Name
Lauren Emma Capron

Cohort year
2011-2012

My project title
Maternal Anxiety & Depression and Placental Function

Current role
Postdoctoral Research Associate at King’s College London

My main areas of interest
Maternal Mental Health and Fetal Programming

The most beneficial things about the programme
This MSc allowed me to not only develop my passion for reproductive biology, but also gave me insight into a laboratory environment and what a PhD would entail.

The things enjoyed the most about the programme/Imperial College London/London
I really enjoyed the broad range of topics covered within the taught section of the course. Within the research project section of the course, I enjoyed the wide range of projects on offer as well as the opportunity to experience a laboratory environment and get a feel for how a laboratory based PhD would be.

Since getting my Master’s, here are some of the things I’ve done

• Completed a PhD at Imperial (2012-2016) in the Centre for Mental Health. Thesis title - The impact of maternal antenatal depression and anxiety on child development: examining underlying mechanisms.
• Presented at several national and international conferences
• Won awards and prizes at international conferences
• Published papers and abstracts with key researchers in the field of Perinatal Psychobiology and Psychiatry
• Had the opportunity to work within multidisciplinary teams including research scientists, nurses and clinicians

Next steps
Write up a fellowship application for an interdisciplinary research project focusing on the effects of perinatal mental health on placental development and consequential effects on child development.