Dr. Corrie Whisner is your baby’s gut microbiome expert on the Snuggle Bug Study! She is an Associate Professor at ASU’s College of Health Solutions and her research focuses on the effects of diet on human metabolism. She is specifically interested in the effects of dietary components on the gut microbiome and related metabolic diseases such as osteoporosis and obesity. Whisner received both her bachelor's degree and doctorate from Purdue University in West Lafayette, IN. Prior to joining the faculty at ASU, she was a USDA NIFA postdoctoral fellow in the Division of Nutritional Sciences at Cornell University in Ithaca, NY where she studied how maternal diet impacts in utero development among pregnant adolescents. Corrie and her husband of 7 years, Ross, welcomed baby Sebastian during COVID, who is the most handsome star of many of our how-to videos for moms on our website. She is also our amazing craft master extraordinaire! Many of the Swag Bag and raffle items participants receive are handmade by Corrie, including the fun peek-a-boo pockets, the adorable crocheted rattles and the progressing contrast cards. Besides being a bundle of talent, Dr. Whisner is well loved and valued among her students and colleagues. She is both a strong force and a gentle spirit. She’s a loving mom with an empathetic ear and a quiet powerhouse who you’ll want a seat next to in any room. Here is 20 Questions with Dr. Whisner. 1. How did you end up studying moms and babies? “I started working with moms and babies when I was finishing my training as a postdoc at Cornell University. I got to work with pregnant adolescents there and help them have a healthy baby with nutrition education. It was really rewarding and I learned so much. From then on, I knew I wanted to continue to improve health for all moms and babies.” 2. Maroon or Gold and favorite place at ASU? “Maroon. The courtyard at the Mercado Buildings on the Downtown Phoenix Campus.” 3. What would you tell yourself about being a mom you didn’t know? “That breastfeeding would be really hard.” 4. What has surprised you as a mom? “That I would be willing to give up my career as a professor to work in a 9-5 job so I could have more time with my son.” 5. As a nutrition expert, what is one piece of advice you think we, as a community, are missing or do not understand? “Carbs aren't the enemy. They are an important fuel source that keeps us going. They also serve as food for our gut microbes so that they help keep us healthy. Choose carbs that are complex like whole-grain cereals, bread, and tortillas to get the most for you and your gut bugs!” 6. What do you look forward to first thing in the morning? “Quiet time to myself and coffee.” 7. Why research? “Everyday is an adventure with new things to discover. It never gets boring and it is a great way to improve the world.” 8. Favorite food? “Waffles. You can eat them with sweet or savory toppings. Personally, nothing beats a savory Southwest waffle.” 9. Funniest thing Sebastian does? “While changing his diaper he grabs onto my elbow and laughs hysterically. Shortly after, he tries to chew on my arm.” 10. What is the last study you read that blew your mind? “In 2019 a study was published on a specific microbe that appears in elite marathon runners, called Veillonella atypica. This microbe had performance-boosting effects when transferred into mice, meaning the mice could run longer on a treadmill after adding the microbe to their guts. The performance benefit was related to the bacteria’s ability to break down lactate, a metabolite known to build-up in muscle during prolonged strenuous exercise. The bacteria also converted lactate into propionate, a short-chain fatty acid (SCFA), that enhances the body’s ability to withstand exercise stress. With findings like this, we might see performance-enhancing probiotics in stores someday!” 11. What drives you consistently? “The need to be a better version of myself each day.” 12. Would you rather jog or dance? “Goodness, I have no rhythm so we will go with jogging.” 13. Favorite quote? “‘The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched - they must be felt with the heart.’ Helen Keller.” 14. Nerdiest thing you do? “Talk to my houseplants and celebrate their new leaves with joyous squeals.” 15. Favorite game? “It’s probably too soon but my favorite game is Pandemic. Instead of competing against each other, you work as a team to prevent the spread of disease outbreaks across the globe.” 16. Proud moment in your life? “Receiving a fundable score on a National Institutes of Health grant the day that my mentor was giving a seminar at ASU. Sharing that moment with her was extremely special.” 17. If you had to give a TEDTalk on the fly, what would it be? “I would talk about why the adolescent years are so important for bone health.” 18. Favorite movie? “Flushed Away.” 19. Best advice you’ve ever been given?
“Being able to work wrapped up in a cozy blanket anywhere I felt comfortable...and also having a kitty for a personal assistant. He makes sure I take breaks for snuggles.
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Dr. Megan Petrov is our sleep expert here on the Snuggle Bug Sleep Study and is an assistant professor in the Edson College of Nursing and Health Innovation at Arizona State University. Her research interests include sleep, sleep disorders, health disparities, behavioral sleep medicine, health outcomes and services research, mental health, treatment adherence, pain, stroke, and cardiovascular disease. She holds her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Alabama. Megan has been married for 8 years to Vesco Petrov and they have two beautiful children, Milena who is 5 years old and Maksis, 3 years old. And when I say beautiful, I am trying to encourage her to sell their portraits as a side hustle. Having little time for side jobs, she is a busy mom balancing motherhood and an outstanding professional career who enjoys hiking, bouldering and singing. She’s a fireball and catching up with her requires good listening skills and running shoes if you’re on the move. Enjoy getting to know Dr. Megan Petrov, our sleep scientist, who is studying you and your baby’s sleep/wake patterns for the next few years in 20 Questions. 1. How did you end up studying moms and babies? “I had my own kids and rapidly realized that I wanted my science to address the concerns and issues about sleep commonly experienced by moms and babies. The physiology of how we sleep develops early on and may predict how well we develop into adulthood cognitively, emotionally, behaviorally, socially, physically, etc. It became more and more apparent over time that if I wanted to make a true impact on public sleep health, that starting early in life would be a strong bet.” 2. Favorite movie: “Forrest Gump.” 3. Last study that blew your mind: “Sleep Loss Can Cause Death through Accumulation of Reactive Oxygen Species in the Gut. Basically, this lab group wanted to understand why sleep deprivation can lead to death. They sleep deprived a bunch of flies and mice and discovered that reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulated in the gut. ROS are instigators of organ damage and death through oxidative stress. However, the researchers found out they could save the flies from death by giving them oral antioxidant compounds and other enzymes that cleared the ROS while still sleep depriving them. The flies lived a normal lifespan with little to no sleep.” 4. Favorite place at ASU: “ASU Gammage because of my love for musical theater. It was actually the first ASU building I entered.” 5. What made you choose research? “Why not? What else is there? Isn't being curious about how the world works and then actually trying to figure out the answers the essence of being human?” 6. Funniest thing your kids do: “Try to break dance, tell stories of commercial-grade construction vehicles crashing into buildings....and they were there to witness it....., pretend to be heavy metal singers and pretend to "cook" each other.” 7. What has surprised you as a mom? “That I had a maternal instinct at all. As an aspiring mom I was often worried that I wouldn't have a natural nurturing, and vigilant demeanor. What was most shocking is not only that I had this part of me, but how quickly it came on after I gave birth to my first child.” 8. A TEDTalk you could give on the fly: “Why aliens (if they exist) should be afraid of us instead of the other way around.” 9. Maroon or Gold? “Gold.” 10. As a sleep expert, what advice would you give me? “One piece of advice that we hear a lot about but don’t seem to understand on a public health level is why it is so good for you to have a consistent sleep/wake schedule. Intuitively, we understand that if we generally go to bed and get up at the same time each day that we tune our bodies to start naturally doing this for us. The days we don’t keep to our regular schedule we tend to feel it cognitively, emotionally, physically etc. Going to a deeper level, excessive sleep/wake schedule variability (similar to chronic jet lag) can lead to mistiming of multiple physiologic functions within multiple organ systems in our bodies. All of which can currently make us feel not our best, and down the road can lead to poor health.”
15. Name a proud moment in your professional life: “Getting to do this study!” 16. What drives you consistently? “I believe to make the world a better, nicer, more civil and intelligent place, all must have consistent, good quality sleep.” 17. What is one thing you would like to do better? “I wish I were better at enjoying multitasking.” 18. Best thing about life in quarantine? “Less commuting, but in a way I miss that too. That was usually a time for phone calls and podcasts.” 19. Nerdiest thing you do: “My daily work life.” 20. Best advice you’ve ever been given: “Meditate, journal, or sleep on your problems.” The year 2020 has been rough! This year, our team has been reminded of the importance of patience, gratitude, and seeing the positives in even the smallest of things. Today, our team is celebrating a huge SUCCESS! We opened up the study for recruitment. Yay!!!!!!!
Times remain scary with COVID cases still high but, rest assured, safety is our number one priority. We would love to have you join our study so that we can learn about the importance of sleep and gut microbes in infant health. Our team takes social distancing very seriously. We sterilize all of our equipment before and after each study visit. We wear masks, wash our hands regularly, use hand sanitizer, wear gloves, and get screened and tested regularly for COVID and related symptoms. You can learn more about the study on the About page and see if you qualify for the study here. Wishing you continued health and safety, Megan and Corrie |
AuthorsThe Snuggle Bug / Acurrucadito Team is so passionate about moms and babies. There is so much we want to share with you and baby. Each entry is carefully curated to keep you up to date on what we are doing. We also share fun ideas with you to make motherhood the joy it is meant to be! Archives
July 2021
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