Leanne Küpers

Leanne Küpers is a PhD student working with dr. Eva Corpeleijn in the Unit of Lifestyle Medicine in Obesity and Diabetes and with prof. Harold Snieder in the Unit of Genetic Epidemiology & Bioinformatics. Leanne obtained her bachelor degree in nutrition and dietetics at the HAN University of applied sciences in Nijmegen (2009). In 2011 she obtained her master degree in nutrition and health with a special focus on epidemiology at the Wageningen University.

Her PhD project focuses on two aspects of the early development of childhood overweight. First, she examines the foetal programming hypothesis to test whether intrauterine exposures can put a newborn at increased risk of developing overweight in later life. Within this research line, she determines whether foetal programming is mediated by the biological mechanism of DNA methylation.

Second, Leanne studies lifestyle and environmental exposures during infancy and childhood that can increase the risk of childhood overweight. These factors include birth weight, breastfeeding, infant growth, childhood eating habits and socioeconomic status.

Within her PhD project, Leanne also also performs the day-to-day management of the GECKO Drenthe birth cohort together with dr. Eva Corpeleijn. This prospective birth cohort of 2700 children born in Drenthe between 2006 and 2007 aims to study early determinants of childhood obesity. These children will be followed up into adulthood. All studies for her PhD thesis are performed within the context of the GECKO Drenthe birth cohort, www.geckodrenthe.umcg.nl