Kate is a CIHR Postdoctoral Fellow investigating the critical role of host-microbe interactions in maternal and neonatal health within a Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaD) framework. Her research focuses on how the microbiome influences maternal adaptations during pregnancy, neonatal microbial colonization patterns, and infection susceptibility across the perinatal period. Currently, she is examining perinatal host-microbiome factors that affect Group B Streptococcus colonization and infection risk, work supported by the Molly Towell Perinatal Research Foundation. Kate’s research spans from fundamental questions about fetal microbial exposure to translational studies on probiotics in pregnancy and the impact of delivery mode on neonatal colonization. Kate earned her PhD in the Sloboda Lab at McMaster University and completed her MSc at the University of Waterloo.