Faculty of Kinesiology

We would like to welcome Dr. Maryam Kebbe, a new researcher who joined the Faculty of Kinesiology in January 2023. Dr. Kebbe specializes in nutrition, focusing particularly on the relationship between breastmilk, the gut microbiome and infant obesity. As the Director of the Perinatal-Pediatric Health & Development Studies (PEADS) Lab, Dr. Kebbe and her team are dedicated to developing nutrition and physical activity interventions that can alter infant physiology and halt obesity programming.

Already in Dr. Kebbe’s short time here with the Faculty of Kinesiology she has secured multiple grants. One of the lab's ongoing projects involves recruiting 100 women from the Fredericton community to participate in a study that aims to explain how the composition of the infant gut microbiome changes across different lactation stages. Additionally, Dr. Kebbe and her students will investigate disparities in infant gut composition and inflammation between women of normal weight and those with obesity. Beyond these primary objectives, the study also seeks to explore additional questions such as the impact of maternal metabolic health and cardiorespiratory fitness on breastmilk composition, as well as how gestational weight gain influences postnatal body composition.

To facilitate efforts to recruit mothers and infants, Dr. Kebbe's team has forged a collaboration with the OBGYN unit at the DECH (Dr. Everett Chalmers Regional Hospital). Through data collection and analysis, Dr. Kebbe and her students aim to generate insights that will contribute to a deeper understanding of early-life obesity development and inform strategies for prevention and intervention.

Some of the in-progress research by honour students and those doing directed studies are:

• Mothers’ perceptions of infant feeding guidelines by Health Canada.
• Effects of protein supplementation on the gut microbiota, metabolites and inflammation in adults.
• How homemade vs commercial foods affect the infant gut microbiome.
• How the interpregnancy interval affects postpartum depression and anxiety.

We’re thrilled to have Dr. Kebbe on board. As a new faculty member, her unique research area, skills and insights will undoubtedly enrich our collective pursuit of knowledge. We look forward to seeing the incredible contributions she will make to our Faculty and the field of research at UNB.