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Events & conferences > MYD Seminar series > Hormones raging in immature minds
Hormones raging in immature minds
On 6 December 2007, the Ministry of Youth Development hosted Prof Peter D Gluckman, Professor of Paediatric and Perinatal Biology, Universtiy of Auckland, as part of their seminar series.
The title of the seminar was: “Hormones raging in immature minds – how
the mismatch between biology and society has led to the problems of
adolescence.”
Presenter
Prof Peter D Gluckman CNZM MBChB MMedSc DSc FRACP FRCPCH FRSNZ FMedSci FRS
University Distinguished Professor, Professor of Paediatric and
Perinatal Biology: Director Liggins Institute for Medical Research,
Director National Research Centre for Growth and Development;
University of Auckland. Hon Professor, University of Singapore and
University of Southampton.
Humans evolved to be matched to their physical and social worlds. But
in the last 200 years these worlds have been changed in ways that are
beyond our capacity to cope. In particular the age of puberty has
fallen because child health has improved, but the complexities of
society have led to a major delay in the age of psychosocial
maturation.
The result is a gross mismatch between biological and social maturity -
an evolutionary novelty of profound importance in understanding
adolescence. Adolescence itself is a very new phenomenon.
The implications of understanding the evolutionary origins of this
mismatch are fundamental to understanding the problems of adolescence
which the health justice, social welfare and education systems are
confronting. Indeed they point to important new considerations in
addressing issues such as acting out behaviour, mental health, sexual
health and obesity.
Professor Gluckman’s research encompasses the regulation of fetal and
postnatal growth, consequences of its disturbance, developmental
neuroscience, obesity, puberty and the evolutionary-developmental
biology interface.
He has published over 450 refereed papers, 150 reviews and edited
several books and is inventor on over 25 families of patents. His book
(co-author Prof M Hanson), The Fetal Matrix: evolution, development and
disease (CUP 2005) brings much of his empirical and theoretical work
together in detailing on the nexus between development, evolution and
human disease. Their popular science book “Mismatch; how our world no
longer fits our bodies” (OUP 2007) details issues relating to puberty,
mismatch and ageing.
He is the retiring President of the International Society for the
Developmental Origins of Health and Disease. In 2001 he was awarded the
Rutherford Medal. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society (London)
in 2001, a foreign member of the Institute of Medicine of the National
Academy of Sciences USA (2004) and a Fellow of the Academy of Medical
Sciences UK (2006) – the only New Zealander with such honours.
More Information
Prof Peter D Gluckman's presentation is available to download under the "Related documents" heading below.
For additional information, email us at mydinfo@myd.govt.nz
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