Maine Institute of Medicine.


Panel discussion on Gut microbiome, nutrition, and food security

February 8, 2023; Wednesday,11:00 AM – 12:00 PM EST. This event has passed, and was not recorded.

Today, we’ll be bringing all of our Theme 1 speakers back to engage in a panel discussion together on the gut microbiome. Panel will be hosted by Sue Ishaq.

Please note, this session will only be featured live in real-time and will not be recorded.

Headshot of Dr. Yanyan Li

Dr. Yanyan Li, PhD, who presented on “Broccoli Sprout Bioactives and Gut Microbiota: A Dietary Approach for Prevention and Management of Inflammatory Bowel Disease”.

Dr. Dany Fanfan, Ph.D., MSN, RN, who presented on ” Exploring Health determinants, Gut Microbiome, and Health Outcomes in Immigrants”.

Headshot of Dr. Sean Gibbons.

Dr. Sean Gibbons, PhD, who presented on “Personalized nutrition and the human gut microbiome”.



next week, we’ll start our Prenatal to early-life microbes and health theme!

MSE speaker series featuring a panel on ‘Gut microbiome, nutrition, and food security’ this Wednesday!

You can find up to date details on the event page for all the talks in this series.

Spring 2023; January 18 – May, Wednesdays from 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM EST.

Presented over Zoom. Registration is free!

You can register for any or all of the events from the same link here.

Hosting Organizations: MSE and the University of Maine Institute of Medicine.


Panel discussion on Gut microbiome, nutrition, and food security

February 8, 2023; Wednesday,11:00 AM – 12:00 PM EST. This event has passed, and was not recorded.

This week, we’ll be bringing all of our Theme 1 speakers back to engage in a panel discussion together on the gut microbiome. Panel will be hosted by Sue Ishaq.

Please note, this session will only be featured live in real-time and will not be recorded.

Headshot of Dr. Yanyan Li

Dr. Yanyan Li, PhD, who presented on “Broccoli Sprout Bioactives and Gut Microbiota: A Dietary Approach for Prevention and Management of Inflammatory Bowel Disease”.

Dr. Dany Fanfan, Ph.D., MSN, RN, who presented on ” Exploring Health determinants, Gut Microbiome, and Health Outcomes in Immigrants”.

Headshot of Dr. Sean Gibbons.

Dr. Sean Gibbons, PhD, who presented on “Personalized nutrition and the human gut microbiome”.



next week, we’ll start our Prenatal to early-life microbes and health theme!

MSE seminar today on “Personalized nutrition and the human gut microbiome” by Dr. Sean Gibbons

You can find up to date details on the event page for all the talks in this series.

Spring 2023; January 18 – May, Wednesdays from 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM EST.

Presented over Zoom. Registration is free!

You can register for any or all of the events from the same link here.

Hosting Organizations: MSE and the University of Maine Institute of Medicine.



Seminar 3 of the ‘Gut microbiome, nutrition, and food security’ theme

Theme organized by Sue Ishaq

“Personalized nutrition and the human gut microbiome”

Dr. Sean Gibbons, PhD

February 1, 2023; Wednesday,11:00 AM – 12:00 PM EST. This event has passed. The recording will be made available in March.

Headshot of Dr. Sean Gibbons.

Dr. Sean Gibbons is an Associate Professor at the Institute for Systems Biology, a non-profit research consortium. His lab develops computational and experimental tools for exploring and manipulating host-microbe systems.

Added by Sue: The work from Sean’s group and collaborators has been reshaping the way that host microbial researchers approach their work, by revealing trends through large metanalyses and novel perspectives on using data. Their most recent work has evaluated host-microbial interactions, metabolites, and health.

For the last three years, Sean’s lab has hosted the ISB Virtual Microbiome Series, which is freely available and attracts several thousand participants. The series includes a two day workshop that teaches data analysis skills, and a day-long symposium featuring discussions of current discoveries and conceptualizes the future of microbiome research.

Finally, Sean and his research group have been making science a more welcoming and inclusive place.

Up next week: Panel discussion on Gut microbiome, nutrition, and food security

February 8, 2023; Wednesday,11:00 AM – 12:00 PM EST. Register for the Zoom link here.

This week, we’ll be bringing all of our Theme 1 speakers (Drs. Yanyan Li, Dany Fanfan, and Sean Gibbons) back to engage in a panel discussion together on the gut microbiome. Panel will be hosted by Sue Ishaq.

Please note, this session will only be featured live in real-time and will not be recorded.



Logo designed by Alex Guillen

MSE seminar this Wednesday on “Personalized nutrition and the human gut microbiome” by Dr. Sean Gibbons

You can find up to date details on the event page for all the talks in this series.

Spring 2023; January 18 – May, Wednesdays from 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM EST.

Presented over Zoom. Registration is free!

You can register for any or all of the events from the same link here.

Hosting Organizations: MSE and the University of Maine Institute of Medicine.



Seminar 3 of the ‘Gut microbiome, nutrition, and food security’ theme

Theme organized by Sue Ishaq

“Personalized nutrition and the human gut microbiome”

Dr. Sean Gibbons, PhD

February 1, 2023; Wednesday,11:00 AM – 12:00 PM EST. This event has passed. The recording will be made available in March.

Headshot of Dr. Sean Gibbons.

Dr. Sean Gibbons is an Associate Professor at the Institute for Systems Biology, a non-profit research consortium. His lab develops computational and experimental tools for exploring and manipulating host-microbe systems.

Added by Sue: The work from Sean’s group and collaborators has been reshaping the way that host microbial researchers approach their work, by revealing trends through large metanalyses and novel perspectives on using data. Their most recent work has evaluated host-microbial interactions, metabolites, and health.

For the last three years, Sean’s lab has hosted the ISB Virtual Microbiome Series, which is freely available and attracts several thousand participants. The series includes a two day workshop that teaches data analysis skills, and a day-long symposium featuring discussions of current discoveries and conceptualizes the future of microbiome research.

Finally, Sean and his research group have been making science a more welcoming and inclusive place.

Up next week: Panel discussion on Gut microbiome, nutrition, and food security

February 8, 2023; Wednesday,11:00 AM – 12:00 PM EST. Register for the Zoom link here.

This week, we’ll be bringing all of our Theme 1 speakers (Drs. Yanyan Li, Dany Fanfan, and Sean Gibbons) back to engage in a panel discussion together on the gut microbiome. Panel will be hosted by Sue Ishaq.

Please note, this session will only be featured live in real-time and will not be recorded.



Logo designed by Alex Guillen

MSE seminar today on “Exploring Health Determinants, Gut Microbiome, and Health Outcomes in Immigrants” by Dr. Dany Fanfan

You can find up to date details on the event page for all the talks in this series

Spring 2023; January 18 – May, Wednesdays from 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM EST.

Presented over Zoom. Registration is free!

You can register for any or all of the events from the same link here.

Hosting Organizations: MSE and the University of Maine Institute of Medicine.



Seminar 2 of the ‘Gut microbiome, nutrition, and food security’ theme

Theme organized by Sue Ishaq

“Exploring Health Determinants, Gut Microbiome, and Health Outcomes in Immigrants”

Dr. Dany Fanfan, Ph.D., MSN, RN

January 25, 2023; Wednesday,11:00 AM – 12:00 PM EST. This event has passed, watch the recording here.

Headshot of Dr. Dany Fanfan

Dr. Dany Fanfan is an Assistant Professor at the University of Florida (UF) College of Nursing. Before becoming a faculty, she completed a Bachelor’s degree in Nursing at Florida International University, Master’s and Doctoral degrees in Nursing at the University of South Florida, and a post-doctoral fellowship at UF focused on mental health research with and for underrepresented populations (e.g., Latino/Haitian immigrant farmworkers, rural Latino/LGBTQ+ adolescents) using a community-based participatory research approach and social network analysis. She teaches and engages in multidisciplinary mixed-methods research dedicated to advancing the science and practice of reducing mental health disparities among minoritized immigrants by exploring the underlying biobehavioral, cultural, and psychosocial mechanisms of distress symptoms. With support from an NIH K23 career development award, she is now incorporating microbial metagenomics and bioinformatics methods in her research by examining the associations between post-migration social determinants of health, gut microbiome, and psychological distress among recent Haitian immigrants. The long-term goal of her interdisciplinary translational program of research is to identify and address the conditions that create and sustain health disparities in minoritized populations as well as develop and test culturally responsive interventions that target social, behavioral, and biological determinants of health to improve long-term health outcomes, reduce behavioral and mental health disparities, and increase health equity.

Upcoming Seminars of the ‘Gut microbiome, nutrition, and food security’ theme

“Personalized nutrition and the human gut microbiome”

Dr. Sean Gibbons, PhD

February 1, 2023; Wednesday,11:00 AM – 12:00 PM EST. Register for the Zoom link here.

Panel discussion on Gut microbiome, nutrition, and food security

February 8, 2023; Wednesday,11:00 AM – 12:00 PM EST. Register for the Zoom link here.

This week, we’ll be bringing all of our Theme 1 speakers back to engage in a panel discussion together on the gut microbiome. Panel will be hosted by Sue Ishaq.

Please note, this session will only be featured live in real-time and will not be recorded.



Logo designed by Alex Guillen

MSE seminar this Wednesday on “Exploring Health Determinants, Gut Microbiome, and Health Outcomes in Immigrants” by Dr. Dany Fanfan

You can find up to date details on the event page for all the talks in this series

Spring 2023; January 18 – May, Wednesdays from 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM EST.

Presented over Zoom. Registration is free!

You can register for any or all of the events from the same link here.

Hosting Organizations: MSE and the University of Maine Institute of Medicine.



Seminar 2 of the ‘Gut microbiome, nutrition, and food security’ theme

Theme organized by Sue Ishaq

“Exploring Health Determinants, Gut Microbiome, and Health Outcomes in Immigrants”

Dr. Dany Fanfan, Ph.D., MSN, RN

January 25, 2023; Wednesday,11:00 AM – 12:00 PM EST. This event has passed, watch the recording here.

Headshot of Dr. Dany Fanfan

Dr. Dany Fanfan is an Assistant Professor at the University of Florida (UF) College of Nursing. Before becoming a faculty, she completed a Bachelor’s degree in Nursing at Florida International University, Master’s and Doctoral degrees in Nursing at the University of South Florida, and a post-doctoral fellowship at UF focused on mental health research with and for underrepresented populations (e.g., Latino/Haitian immigrant farmworkers, rural Latino/LGBTQ+ adolescents) using a community-based participatory research approach and social network analysis. She teaches and engages in multidisciplinary mixed-methods research dedicated to advancing the science and practice of reducing mental health disparities among minoritized immigrants by exploring the underlying biobehavioral, cultural, and psychosocial mechanisms of distress symptoms. With support from an NIH K23 career development award, she is now incorporating microbial metagenomics and bioinformatics methods in her research by examining the associations between post-migration social determinants of health, gut microbiome, and psychological distress among recent Haitian immigrants. The long-term goal of her interdisciplinary translational program of research is to identify and address the conditions that create and sustain health disparities in minoritized populations as well as develop and test culturally responsive interventions that target social, behavioral, and biological determinants of health to improve long-term health outcomes, reduce behavioral and mental health disparities, and increase health equity.

Upcoming Seminars of the ‘Gut microbiome, nutrition, and food security’ theme

“Personalized nutrition and the human gut microbiome”

Dr. Sean Gibbons, PhD

February 1, 2023; Wednesday,11:00 AM – 12:00 PM EST. Register for the Zoom link here.

Panel discussion on Gut microbiome, nutrition, and food security

February 8, 2023; Wednesday,11:00 AM – 12:00 PM EST. Register for the Zoom link here.

This week, we’ll be bringing all of our Theme 1 speakers back to engage in a panel discussion together on the gut microbiome. Panel will be hosted by Sue Ishaq.

Please note, this session will only be featured live in real-time and will not be recorded.



Logo designed by Alex Guillen

MSE seminar today on “Broccoli Sprout Bioactives and Gut Microbiota” by Dr. Yanyan Li

You can find up to date details on the event page for all the talks in this series

Spring 2023; January 18 – May, Wednesdays from 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM EST.

Presented over Zoom. Registration is free!

You can register for any or all of the events from the same link here.

Hosting Organizations: MSE and the University of Maine Institute of Medicine.



Seminar 1 of the ‘Gut microbiome, nutrition, and food security’ theme

Theme organized by Sue Ishaq

“Broccoli Sprout Bioactives and Gut Microbiota: A Dietary Approach for Prevention and Management of Inflammatory Bowel Disease”

Dr. Yanyan Li, PhD

January 18, 2023; Wednesday,11:00 AM – 12:00 PM EST. This event has passed, view the recording.

Headshot of Dr. Yanyan Li

Dr. Li is an Assistant Professor at the University of Maine. She received her PhD degree in Nutrition and Food Science from Ohio State University. She has been dedicating herself to studying the mechanisms of diet-derived bioactives in protecting against disease process and harnessing the gained knowledge to develop dietary approaches for disease prevention and management for more than a decade. Since 2016, she has been focusing on the interactions between dietary components, in particular glucosinolates from cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli and broccoli sprouts, and gut microbiota, aiming to develop a combined approach for inflammatory bowel disease. Her current research projects are funded by NIH/NIDDK, USDA/NIFA AFRI Foundational Program, and nutrition research programs of private foundations.

Added by Sue: For the past few years, Yanyan and her colleagues have also included the Ishaq Lab, and has led to a rewarding and productive collaboration which has resulted in several recent and forthcoming publications, funding awards, and students trained.

Upcoming Seminars of the ‘Gut microbiome, nutrition, and food security’ theme

“Exploring Health Determinants, Gut Microbiome, and Health Outcomes in Immigrants”

Dr. Dany Fanfan, Ph.D., MSN, RN.

January 25, 2023; Wednesday,11:00 AM – 12:00 PM EST. Register for the Zoom link here.

“Personalized nutrition and the human gut microbiome”

Dr. Sean Gibbons, PhD

February 1, 2023; Wednesday,11:00 AM – 12:00 PM EST. Register for the Zoom link here.

Panel discussion on Gut microbiome, nutrition, and food security

February 8, 2023; Wednesday,11:00 AM – 12:00 PM EST. Register for the Zoom link here.

This week, we’ll be bringing all of our Theme 1 speakers back to engage in a panel discussion together on the gut microbiome. Panel will be hosted by Sue Ishaq.

Please note, this session will only be featured live in real-time and will not be recorded.



Logo designed by Alex Guillen

MSE seminar this Wednesday on “Broccoli Sprout Bioactives and Gut Microbiota” by Dr. Yanyan Li

You can find up to date details on the event page for all the talks in this series

Spring 2023; January 18 – May, Wednesdays from 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM EST.

Presented over Zoom. Registration is free!

You can register for any or all of the events from the same link here.

Hosting Organizations: MSE and the University of Maine Institute of Medicine.



Seminar 1 of the ‘Gut microbiome, nutrition, and food security’ theme

Theme organized by Sue Ishaq

“Broccoli Sprout Bioactives and Gut Microbiota: A Dietary Approach for Prevention and Management of Inflammatory Bowel Disease”

Dr. Yanyan Li, PhD

January 18, 2023; Wednesday,11:00 AM – 12:00 PM EST. This event has passed, view the recording.

Headshot of Dr. Yanyan Li

Dr. Li is an Assistant Professor at the University of Maine. She received her PhD degree in Nutrition and Food Science from Ohio State University. She has been dedicating herself to studying the mechanisms of diet-derived bioactives in protecting against disease process and harnessing the gained knowledge to develop dietary approaches for disease prevention and management for more than a decade. Since 2016, she has been focusing on the interactions between dietary components, in particular glucosinolates from cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli and broccoli sprouts, and gut microbiota, aiming to develop a combined approach for inflammatory bowel disease. Her current research projects are funded by NIH/NIDDK, USDA/NIFA AFRI Foundational Program, and nutrition research programs of private foundations.

Added by Sue: For the past few years, Yanyan and her colleagues have also included the Ishaq Lab, and has led to a rewarding and productive collaboration which has resulted in several recent and forthcoming publications, funding awards, and students trained.

Upcoming Seminars of the ‘Gut microbiome, nutrition, and food security’ theme

“Exploring Health Determinants, Gut Microbiome, and Health Outcomes in Immigrants”

Dr. Dany Fanfan, Ph.D., MSN, RN.

January 25, 2023; Wednesday,11:00 AM – 12:00 PM EST. Register for the Zoom link here.

“Personalized nutrition and the human gut microbiome”

Dr. Sean Gibbons, PhD

February 1, 2023; Wednesday,11:00 AM – 12:00 PM EST. Register for the Zoom link here.

Panel discussion on Gut microbiome, nutrition, and food security

February 8, 2023; Wednesday,11:00 AM – 12:00 PM EST. Register for the Zoom link here.

This week, we’ll be bringing all of our Theme 1 speakers back to engage in a panel discussion together on the gut microbiome. Panel will be hosted by Sue Ishaq.

Please note, this session will only be featured live in real-time and will not be recorded.



Logo designed by Alex Guillen