The “Miracle of a Thousand Days Symposium” organized at Near East University shed light from a scientific perspective on the physical and mental development in the early stages of human life, which forms the basis of the physical development.
The “Miracle of a Thousand Days Symposium” organized in cooperation with the Department of Nutrition and Dietetics of the Faculty of Health Sciences of Near East University and the Nutrition and Dietetics Student Club operating under the Dean of Students Office, addressed the early stages of human life from a scientific perspective.
The symposium, chaired by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Taygun Dayı, Faculty Member of the Faculty of Health Sciences of Near East University, addressed many topics from development in the womb to the breastfeeding period and infancy. Information was shared on a wide range of topics, from fetal programming to complementary feeding. The presentations, which shed light from a scientific perspective on the effects of the early stages of human life, which form the basis of the development in physical and mental structuring terms, were met with great interest from the participants.
The opening speeches of the symposium were made by Near East University Faculty of Health Sciences Dean Prof. Dr. Adile Öniz Özgören, Vice Dean and Head of the Department of Nutrition and Dietetics Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mustafa Hoca, Head of the Nutrition and Dietetics Student Club Zeynep Yıldırım and the Club’s International Student Representative Caroline Clement Mwinuka. The symposium held at the İrfan Günsel Congress Center addressed the importance of the ‘first thousand days’ of life under different headings of scientific presentations made in three sessions. The symposium, which progressed interactively with question and answer sections, ended with the presentation of certificates of appreciation and closing speeches.
A scientific look at the foundations of life!
In the first session of the symposium titled “Starting Point”, Gynecologist Op. Dr. Neptün Fazilet Erdener presented “Pregnancy and Fetal Programming”, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Begüm Harmancıoğlu presented “Nutrition During Pregnancy” and Assoc. Melis Bağkur made her presentation titled “Pregnancy and Exercise”. In the second session titled “First Impressions in Life” Assoc. Prof. Dr. Betül Mammadov addressed “Birth and Lactation”, and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Seray Kabaran addressed “Nutrition and Breast Milk During Lactation”. In the third session titled “Second Stop of the Nutrition Journey” Assoc. Prof. Dr. Neşe Akcan addressed “Monitoring Growth and Development in the First Thousand Days”, and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Taygun Dayı made a presentation titled “Complementary Nutrition”.
Prof. Dr. Adile Öniz Özgören: “The first thousand days are a miraculous period for the physical, mental and social health of the baby.”
Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences Prof. Dr. Adile Öniz Özgören said that the thousand-day process, which begins from the first day the mother learns that she is pregnant, covers the period until the baby becomes two years old. Prof. Dr. Özgören emphasized that the correct guidance and support provided during this process can create miraculous effects on the child’s physical, mental and social health. Stating that it is vital for all health disciplines to contribute to this process by working together, Prof. Dr. Özgören emphasized that many fields, from obstetrics and gynecology to nutrition and dietetics, from midwifery to physiotherapy, are directly related to the first thousand days. Drawing attention to the importance of bringing together academicians and students from these fields at the symposium, Prof. Dr. Özgören expressed his gratitude to everyone who contributed.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mustafa Hoca: “We aim to organize a symposium that will be held entirely in English next year!”
Providing information about the Nutrition and Dietetics Student Club in his speech, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mustafa Hoca, Vice Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences and Head of the Nutrition and Dietetics Department, stated that the club was founded in 2018 and consists of both Turkish and foreign students. “At the same time, this symposium is the first event where the written content is presented in both Turkish and English, although the spoken language is Turkish.” said Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mustafa Hoca, adding “Our future goal is to organize a symposium that will be held entirely in English next year.” Emphasizing that experts from different disciplines such as Medicine, Nutrition and Dietetics, Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation, Midwifery and Nursing will address the topics with a multidisciplinary approach, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mustafa Hoca said, “In this symposium, the first thousand days, which include pregnancy, birth and postpartum, which are among the most sensitive and decisive periods of life, are focused on. Because it is known that the negativities that may be experienced during this period can lead to serious health problems in the individual’s future life.”
“The foundation of a healthy life is the first thousand days!”
Speaking at the symposium organized by the Nutrition and Dietetics Student Club, Club President Zeynep Yıldırım stated that this year they focused on the theme of “the first thousand days”, which is extremely decisive in terms of the physical, mental and emotional development of the individual, and drew attention to the fact that this special period is one of the most critical processes in which the crucial foundations for the health of the individual are laid. Reminding that they received high efficiency from last year’s event, Yıldırım said that they wished for a symposium to be held with the same scientific depth and excitement this year. The Club’s International Student Representative Caroline Clement Mwinuka emphasized that the first thousand days are a fundamental period for biological, physiological and mental development. Mwinuka stated that attaching importance to maternal and child nutrition from pregnancy onwards will contribute to the development of healthier individuals in the future.
