MAMA Lab

~ Re-post from .halifax ~
Congratulations to Dr. Kyly Whitfield, Chair and Associate Professor in the Applied Human Nutrition Department at MSVU .ahn , who recently received USD$1.49 million from Weiss Asset Management Foundation to co-lead a three-year research study examining whether thiamine (vitamin B1) supplementation during pregnancy and early childhood better supports infant brain development.

Thiamine is a critical vitamin for brain development; however, thiamine deficiency is common in some low-income settings that have more carbohydrate-heavy diets, including Cambodia. Deficiency can cause lifelong health consequences. This public-health need is what drives Dr. Whitfield to help find a solution through research.

This study is co-led by Dr. Whitfield and Mr. Hou Kroeun at , alongside a team of nutrition and infant development researchers in Australia, France, and the United States.

The team is grateful to Factors Group of Nutritional Companies Inc. who are generously donating the thiamine supplements for the study.

Dr. Whitfield also supports many student researchers. More than a dozen students in Undergraduate and Graduate Applied Human Nutrition programs have trained in the MAMA Lab. Many students – including at least one MSVU master’s student – will have the opportunity to work on this new study, and many students will benefit from the study’s data in the future.

Congratulations to BSc honours student Koen Schlief on his successful proposal presentation at the Applied Human Nutrition Research Day! We can’t wait to see the perinatal folate intakes of Nova Scotians after you run the data next semester!

We’re so proud of Jessica O’Flaherty, MScAHN, recipient of the Graduate Thesis Award, a distinction earned at the Fall Convocation Ceremony 2025! 🎉
Her outstanding work, “Formulation of a salt premix solution co-fortified with iodine and thiamine”, showcases excellence in research and a remarkable contribution to the field of nutrition. Congratulations, Jessica!