Dr. Maryam Kebbe PEADS Lab Director

Dr. Kebbe joined the Faculty of Kinesiology at the University of New Brunswick in January 2023, where she directs the Perinatal-Pediatric Health & Development Studies (PEADS) Laboratory.

Dr. Kebbe first established her roots as a nutrition and behavioural scientist and innovated solutions within clinical settings to manage obesity, from infancy through adulthood. Today, she continually advances our understanding of the role of early life factors in promoting maternal, infant, and child health. Specifically, her research program investigates the connections between early life nutrition, physical activity, metabolism, and the gut microbiome, aiming to enhance metabolic health and prevent obesity from infancy through childhood.

Highlights of her research findings include: (i) investigating how gut metabolic byproducts drive inflammatory and metabolic responses during pregnancy, including substrate utilization and resting energy expenditure, (ii) discovering a potential role for human milk cytokines in priming gut microbiome establishment in infants, and (iii) most recently, examining how dietary intake source shifts the infant gut microbiome. 

In her current track record, Dr. Kebbe has led >50 peer-reviewed publications, and 1 book chapter on human milk feeding, delivered >130 presentations, and been involved in >50 media communications or knowledge translation activities. Dr. Kebbe has also received numerous awards and recognitions for her research and scientific contributions, including the 2024 UNB Merit Award, Faculty of Kinesiology Teaching Excellence Award, Health in Preconception, Pregnancy, and Postpartum Best Publication Award, Banting Discovery Award, and the Canada Foundation for Innovation-JELF Award. 

When she is not professing, Dr. Kebbe enjoys travelling and outdoor activities!