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Bridget E. Young, Ph.D.

Contact Information

Research Labs

Faculty Appointments

Biography

Research

Dr. Young studied Maternal and Child Nutrition at Cornell University where she received her PhD. She then pursued a postdoctoral fellowship in Pediatric Nutrition at the University of Colorado. She joined the faculty at the University of Rochester in 2018 and is the Director of Research for the Division of Breastfeeding and Lactation Medicine.

Bridget Young's research interests are in early infant nutrition. She studies the impact of obesity and insulin resistance on breast milk composition, and resultant programming effects in the infant. She particularly focuses on the effect of oral insulin in human milk on infant pancreatic function and intestinal maturation in the neonate. Dr. Young also studies how variation in infant formula ingredients impact long-term outcomes in the infant.

Credentials

Education

2005
BA | Colgate University
Molecular Biology

2011
PhD | Cornell University
Nutritional Sciences

Post-doctoral Training & Residency

2011 - 2014
Postdoctoral Research Fellow, University of Colorado Denver, Aurora, CO. Research Mentor: Dr. Nancy Krebs, MD, MS.

Awards

2022
Valor Leadership and Coaching Program

2021
Erlich Koldovsky Early Career Award for Research in Human Milk and Lactation
Sponsor: International Society for Research in Human Milk and Lactation

2018
'Macronutrient, Zinc and Insulin Variation in Donor Human Milk-Attempting to Hit the Moving Target of Infant Needs'
Sponsor: Best Research Poster, Junior Faculty
Location: University of Rochester

2015
Invited Symposium Speaker
Sponsor: American Society of Nutrition annual meeting at Experimental Bio
Location: Boston

2014 - 2015
Recipient of F32 Award, proposal "Differences in Breastmilk Composition and Infant Growth between Healthy and Overweight Mothers
Sponsor: NICHD

2014
Travel Award - presentation at Bi-annual meeting
Sponsor: International Society of Research in Human Milk and Lactation

2013 - 2014
Women's Health Research Faculty Development Award
Sponsor: University of Colorado Center for Women's Health Research
Location: University of Colorado

2013 - 2014
Child and Maternal Health Pilot Award
Sponsor: Colorado Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute
Location: Colorado

2012 - 2014
Thrasher Research Fund Early Investigator Award

2011 - Present
National Institutes of Health Institutional Training Grant
Sponsor: National Institutes of Health Institutional Training

2011
Graduate Student Research Award and travel grant from the Nutritional Sciences Council
Sponsor: American Society for Nutrition

2010
Emerging Clinical Leaders Award and travel grant
Sponsor: American Society for Nutrition

2009 - 2011
National Institutes of Health Institutional Training Grant; "Training in Maternal and Child Nutrition"
Sponsor: National Institutes of Health

2009 - 2010
Graduate Student Travel Grant
Sponsor: Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
Location: Cornell, NY

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Clinical Trials

At-the-Breast vs. Expressed human milk: Genesis of Infant Nutrition (BEGIN),

Lead Researcher: Bridget Young

This study will enroll 120 breastfeeding mothers into a study that lasts between 1-4 months postpartum. Mothers will collect a small breast milk sample very single day and store it in their freezer for researchers. They will also collect samples from their infant including urine and stool from the diaper. All sample collections are done in the home.

View Study Details

Publications

Journal Articles

8/29/2023
Lemas DJ, Du X, Dado-Senn B, Xu K, Dobrowolski A, Magalhães M, Aristizabal-Henao JJ, Young BE, Francois M, Thompson LA, Parker LA, Neu J, Laporta J, Misra BB, Wane I, Samaan S, Garrett TJ. "Untargeted Metabolomic Analysis of Lactation-Stage-Matched Human and Bovine Milk Samples at 2 Weeks Postnatal." Nutrients.. 2023 Aug 29; 15(17)Epub 2023 Aug 29.

4/2023
Smilowitz JT, Allen LH, Dallas DC, McManaman J, Raiten DJ, Rozga M, Sela DA, Seppo A, Williams JE, Young BE, McGuire MK. "Ecologies, synergies, and biological systems shaping human milk composition-a report from "Breastmilk Ecology: Genesis of Infant Nutrition (BEGIN)" Working Group 2." The American journal of clinical nutrition.. 2023 Apr; 117 Suppl 1:S28-S42.

3/29/2023
Ackley D, Wang H, D'Angio CT, Meyers J, Young BE. "Human milk-derived fortifiers are linked with feed extension due to Hypoglycemia in infants <1250?g or <30 weeks: a matched retrospective chart review." Journal of perinatology : official journal of the California Perinatal Association.. 2023 Mar 29; Epub 2023 Mar 29.

Books & Chapters

2016
Chapter Title: The Short and Long-Term Benefits of Breastfeeding
Book Title: Early Nutrition and Long-Term Health: Mechanism, Consequences, and Opportunities
Author List: Jose Saavedra, Anne Dattilo
Edited By: Jose Saavedra, Anne Dattilo
Published By: Elsevier Publishing 2016

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