EPPEC 2026 – European Perinatal and Paediatric Epidemiology Conference
4th European Perinatal and Paediatric Epidemiology Conference in Bristol, UK
7 OPPaLE CRESS members (Jennifer Zeitlin, Anna-Veera Seppänen, Mihyeon Kim, Laura Pavicic, Elodie Logodin, Anna-Maria Manyri and Lydia Savelli) presented their work at the 4th European Perinatal and Paediatric Epidemiology Conference (EPPEC) which took place in Bristol, UK, on September 7 and 8, 2026.
7 posters were presented at this conference by OPPaLE team members :
- Anna-Veera Seppänen (2 posters):
- Healthcare use in early childhood after very preterm birth – a register-based study ;
- Platforms for coordination and orientation of children with neurodevelopmental disorders in France – Descriptive data on health service use from the national health data system
- Mihyeon Kim: Suboptimal timing of antenatal corticosteroid treatment in France: prevalence, trends and associated patient and care factors: data from the French National Perinatal Surveys in 2010, 2016 and 2021
- Laura Pavicic: Child’s daily life following moderate, late preterm, or early term birth – results from EPIPAGE 2 and Elfe cohorts
- Elodie Logodin: False positives resulting from prenatal screening and maternal well-being: a French population-based study
- Anna-Maria Manyri: Nationwide identification and evaluation of Platforms for Coordination and Orientation for children with neurodevelopmental disorders, using the French National Health Data System
- Lydia Savelli: How changes in maternal age contribute to trends in caesarean section rates in Europe: a decomposition analysis of population birth data from 17 countries
EPPEC is a scientific event (first edition in 2023) which brings together researchers working in reproductive, perinatal, paediatric, and life‑course epidemiology. Organised in 2026 by the MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit (Deborah Lawlor) the conference took place at We The Curious in Bristol’s historic harbour district. Over two days, EPPEC offered a rich programme combining keynote lectures, abstract presentations, poster sessions, and a debate on the role of artificial intelligence in epidemiological research and clinical practice.
The scientific sessions covered a wide range of topics, including fetal growth restriction, environmental exposures, socioeconomic inequalities, neurodevelopmental outcomes, and methodological advances in causal inference. Presentations highlighted current research on air quality policies and preterm birth, bias related to the use of small‑for‑gestational‑age indicators, temperature‑related preterm birth using sibling‑comparison designs, neurological and psychiatric sequelae of ischemic placental disease, and income‑related disparities in pregnancy‑associated mortality. Ample time is accorded to the poster sessions, offering early‑career researchers an opportunity to present their work and engage in discussions with senior scientists.
Next year’s edition of this conference will take place in Rotterdam, hosted by Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam (Janine Felix and Jasper Been).
By Mihyeon Kim
