I was offered the opportunity to go to WCPG 2026 in Glasgow, UK this year. And it was a lovely experience. Not only was I truly inspired for my various projects by the contents of the programme, I was also able to reconnect with old colleagues and friends, some of whom I only get to see once a year!
A major highlight for me, as I currently research peripartum depression and anxiety in various datasets and projects, was the symposium on placental health. Organized by Dr. Laura Anna Wortinger, the researchers Dr. Jonas Østerhaug Andersen, Dr. Stener Nerland, Dr. Ina Jungersen Andersen, Dr. Clemente Garcia-Rizo and discussant Dr. Ingrid Agartz presented fascinating research that looked at maternal and child outcomes from studying placental blood and genetics. A completely new approach and subject to me and I’m so excited I got to connect with some of the researchers at this conference. A truly inspirational experience.
On a networking perspective the conference allowed for the perfect environment to connect with new researchers, and reconnect with old friends. Some of my remote lab from Brooklyn, New York were able to attend as well, and I need to thoroughly thank Dr. Madhur Singh for introducing me to his grand network of new colleagues. Not just that, Dr. Madhur Singh was also awarded the Oral Presentation Award, a major accomplishment and I send him my biggest congratulations!
Some who may be reading this post will recall I once visited Denmark for 3 weeks to setup collaborations with the iPSYCH institute and Dr. Andrew Schorks lab. He unfortunately had to miss out on the current conference but his lab remains very open and welcoming to me and I had the pleasure to reconnect with Kajsa-Lotta Kjelberg, Dr. Mischa Lundberg and their colleagues!
To take it even further across the globe, it was a pleasure to reconnect with Dr. Loes Olde Loohuis and her PhD candidate Aditya Pimplaskar from UCLA.
Overall I take away many new ideas, great feedback on current projects and great new connections to take me further in my work and career! My major thanks to the organizers for allowing me to present my work in a poster and creating such a great place to connect.
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