Bea van den Bergh

Bea van den Bergh´s group is involved in developmental neuroscience and biological developmental psychology. She is a pioneer in studying the developmental origins of behavior, adding to the efforts of researchers worldwide who are working on the developmental origins of health and disease. Study of the Developmental Origins of Behavior, Health and Diseases (DOBHaD) addresses timely and much needed research issues related to the interface between medical and behavioral sciences. Her DOBHaD research program focuses on physiological and psychological processes and their interplay; thus, contributing to the understanding of mechanisms underlying DOBHaD and enhancing care for infants, children and adolescents with a prenatally acquired vulnerability for behavioural problems, psychopathology or chronic medical conditions. More specific goals are:

To develop instruments or methods that identify infants and children who are at high risk for poor mental and physical health outcomes as soon as possible before or after birth.

To better understand the biological and behavioral mechanisms that can explain enhanced vulnerability.

To test and implement biomedical and behavioral interventions that are successful at preventing disease or disorder onset, improving prognosis and enhancing quality of life.