From mid-September to mid-December 2017, I had the unique opportunity to be hosted as a visiting postdoctoral scholar at the Center for Better Beginnings, School of Medicine, University of California San Diego (UCSD), California, United States.
- Why did I choose to spend a research stay at the Center for Better Beginnings within UCSD?
UCSD is a globally top-ranked university for research, and the Center for Better Beginnings has the distinctive advantage of merging clinical needs and perspectives, with research activities. Indeed, the Center is located within the Rady Children’s Hospital. Yet, one main motivation was to collaborate and learn from highly qualified and internationally recognized researchers in the field of perinatal epidemiology, teratology, and neurodevelopment in children, that is with Dr. CD Chambers and her research group.
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Was this research stay important?
The research stay was relevant and important for my career. It contributed to strengthen my research skills, expand my collaboration network, and not least shifted my perspectives more into the clinical aspects of pregnancy drug safety research.
Observing the counseling provided by the Center to women and health care providers about medications and other exposures in pregnancy and breastfeeding, provided new insights into what child’s outcomes do really matter to pregnant women who need to take, or have taken a medication in pregnancy.
I also had the opportunity to observe how longitudinal pregnancy and breastfeeding studies are conducted, spanning from recruitment of pregnant women to observing how children are assessed by expert dysmorphologists to identify potential congenital anomalies.
During the research stay I had the unique opportunity of being part of a dynamic and inspiring research group running monthly seminars and journal clubs, hosting weekly national and international guest lectures, regular web-based seminars, hospital-based grand rounds, and postdoc networking activities at the UCSD campus.
During the stay, I was also given the opportunity to hold two scientific presentations myself. In the first lecture, I presented the Norwegian Mother and Child Study and the multiple research opportunities the Norwegian Health Registries offer; this presentation was very dynamic, elicited interest in the audience, and opened up new opportunities for future collaborations between Pharma-Safe and the Center for Better Beginnings. During the second lecture, I presented the results of my collaborative project with Dr. CD Chambers, exploring the long-term safety of benzodiazepines and z-hypnotics on child’s developmental outcomes.
Although planning a research stay abroad, particularly when there are small children in the family, may seem challenging and frightening, the leaning outcomes for young scientists and the consequent growth as an independent researcher outweigh by far any potential minimal risk.
Angela Lupattelli,
Oslo 12th January 2018