Faculty

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Nancy K. Amy The focus of my research is: What is the effect of weight bias on health outcomes? I address this in two ways. The first is to study obese women’s access to health care. The second is to study factors affecting disordered eating. Read More
Gregory W. Aponte Nutrient "sensing" mechanism(s) play an important role for nutrient assimilation, and it has significant implication to human health because of evidence for the involvement of this mechanism in the development of diseases such as Crohn's disease, intestinal cancer, diabetes, obesity, and diseases related to the immune function, as well as alteration in food intake behavior. Read More
Leonard L. Bjeldanes Our primary research objective is to isolate and characterize the efficacy and modes of action of beneficial phytochemicals from plants and microorganisms. Our attention is focused on substances from food plants and herbs, and on substances from filamentous fungi and bacteria. Read More
John E. Casida Research in the Environmental Chemistry and Toxicology Laboratory emphasizes pesticide mode of action and metabolism. This information is important to optimize pesticide use, improve their selectivity and environmental characteristics, and minimize the hazards of exposure for humans, domestic animals and other nontarget species. Recent research involves six closely related topics. Read More
Danica Chen One of the most fundamental questions in biology is why we age. The past decade has witnessed a significant revision of a traditional view that aging is simply a random and passive process that is solely driven by entropy. In fact, the aging process is regulated genetically and lifespan can be extended by single gene mutations. Our research aims to understand signal transduction that regulates the aging process and explore therapeutic targets to slow down aging. Read More
Benito O. de Lumen Epidemiological data supporting the link between consumption of plant foods and reduced incidence of cancer have led to studies on bioactive components such as phytoestrogens and protease inhibitors. In 2001, we reported for the first time the cancer preventive properties of a unique peptide in soy that we termed lunasin (from the Pilipino word lunas for cure), demonstrating its efficacy in mammalian cells and in a skin cancer mouse model against chemical carcinogens and oncogenes. Read More
Sharon E. Fleming The intestinal tract is of major importance to human health: it is a key player in the digestion and absorption of nutrients; it plays a major role in providing a barrier between the environments outside and inside our bodies; and it contributes to immune function in several important ways. Maintenance of these functions may be lost with the onset of intestinal disease, or with any serious illness requiring the discontinuation of oral feeding. Read More
Marc Hellerstein Who studies metabolic regulation these days - the flow of metabolites through competing pathways in complex biological networks, the anabolic and catabolic processes that determine tissue composition, adaptations to environmental stresses and how their failure leads to disease? Not most Biochemistry or Molecular Biology departments. It is our belief that the study of physiologic chemistry (metabolic regulation) using modern tracer techniques and metabolic control concepts can be seized by nutrition researchers interested in making fundamental contributions to biochemistry and medicine (and in being funded). Read More
Isao Kubo Our group has been searching for ecologically sound pest control agents based on natural products (including biopolymers such as enzymes) that fundamentally regulate nature. Our studies have focused on developing alternative insect control agents, but the scope has now extended to microorganisms and weeds. Read More
Mikelle McCoin As a registered dietitian and lecturer I have an interest in providing students with the foundation they will need to succeed in their dietetic internships and future practices. I have a special interest in applying lifestyle therapies as a means to prevent and manage chronic disease, especially cardiovascular disease. I continue to pursue this interest by being a workgroup member of the American Dietetic Association Evidence-based Practice Guideline for Disorders of Lipid Metabolism. Read More
Mary Mead My work is in dietetics education rather than research. I direct the Department’s Undergraduate Dietetics Program and maintain the Program’s accreditation with the American Dietetic Association. In my career as a dietetics practitioner, diabetes care was my focus and passion. I endeavor to stay current with developments in this important area. Read More
Joseph L. Napoli, Chair All vertebrates require atRA and 9cRA for reproduction, growth, nervous system development and function, energy balance and weight control, and immune function. Retinol (vitamin A) serves as the precursor for atRA and 9cRA. This lab studies regulation of the molecular apparatus that generates atRA and 9cRA from retinol, and the function of atRA and 9cRA in the nervous system and in modulating intermediary metabolism (energy balance), thereby affecting memory, appetite, adiposity and body size. Read More
Barry Shane The major research efforts of my laboratory are in the area of biochemical nutrition and, in particular, the control of one carbon metabolism. We investigate experimental nutrition problems at a basic molecular or cellular level to obtain a better understanding of factors that influence nutritional requirements and how this varies among the population. Read More
Andreas Stahl The main focus of the Stahl laboratory is to elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying obesity-related disorders, such as diabetes, hepatobiliary diseases, as well as certain cancer, and to explore novel routes for the treatment of these debilitating chronic diseases. Read More
Hei Sook Sul Adipocytes are highly specialized cells that play a crucial role in the energy balance most vertebrates by providing ability to synthesize and deposit fat during times of positive energy balance in preparation for periods of food deprivation. In modern society, however, excess adipose tissue leading to obesity is a major health problem. There is an increase in lipogenesis and storage of fat in adipose tissue causing hypertrophy. Read More
Chris Vulpe My group is currently working in three areas of nutrition and toxicology: 1. Eukaryotic copper and iron metabolism including a) Hephaestin and Zyklopen, related mammalian ferroxidases, which are involved in cellular iron export; b) Genetic modifiers of iron homeostasis in mice and humans. 2. Genomic approaches to identify conserved toxicity pathways in eukaryotes using S. cerevisiae with a focus on a) Metals and metalloids b) Benzene and metabolites. 3. Ecotoxicogenomics using the water flea, Daphnia magna and the Fathead minnow, Pimephales promelas as model organisms to develop new sensitive tools for a) Toxicant identification in freshwater ecosystems; b) Screening for chemical toxicity; c) Determining mode of action of environmental contaminants. Read More
Jen-Chywan (Wally) Wang Glucocorticoids are steroid hormones that affect many aspects of mammalian physiology. Because of their potent anti-inflammatory activity glucocorticoids are also frequently used to treat various inflammatory diseases. The long-term goal of our research is to elucidate the mechanisms underlying the effects of glucocorticoids on energy homeostasis and inflammatory response. Read More

Adjunct Faculty

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Patricia Crawford For more than twenty years I have conducted research in the prevention of childhood obesity and have served as Principal Investigator of the longitudinal NHLBI Growth & Health Study, as well as the 5-state Fit WIC Child Obesity Intervention Study. I authored the American Public Health Association's resolution and action plan on childhood obesity which in 2001-02 was voted one of the top three priorities for the organization. Read More
Dale Johnson Dr. Johnson is CEO of Emiliem, Inc. a privately-held biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering and developing novel molecular targeted therapeutics. The company’s research conducted in collaboration with NHLBI of NIH is focused on mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), a central controller of cellular and organism growth that integrates nutrient and hormonal signals, and regulates diverse cellular processes. Read More
Ron Krauss Genetic factors influencing plasma lipoprotein profiles and dietary responsiveness in humans. Metabolic behavior, physicochemical characteristics, and functional properties of low density lipoprotein (LDL) subclasses. Role of lipolytic enzymes and cell-surface receptors in lipoprotein metabolism. Gene-environment interactions underlying the cluster of coronary disease risk factors associated with small, dense LDL and insulin resistance. Read More
Robert O. Ryan Heart disease is a major cause of mortality in North America. While it is clear that development of cardiovascular disease is a multi-factorial process, it is evident that aberrations in lipid metabolism represent a significant risk factor. It is widely accepted that exchangeable apolipoproteins function in regulation of plasma lipid levels, yet the molecular basis for this role is not fully understood. Read More
Elizabeth C. Theil Genetic diseases, sickle cell disease and thalassemia, and the dietary condition of iron deficiency, all have side effects involving ferritin. Molecular properties of ferritin are being studied in transgenic models and with small numbers of human subjects to unravel clinical mysteries and achieve more individualized therapies for sickle cell diseases, thalassemia and iron deficiency. The Theil Molecular BioIron Group in CeBIC (Center for BioIron at CHORI) studies protein and mRNA biochemistry and iron nutrition. Read More

Emeriti Faculty

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	George Wolf		George W. Chang
	Janet C. King		Kenneth J. Carpenter
	Angela Little