Nutrients Webinar | The Impact of Human Milk’s Structure–Function on Early Human Health and Lifespan
the chair
5th Nutrients Webinar
The Impact of Human Milk’s Structure–Function on Early Human Health and Lifespan
Welcome to this webinar associated with the Special Issue “The Impact of Human Milk’s Structure–Function on Early Human Health and Lifespan.” It is a pleasure to bring together researchers and clinicians to explore how the biological complexity of human milk influences key developmental pathways from early life onward.
Human milk is not merely a source of nutrition but a dynamic and bioactive system capable of shaping endocrine regulation, intestinal microbiota, immune maturation, and neurodevelopment. Growing evidence suggests that these early-life interactions play a crucial role in developmental programming, with potential long-term implications for health across the lifespan.
In this webinar, our invited speakers will address complementary perspectives on this topic, focusing on the role of human milk in endocrine health, its impact on gut microbial ecosystems, and its contribution to brain development and neurodevelopmental outcomes. Together, these insights aim to advance a more integrated understanding of how early nutrition can influence lifelong health trajectories.
Thank you for your attention and for joining this webinar.
Date: 23 February 2026
Time: 10:00 am EST | 4:00 pm CET
Webinar ID: 870 2809 2130
Webinar Secretariat: journal.webinar@mdpi.com
Meet Our Speakers
Pediatric Hospital "Giovanni XXIII", 70126 Bari, Italy;
Dr. Rossella Vitale is a pediatrician with research contributions in pediatric and metabolic health, with a focus on how early-life nutritional and endocrine factors influence growth and development. She has co-authored peer-reviewed articles examining the multifaceted impact of childhood obesity and metabolic dysregulation on bone health and related endocrine pathways, highlighting the interplay between adiposity, inflammation and skeletal outcomes in pediatric populations. Her work contributes to a growing body of evidence linking early nutritional exposures and metabolic conditions with broader aspects of child health and disease prevention.
Prof. Mohamad Khalil
Clinica Medica "A. Murri", Department of Precision and Regenerative Medicine and Ionian Area (DiMePre-J), University of Bari "Aldo Moro", 70124 Bari, Italy;
Prof. Mohamad Khalil is a clinical researcher and expert in gastroenterology and microbiome science, with a focus on the role of the human gut microbiota in health and disease. He is affiliated with the Clinica Medica “A. Murri”, Department of Precision and Regenerative Medicine and Ionian Area (DiMePre-J), Medical School, University of Bari “Aldo Moro”, Italy, where he pursues research on host–microbiome interactions and their implications for systemic physiology and metabolic homeostasis. Khalil has co-authored peer-reviewed reviews and research articles exploring the complex ecosystem of the gut microbiome, its influence on immune, endocrine, and neural pathways, and emerging strategies for microbiome-targeted interventions.
The webinar was hosted via Zoom and required registration to attend. The full recording can be found below. In order to learn about future webinars, you can sign up to our newsletter by clicking “Subscribe" at the top of the page.