SWORDS – SouthWestern Ontario Regional DOHaD Society

Understanding DOHaD

What is DOHaD?

The Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaD) is a field of research exploring how environmental exposures during the early life period, from preconception through pregnancy, infancy, and early childhood, shape long-term trajectories of health and disease across the life course and into future generations.

Research in this area examines how factors such as nutrition, stress, toxicant exposure, and socioeconomic conditions during critical developmental windows can influence susceptibility to chronic conditions including cardiometabolic disease, obesity, and mental health disorders later in life.

Our Community

Who We Are

SWORDS is a regional hub for community, researchers, clinicians, trainees, public health, health economists and legal professionals with a shared interest in developmental programming, early life research and its interaction with all aspects of society.

We specifically focus on bringing together investigators from across Southwestern with a particular commitment to supporting the next generation of DOHaD scientists, public health and health economists and to translating research into forms that reach beyond academia, including through interdisciplinary collaborations with the arts and public health sectors.

Our Purpose

Mission

To advance understanding and dissemination of the mechanisms underlying adverse early life events that program increased metabolic and mental health disease risk, and through interdisciplinary research, public education, interdisciplinary knowledge translation, and clinical partnerships, to develop and disseminate preventative strategies that reduce the burden of immediate and future generational later-life disease risk following adverse early life environments.

Our Activities

What We Do

01

Support Trainees

SWORDS was built with trainees at its centre. We aim to provide postdoctoral fellows, PhD and MSc students with accessible opportunities to present data, receive mentorship from established investigators, and build peer networks, experiences that prepare them for independent research programs, manuscript and grant writing, and national and international speaking.

02

Connect the Region

Bring together researchers, clinicians, community members, public health, legal professionals and health economists from across Southwestern Ontario who share an interest in DOHaD science and its translation into improved health outcomes.

03

Expand the Conversation

DOHaD science has important implications beyond the laboratory. SWORDS is increasingly interested in how DOHaD concepts intersect with public health policy and health economics and health law, exploring how early life investments can shape population health trajectories and inform resource allocation across the life course.

04

Translate & Disseminate

DOHaD research carries urgent implications for families, communities, and policymakers, but its messages don't always reach beyond the laboratory. SWORDS is committed to knowledge translation and dissemination through creative, interdisciplinary approaches that make the science of early life accessible to broader audiences. This includes collaborations across the arts, humanities, and health sciences that find new ways to communicate what the first 1,000 days mean for lifelong health.

05

Communicate & Grow

Share relevant events, publications, and opportunities from the broader DOHaD community, locally, nationally, and internationally, and build a regional network that can support future programming, collaboration, and advocacy.

Programming

Events

SWORDS hosts and promotes events that bring DOHaD science to diverse audiences, from researchers and trainees to public health professionals, artists, and the broader community. Our programming reflects a belief that effective knowledge translation requires reaching beyond traditional academic channels.

Active Exhibition

February 25th – May 1st, 2026 · D.B. Weldon Library, Western University

The Art of Creation Exhibition

The Art of Creation is an interdisciplinary public art exhibition that brings together the science of developmental origins with visual art, inviting visitors to engage with the biological and social dimensions of early life in a creative, accessible setting.

Presented in collaboration with researchers and artists, the exhibition explores how the environments we experience before and after birth shape the people we become — and what that means for the health of families and communities.

Situated in D.B. Weldon Library at Western University, the exhibition forms part of SWORDS' commitment to knowledge translation through creative and interdisciplinary approaches that move DOHaD science beyond the laboratory and into public dialogue.

Visit Exhibition Website

In Development

Investing in the Beginning: DOHaD, Public Health, and the Case for Early Life

A planned event examining how DOHaD research informs public health strategy and health economics, and making the case for early life investment as a cornerstone of sustainable population health policy. Details to be announced.

Have an idea for an event or want to collaborate? Get in touch — we're actively building our programming.

Get in Touch

Stay Updated

SWORDS Event Calendar

Explore upcoming and past events, programming, and collaborations across the SWORDS network.

Feb

25

2026

Current

The Art of Creation Exhibition

February 25 – May 1, 2026 · D.B. Weldon Library, Western University
An interdisciplinary public art exhibition connecting DOHaD science with visual art and community dialogue.

Mar

20

2026

Past

Future Generations Day 2026

March 20, 2026 · Western University
SWORDS joined DOHaD Canada, US DOHaD, and LA-DOHaD in a joint statement from the Americas DOHaD societies recognizing this annual occasion.

TBD

—

2026

In Development

Investing in the Beginning: DOHaD, Public Health, and the Case for Early Life

A planned event examining how DOHaD research informs public health strategy and health economics. Date and venue to be announced.

Past Events

March 20th, 2026

Future Generations Day 2026

SWORDS recognizes Future Generations Day 2026 alongside DOHaD Canada, US DOHaD, and the Latin American DOHaD Society (LA-DOHaD) as part of a joint statement from the Americas DOHaD societies. Established in 2025 by the Moore Institute at OHSU, Future Generations Day is an annual occasion to reflect on how the decisions being made today, in health systems, research, and public policy, will shape the health and well-being of people not yet born.

DOHaD research tells us that health trajectories are set in motion long before birth, influenced by nutrition, environment, stress, and experience during critical early windows. These exposures leave lasting biological marks that can carry forward across generations.

We encourage researchers, clinicians, trainees, educators, policymakers, and communities to carry this message forward year-round: invest in early life, integrate DOHaD science into training and practice, and consider future generations in the decisions shaping the world today.

Join the conversation using #FutureGenerationsDay.

$Future Generations Day 2026 at Western University$

Photos from our Future Generations Day event at Western University

Our Network

Affiliations

DOHaD Canada

The national society for researchers, clinicians, and advocates working in the field of Developmental Origins of Health and Disease across Canada.

Visit DOHaD Canada

International Society for DOHaD

The global scientific society advancing research, education, and policy in the developmental origins of health and disease worldwide.

Visit DOHaD International

Join Us

Get Involved

SWORDS was originally formed by Drs Timothy Regnault (Western University) and Deborah Sloboda (McMaster University) in 2015 for a regional meeting platform.

Since then, SWORDS has grown to encompass a broad and growing community of investigators, trainees, clinicians, and health professionals from across Southwestern Ontario, united by a shared commitment to understanding and acting on the developmental origins of health and disease.

Co-Founder

Timothy Regnault

Western University

Co-Founder

Deborah Sloboda

McMaster University

We welcome researchers, clinicians, trainees, public health professionals, health economists, legal professionals, artists, community members, and anyone with an interest in early life health and its implications for individuals, families, and populations.

Whether you are looking to attend events, present your work, collaborate, or simply stay informed, we encourage you to reach out. SWORDS is built on the belief that meaningful progress on DOHaD science and its translation requires bringing together diverse perspectives and voices.

If you are interested in joining the SWORDS community, presenting at an upcoming event, or collaborating with our network, we would be glad to hear from you.

Contact SWORDS

Support Our Work

Donation

SWORDS is a not-for-profit regional society dedicated to advancing DOHaD science and its translation for the benefit of individuals, families, and communities across Southwestern Ontario and beyond.

Your support helps us to:

Provide accessible opportunities for trainees — postdoctoral fellows, PhD and MSc students — to present their research, receive mentorship, and build professional networks
Host and promote events that bring DOHaD science to researchers, clinicians, public health professionals, and the broader community
Support interdisciplinary knowledge translation initiatives, including collaborations with the arts, humanities, and public health sectors
Build and sustain a regional network capable of informing health policy and advocating for early life investment
Connect the DOHaD community locally, nationally, and internationally, and share relevant events, publications, and opportunities across the network

Donate via E-Transfer (Interac)

swordsdohad@gmail.com

This email address is used for Interac e-transfer donations. Please use it as your transfer recipient.

Get in Touch About Donating