Revealing the Transformative Power and Potential of HMOs: Breakthrough Evidence and Future Implications

Marie-Claire Arrieta, PhD

Associate Professor
Dept of Physiology & Pharmacology and Pediatrics
Cumming School of Medicine
University of Calgary
Alberta, Canada 

Dr Marie-Claire Arrieta is an Associate Professor and Research Excellence Chair in Cumming School of Medicine of the University of Calgary.  Her research examines the interactions between the early-life gut microbiome and infant development.  Her research program conducts clinical and experimental research, aiming to understand the mechanisms behind human-microbiome communication. Her contributions as first or senior author have been published in leading journals, accumulating over 10,000 citations to date. She has disseminated her distinguished research globally, delivering more than 100 invited presentations. A committed mentor, she has served as the primary research advisor to a diverse cohort of over 40 undergraduate, medical, PhD, and post-doctoral scholars. Her work has been recognized with the CIHR-Sick Kids New Investigator Award, the Killam Emerging Research Leader Award, and an invitation to join the College of New Scholars of the Royal Society of Canada. Dr Arrieta is co-author of the best-selling public book, Let Them Eat Dirt, and is involved in several science communication initiatives, including public talks and a documentary film project about the microbiome.

Elizabeth J Reverri, PhD, MS, RD

Senior Research Scientist
Abbott Nutrition
Columbus, OH, USA

Beth is a Nutrition Scientist and Registered Dietitian. Since 2017, she has worked at Abbott Nutrition in the Pediatric Nutrition Science and Innovation group, focusing on science, clinical research, and innovation in infant and toddler nutrition, with a particular emphasis on human milk oligosaccharides. She has 11 peer-reviewed publications and has presented 16 of the 26 abstracts she has co-authored at both national and international conferences. She has also given numerous presentations to healthcare professionals and guest lectures to undergraduate and graduate students on various nutrition topics. Beth has served on the leadership teams with the American Society for Nutrition and the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. 

Before Abbott Nutrition, she was a postdoctoral researcher at the USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University and The Ohio State University and, before that, a clinical dietitian at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford and Newton-Wellesley Hospital, a member of Mass General Brigham. Beth earned a PhD in Nutritional Biology from the University of California, Davis, and completed her Dietetic Internship, an MS in Clinical Nutrition, and a BS in Dietetics from Boston University. Ultimately, she aspires for her work in the nutrition field to contribute to the nutrition education of healthcare professionals and consumers.