Dr Rebecca Moon has been honoured with a prestigious New Investigator award.
Her research is looking at the benefits of vitamin D supplementation in pregnancy.
Dr Moon is an NIHR Academic Clinical Lecturer in Child Health at the University of Southampton’s MRC Lifecourse Epidemiology Centre. She is also part of the NIHR Southampton Biomedical Research Centre (BRC).
She was presented the award at the International Conference on Children’s Bone Health (ICCBH). The event took place in Salzburg at the end of June.
Added benefits of vitamin D
Dr Moon presented her findings on the impact of vitamin D supplements during pregnancy, focusing on their effect on children’s bone mineral density. This work is part of a large research project called MAVIDOS.
Bone density is a measure of the amount of calcium and other minerals in bone. Bones containing more minerals tend to be stronger and less likely to break.
Dr Moon’s research has shown that children born to mothers who take extra vitamin D during pregnancy have better bone health at 6-7 years of age. This could lead to a lower risk of broken bones in adulthood.
Dr Moon said: “We are very excited by these findings as they suggest that a cheap and easy intervention in pregnancy may improve bone health for many people.”
This phase of the MAVIDOS study was supported by Versus Arthritis and the UK Medical Research Council. Dr Moon is now leading further follow-up studies on this cohort of children as they become teenagers, funded by Action Medical Research.
Southampton representation
The ICCBH conference, held biennially, saw its eleventh event this year. It attracted scientists and clinicians from a wide range of disciplines across the globe.
Dr Kate Ward, Professor of Global Musculoskeletal Health, also showcased the work of the MRC LEC at the conference. She hosted a symposium on bone densitometry in children and adolescents and a “meet the expert” session.
Professor Nicholas Harvey is the Director of the MRC LEC. He said:
“It is wonderful to have our internationally competitive work recognised in this way. I offer my sincere congratulations to Dr Moon for this fantastic achievement.”
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