Faculty

Academic Senate Faculty & Cooperative Extension

Lauren Au photo

Lauren Au, Ph.D., R.D.

  • Associate Professor
  • Associate Nutritionist in AES
Dr. Au's research is at the intersection of innovative dietary assessment, nutrition policy, and obesity prevention for low-income and racially diverse populations. Her work focuses on harnessing artificial intelligence to improve dietary assessment technology and examining how cross-utilization of safety net programs impacts nutrition security and health. She has a wealth of experience with evaluating nutrition policy changes in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children and the National School Lunch Program.
3215 Meyer Hall
Reina Engle-Stone

Reina Engle-Stone, Ph.D.

  • Associate Professor
  • Associate Nutritionist in AES
Dr. Engle-Stone's research is in global public health nutrition, with a focus on micronutrient nutrition among women and young children in low-income settings. Research themes include planning, monitoring, and evaluation of food fortification programs; cost-effectiveness and coherence among micronutrient intervention programs, and nutritional assessment.
3253A Meyer Hall | Lab: 3309 Meyer Hall
Portrait photo of Dr. Debbie Fetter

Debbie S. Fetter, Ph.D.

  • Associate Professor of Teaching
Dr. Fetter teaches Nutrition 10V and Nutrition 10, in addition to conducting research on education and pedagogy. She is passionate about helping people, especially with guiding students to make healthier nutrition and lifestyle choices. She also aspires to help bridge the gap between the science community and general public through teaching and writing about nutrition in an engaging and relatable way.
3211 Meyer Hall
Fawz Haj

Fawaz G. Haj, Ph.D.

  • Professor, Department of Internal Medicine
  • Nutritionist in AES
Dr. Haj's laboratory studies the molecular basis of metabolic diseases, mainly obesity and type 2 diabetes. In particular, we are interested in the role of tyrosine phosphorylation and how dysregulation of this key signaling mechanism contributes to metabolic diseases and their complications. We investigate the role of protein-tyrosine phosphatases and their interacting partners in metabolic homeostasis. This is achieved using a combination of genetic, biochemical, proteomic and pharmacological approaches in various experimental platforms (cells, rodent models of disease and humans).
3115 Meyer Hall | Lab: 4306 Meyer Hall
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Peter J. Havel, Ph.D.

  • Professor
  • Professor, Department of Molecular Biosciences, School of Veterinary Medicine
Dr. Havel is investigating the regulation of energy homeostasis and carbohydrate/lipid metabolism, and the involvement of endocrine systems in the pathophysiology of obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.
3426 Meyer Hall | Lab: 3426 Meyer Hall
Peng Ji

Peng Ji, Ph.D.

  • Associate Professor
  • Associate Nutritionist in AES
My overarching goal is to evaluate the risks and opportunities of nutritional factors in enhancing neurodevelopment and host resilience to early-life adverse events (e.g. infection and stress). Our research use neonatal pigs as a translational model, becasue of broad resemblance between pigs and humans in many aspects, such as digestive physiology, components of immune system, anatomic structure of brain and perinatal neurodevelopment. Specifically, our current project investigates how unbalanced iron status in early life affects systemic and CNS iron hoemostasis, susceptibility to infections, brain energy metabolism, and social cognition using nursing pigs.
3145 Meyer Hall | Lab: 3329 Meyer Hall
Photo of Gerardo Mackenzie

Gerardo G. Mackenzie, Ph.D.

  • Professor and Department Chair
  • Nutritionist in AES
  • Corinne L. Rustici Endowed Chair in Human Nutrition
Dr. Mackenzie´s research focuses on the role of diet and other lifestyle factors in cancer development, prevention and treatment. Current research projects include: 1) Understanding the cellular and molecular mechanisms involved in the link between obesity, inflammation and cancer; 2) Evaluating the impact of dietary interventions, such as the ketogenic diet, alongside standard-of-care chemotherapy as a novel treatment for pancreatic cancer; and 3) Investigating the use of select nutraceuticals as potential chemopreventive agents.
3207 Meyer Hall | Lab: 3402 Meyer Hall
Image of Cassandra Nguyen

Cassandra J. Nguyen, Ph.D.

  • Assistant Professor of Cooperative Extension
Dr. Nguyen's long-term goal is to bridge the gap between "what we know" and "what we do" about food insecurity in the U.S. Her research broadly aligns with one of three areas: 1) supporting the implementation, evaluation, and effectiveness of Extension and nutrition education programming; 2) revitalizing local food systems to increase diet quality and wellbeing among Native communities and families; and 3) integrating food insecurity screening into healthcare services to better address chronic diseases.
3149 Meyer Hall
Photo of Amy Nichols

Amy R. Nichols, PhD, MS, RDN

  • Assistant Professor | Assistant Nutritionist in AES
Building on her extensive experience in maternal and child nutrition and dietetics, Dr. Nichols conducts interdisciplinary women’s health research in two primary areas at the intersection of dietetics, reproductive epidemiology, and cardiometabolic health. First, she investigates the nutritional, biological, and social aspects of the preconception period through the first 1000 days with a translational emphasis on modifiable determinants that affect the lifecourse. Second, leveraging longitudinal data, Dr. Nichols examines sex as a biological variable and the extent to which reproductive risk factors (e.g., infertility, pregnancy loss, reproductive senescence) are associated with body composition, cardiometabolic health, and the origins of disease among female individuals in midlife.
3243 Meyer Hall
Patricia Oteiza

Patricia I. Oteiza, Ph.D.

  • Professor
  • Mars-Endowed Chair in Developmental Nutrition
  • Professor and Vice Chair, Department of Environmental Toxicology
  • Nutritionist in AES
Dr. Oteiza has two primary areas of research. The first is centered on the characterization of the effects of trace mineral deficiencies and trace mineral toxicities on early developmental processes. Dr. Oteiza´s second area of research is focused on the putative health benefits of flavonoids.
3109 Meyer Hall | Lab: 4305 Meyer Hall
Carolyn Slupsky

Carolyn M. Slupsky, Ph.D.

  • Professor
  • Nutritionist in AES
  • Professor, Department of Food Science & Technology
  • Kinsella Endowed Chair in Food, Nutrition, and Health
Dr. Slupsky's research includes understanding the impact of diet on human health from the perspective of nutrition, the gut microbiome, and host-microbial co-metabolism. She uses a multi-discplinary research approach that integrates metabolomics with clinical measures, global gene expression profiles, as well as microbial community analysis to understand the intimate link between our gut microbiome, metabolism, and health. In addition, she is looking into the implication of food processing, agricultural practices, and plant health status on the nutrient content and sensory aspects of the food we eat. These studies will provide novel insight on health management and food development, and usher us into the era of personalized nutrition.
3247 Meyer Hall | Labs: 3316 and 3326 Meyer Hall
Photo of Jennifer Smilowitz

Jennifer T Smilowitz, Ph.D.

  • Assistant Professor of Cooperative Extension
Dr. Smilowitz has a well-established research career in clinical nutrition and lactation research that targets health in the first 1000 days from pregnancy through early childhood. As a lactation education counselor, Dr. Smilowitz built a multi-collaborative outreach program focused on infant feeding that educates families on lactation and breastfeeding. Her current research and outreach programs focus on critical issues that identify and address gaps in health equity across the lifespan, support community health and reduce chronic disease risk.
3150D Meyer Hall | Lab: 3150H Meyer Hall
Francene Steinberg

Francene M. Steinberg, Ph.D., R.D.

  • Professor
  • Nutritionist in AES
  • Director, Didactic Program in Dietetics
Dr. Steinberg’s research program focuses on the physiologic effects of bioactive food components to reduce risk factors for cardiovascular and obesity-related chronic diseases. Human trials and complementary research approaches are used to study metabolic markers of lipid and lipoprotein metabolism, endothelial function, inflammation and metabolic homeostasis; with a goal to examine nutritional phenotypes of individuals responding to intakes of food phytochemicals and characterize metabolic responses which promote health and chronic disease risk reduction.
3135B Meyer Hall | Lab: 3427 Meyer Hall
Christine Stewart

Christine P. Stewart, Ph.D.

  • Corinne L. Rustici Endowed Chair in Applied Human Nutrition
  • Professor
  • Nutritionist in AES
  • Director, Institute for Global Nutrition
Dr. Stewart’s research focuses on the design and evaluation of nutrition and health interventions for women and young children in low income communities. She examines the effects of these interventions on growth, health, and development throughout the life course. She utilizes primarily community-based randomized controlled trials, longitudinal studies, and meta-analyses to synthesize evidence to inform improvements in programs or policy. She collaborates extensively with multi-disciplinary and multi-national teams and has had recent projects in Kenya, Malawi, Madagascar, Bangladesh, and Ecuador.
3253B Meyer Hall
Guodong Zhang

Guodong Zhang

  • Assistant Professor
  • Assistant Nutritionist in AES
Dr. Zhang's research seeks to elucidate the molecular mechanisms for the health effects of dietary and/or environmental compounds, in order to better understand their metabolic individualities, address inter-individual susceptibilities, and clarify their health effects.
3209 Meyer Hall | Labs: 3407 Meyer Hall
Angela Zivkovic

Angela M. Zivkovic, Ph.D.

  • Associate Professor
  • Associate Nutritionist in AES
Dr. Zivkovic’s research is focused on the role of diet and nutrition in Precision Health. Precision Health emphasizes individually tailored approaches to optimize health and prevent disease. The Zivkovic Lab has four overall research themes: 1) Investigating the functional biology of HDL; 2) Assessing the effects of diets and dietary constituents on inflammation; 3) Integrating clinical, metabolomic, proteomic, glycomic, transcriptomic, and genomic approaches to characterize metabolic phenotypes and their responsiveness to different diets; and 4) Investigating the effects of diets and dietary constituents on the gut microbiota and how they in turn affect host health.
3245 Meyer Hall | Lab: 3402 Meyer Hall

Professional Researchers, Lecturers and Adjunct Faculty

Katie Adams

Katie Adams, Ph.D.

  • Associate Project Scientist
As an applied microeconomist, Dr. Adams’ research interests are primarily in development economics with a specific focus on maternal and early childhood undernutrition. At the interface of economics and nutrition, her research aims to improve our understanding of human behavior as it relates to health and nutrition and to translate that understanding into informed guidance on policies that improve nutritional and other outcomes in developing countries.
Bess Caswell

Bess Caswell , Ph.D

  • Assistant Adjunct Professor, USDA ARS WHNRC
Dr. Caswell's research interests are in dietary assessment and analysis methods and food-based nutrition interventions. Her work incorporates nutritional epidemiology, community-based nutrition research and controlled dietary studies conducted at the Western Human Nutrition Research Center.
Picture of Eleonora Cremonini

Eleonora Cremonini, Ph.D.

  • Assistant Researcher
Dr. Cremonini's research focus on the effect of polyphenols consumption, especially epicatechin and anthocyanins, on metabolic-associated disorders. She uses cell and animals models and also clinical trials to investiagate the beneficial effects of these bioactives at the cellular level of the gastrointestinal tract (i.e., permeability, inflammation, and microbiota), which secondarily can mitigate obesity-associated pathologies, such as diabetes, steatosis and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).
4305 Meyer Hall
Robert Hackman

Robert M. Hackman, Ph.D.

  • Research Nutritionist
Dr. Hackman's research addresses the role of foods and nutritional and botanical supplements for enhancement of human health and performance. His current studies explore the role of fruits, nuts, wine and unique botanical extracts on vascular function, inflammation and skin aging.
3150F Meyer Hall
Daniela Hampel

Daniela Hampel, Ph.D.

  • Associate Project Scientist
Dr. Hampel’s research is focused on method development for phenotyping breast milk and plasma samples and assessment of micronutrient deficiencies in mostly developing countries as well as evaluation of biomarkers to assess adequate micronutrient intake for mothers, breast milk status and infants 0 - 6 months.
264 WHNRC
Marjorie Haskell

Marjorie J. Haskell, Ph.D.

  • Associate Research Nutritionist
Dr. Haskell's research is focused on assessing the bioavailability of vitamin A from plant-based diets, and evaluating the efficacy and safety of vitamin A interventions in low-income countries.
3217A Meyer Hall | Lab: 3309 Meyer Hall
Photo of Jane Heinig

M. Jane Heinig, Ph.D.

  • Academic Administrator
  • Director & Internation Board Certified Lactation Consultant, Human Lactation Center
Dr. Heinig´s research area is maternal and child nutrition, particularly during lactation.
1283D Academic Surge
Sonja Hess

Sonja Y. Hess, Ph.D.

  • Research Nutritionist
Dr. Hess' research interests involve the design, implementation and evaluation of programs to control micronutrient deficiencies among children and women in low-income countries, and related issues of nutrient bioavailability, nutrient-nutrient interactions and nutritional assessment. The research program is generally carried out in the context of community-based intervention trials, using an efficacy or effectiveness study design.
3147 Meyer Hall
Bobbie Holt

Roberta R. Holt, Ph.D.

  • Associate Researcher
Dr. Holt’s current research interests have focused on defining the metabolic and physiologic effects of the intake of specific foods on the cardiovascular health. This includes examining the relationship between circulating metabolites and vascular and platelet responses.
3202C Meyer Hall
Ming-Fo Hsu

Ming-Fo Hsu, Ph.D.

  • Assistant Project Scientist
Dr. Hsu's research involves studying the molecular basis of protein tyrosine phosphatases (PTPs) in metabolic regulation. In particular, he uses state-of-the-art genetic (animal models of human disease), biochemical and pharmacological approaches to investigate the role of PTPs in diabetes and its complications.
Liping Huang

Liping Huang, Ph.D.

  • Research Geneticist, USDA ARS WHNRC
  • Adjunct Professor
Dr. Huang is a Research Geneticist with the Western Human Nutrition Research Center. Her research is focused on identifying the genetic influences on zinc homeostasis at molecular and cellular levels in humans.
206 WHNRC
Rulan Jiang

Rulan Jiang, Ph.D.

  • Associate Project Scientist
Dr. Jiang’s research focuses on pediatric nutrition, specifically on absorption and biological roles of bioactive components in human milk, such as lactoferrin and osteopontin. She uses both cell models and animal models to investigate mechanisms by which milk derived bioactive compounds are absorbed and exert their multiple functions. In addition, she is interested in dynamic changes of milk bioactive components throughout lactation in human populations, as well as relationships between the changes and the health outcomes.
3150E Meyer Hall
Nancy Keim

Nancy L. Keim, Ph.D.

  • Research Chemist, USDA ARS WHNRC
  • Adjunct Professor
Dr. Keim's research program involves evaluation of the effects of diet patterns and physical activity on energy balance and metabolic flexibility in adults at risk for chronic disease. Recent work includes the development and application of novel tools to assess satiety in response to specific foods or meal challenges.
WHNRC
Kevin Laugero

Kevin D. Laugero, Ph.D.

  • Research Nutritionist, USDA ARS WHNRC
  • Associate Adjunct Professor
Dr. Laugero's lab studies stress and nutrition interrelationships. Research is being conducted to understand physiological and metabolic underpinnings of inter-individual variability in stress responsiveness, and how this can be used to explain vulnerability or resilience to the negative mental and physical effects of chronic stress. A systems approach is applied to examine the interrelationships between stress, diet, and physical activity in animal models, humans, and the community to identify mechanisms and factors that explain differential regulation of the stress response.
212 WHNRC
Dragan Milenkovic

Dragan Milenkovic, Ph.D.

  • Associate Researcher
Dr. Milenkovic’s research aims to demonstrate impact of nutrients on development and prevention of cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases and to identify molecular and cellular mechanisms of actions underlying observed effects using multi-genomic and bioinformatic approaches. In the last 10 years his research has been particularly focused on protective effects of bioactive plant compounds, mainly polyphenols.
John Newman

John W. Newman, Ph.D.

  • Research Chemist, USDA ARS WHNRC
  • Associate Adjunct Professor
Dr. Newman's research group is developing and applying targeted and untargeted metabolomics tools to investigate metabolic responses to diet and their implications in the context of obesity and its associated co-morbidities. Active research areas include: 1) Investigating the functional implications of lipoprotein particle metabolomics structure on vascular and adipose physiology; 2) Investigating cross-talk between mediators of energy metabolism, inflammation, tissue growth and satiety; 3) Mapping the natural variance in metabolic responses to dietary challenges; 4) Investigating the impact of diet quality and weight maintenance/loss on metabolic indices of health.
210 WHNRC
Laurie Nommsen-Rivers

Laurie Nommsen-Rivers, PhD, RD, IBCLC

  • Academic Administrator
  • Adjunct Associate Professor
Dr. Nommsen-Rivers (she/her) is the director of the Maternal and Child Nutrition Master of Advanced Study program and the UC Davis Human Lactation Center. Her program of research aims to strengthen the evidence base for supporting optimal clinical management of lactating parent-infant dyads. Her current work focuses on physiologic factors that influence milk production during lactation.
3150C Meyer Hall
Ryan Snodgrass

Ryan G Snodgrass, Ph.D

  • Research Molecular Biologist, USDA ARS WHNRC
  • Adjunct Assistant Professor
Dr. Snodgrass's research is focused on understanding how diet and nutritional and metabolic status shape innate immune function. Active research areas include: 1) investigating how metabolic status influences innate immune cell frequencies and phenotypes; 2) investigating the impact of diet and stress on cardiovascular risk factors and innate immune cell phenotypes; 3) investigating how microbiota-derived metabolites, which can be influenced by our diet, contribute to innate immune cell function.
Katherine Soule

Katherine E Soule, Ph.D., C.P.H.

  • Academic Administrator, Department of Nutrition
  • Director of the CalFresh Healthy Living (CFHL) Health Equity Initiative
  • Cooperative Extension Advisor, Health Equity
Dr. Soule is a dedicated advocate for health equity and community empowerment, with a focus on developing interventions aimed at increasing health equity, improving food security, and promoting economic prosperity in marginalized communities. Dr. Soule's work integrates health education with research and policy improvements to foster an inclusive and equitable society with positive life outcomes for all.
Charles Stephensen

Charles B. Stephensen, Ph.D.

  • Director, USDA ARS WHNRC
  • Adjunct Professor
Dr. Stephensen is the Director of the USDA Western Human Research Center (WHNRC). His research interests focus on the relation between nutritional status and immune function, focusing on vitamin A, vitamin D and omega-3 fatty acids. The effect of diet on the gut microbiome as a mediator of the impact of diet on immunity is also a current focus.
204 WHNRC
K. Ryan Wessells

K. Ryan Wessells, Ph.D

  • Associate Project Scientist
Dr. Wessells’ research interests are focused on zinc deficiency among infants and young children in low-income countries, and the evaluation of therapeutic and preventive interventions designed to improve nutritional status in these populations. She is also interested in the dietary and biochemical assessment of nutritional status, and relationships between nutritional status, intestinal mucosal function and infection.
3147 Meyer Hall

Affiliated Faculty

Britt Burton-Freeman

Britt M. Burton-Freeman, Ph.D.

  • Research Associate
Dr. Burton-Freeman's research follows two main themes: 1) Appetite and obesity management and, 2) Vascular disease. Research emphasizes the effects of bioactive food components on mechanistic and behavioral processes of food intake and body weight regulation.
Alan Crozier

Alan Crozier, Ph.D.

  • Research Associate
Dr. Crozier's research investigates the absorption, disposition, metabolism and excretion of dietary flavonoids and phenolic compounds and their potential to protect against non-communicable diseases. He is one of 11 Thomson-Reuters 2014 Highly Cited Researchers on the UC Davis campus.
D'Ann Finley

D'Ann Finley, Ph.D.

  • Research Associate
Dr. Finley is the Assistant Editor of The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Her research interests include the study of factors affecting breast milk composition.
Hajime Fujii

Hajime Fujii, Ph.D.

  • Research Associate
  • President, Amino Up Chemical Co., Ltd.
Dr. Fujii’s research interests are focused on the development and testing of novel botanical extracts. His current work includes research on a mushroom mycelia extract, a lychee fruit extract, and an enzyme-treated asparagus extract.
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Andrew G. Hall, Ph.D

  • Research Associate
Dr. Hall's research interests focus on assessments of zinc absorption, metabolism and homeostasis in domestic and international populations consuming various zinc-containing foods, as well as examining fatty acid metabolism.
Ken-ichi Kosuna

Ken-ichi Kosuna

  • Research Associate
  • Chairman, Amino Up Chemical Co., Ltd.
Mr. Kosuna is an internationally-recognized business leader and innovator in the area of botanical extracts for human health. His current research interests focus on regulatory aspects of nutritional products in Asia and the United States, and the development of safe and effective natural products for use in food, beverage and dietary supplement industries.
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Javier Ottaviani, Ph.D.

  • Adjunct Researcher
  • Director of the Core Laboratory of Mars Edge, a segment of Mars, Incorporated
Dr. Ottaviani’s interests are in developing and translating innovations in diet and nutrition for health maintenance and optimization in individuals and at the population level. Dr. Ottaviani’s current research is focused on understanding the nutritional relevance of flavanols, procyanidins and other bioactive compounds’ impact on disease prevention and overall health. He’s also examining the role of sensors, personal devices and other new technologies in personalized nutrition.
3150B Meyer Hall
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Hagen Schroeter, Ph.D.

  • Adjunct Researcher
  • Chief Science Officer Mars Edge, a segment of Mars, Incorporated
Dr. Schroeter’s scientific interests focus on human health and nutrition, personalized nutrition, and data-enabled innovation in nutrition and wellbeing. In the context of Mars Edge, he leads the biomedical investigations into the role of dietary flavanols, procyanidins and other bioactive food constituents in nutrition and healthy aging. Dr. Schroeter is also studying personal sensors and devices, and the application of machine learning in personalized nutrition and health.
3150B Meyer Hall
Bruce Watkins

Bruce A. Watkins, Ph.D.

  • Research Associate
  • Purdue University Emeritus Professor of Nutrition and Food Sciences
  • Adjunct Professor, Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, IUSM
  • Scientist/educator member of the UCONN Health Center
Dr. Watkins's research is focused on energy balance, obesity, and endocannabinoid signaling. The research aim is to understand the role of endocannabinoid (EC) signaling in systemic energy metabolism, and on glucose use and insulin sensitivity in muscle.

Emeriti

Liz Applegate

Liz Applegate, Ph.D.

  • Distinguished Senior Lecturer Emerita
Dr. Applegate developed and taught Nutrition 10 at UC Davis for 33 years teaching over 66,000 students more than any other UC davis instructor She created a fully online version of this popular course for use by all UC campuses. She established a variety of internships focusing on sports nutrition and nutrition education for undergraduate nutrition students. She has served as the Director of Sports Nutrition for Intercollegiate Athletics providing nutrition education for 20 sports teams. Her research interests include the effect of natural food products on exercise performance, nutrition label literacy among adults, and nutrition education through gardening in developmentally disabled adults.
Kenneth Brown

Kenneth H. Brown, M.D.

  • Distinguished Professor Emeritus
Dr. Brown conducts research on the epidemiology, treatment, and prevention of childhood malnutrition in lower-income countries, including evaluation of large-scale intervention programs. Research themes include infant and young child feeding (breast feeding and complementary feeding), relationships between infection and nutrition, and control of specific micronutrient deficiencies, with particular focus on vitamin A, zinc, and iron.
3139 Meyer Hall | Lab: 3309 Meyer Hall
Gary Cherr

Gary N. Cherr, Ph.D.

  • Professor Emeritus
  • Professor Emeritus, Department of Environmental Toxicology
Dr. Cherr´s current laboratory focus is on understanding the cellular and physiological mechanisms of reproduction and development over a wide phylogenetic range
4245 Meyer Hall | Lab: Bodega Marine Lab
Paul Davis

Paul A. Davis, Ph.D.

  • Research Nutritionist Emeritus
Dr. Davis' research focuses on the interaction of dietary constituents (macronutrients and nonnutritional components) with processes/risk factors for chronic human diseases (i.e. coronary vascular disease and cancer).
Dewey headshot

Kathryn Dewey, Ph.D.

  • Distinguished Professor Emerita
Dr. Dewey's research area is community and international nutrition, with an emphasis on maternal and child nutrition. Dr. Dewey was the Director of the Program in International & Community Nutrition (now named Institute for Global Nutrition) from 2007 – 2018.
3253C Meyer Hall | Lab: 1339 Meyer Hall
M.R.C. Greenwood

M.R.C. Greenwood, Ph.D.

  • President Emerita, University of Hawaii
  • Chancellor Emerita, UC Santa Cruz
  • Distinguished Professor Emerita
Dr. M.R.C. Greenwood's research interests are in national science policy, obesity, diabetes, and women's health. Her past research work has been on the role of genetics in the development of obesity and diabetes. She is currently interested in national and international policy in these areas and the role of government in the regulation of food and diet.
Louis Grivetti

Louis E. Grivetti, Ph.D.

  • Professor Emeritus, Department of Nutrition
Dr. Grivetti blends classical approaches of social and biological sciences with historical perspectives. The unifying theme of his research is how, why, and under what conditions human diets change, the mechanisms of change, and the nutritional implications of human behavior.
3139 Meyer Hall
Charles Halsted

Charles H. Halsted, Ph.D.

  • Professor Emeritus, Department of Internal Medicine
  • Professor Emeritus
The main focus of Dr. Halsted's research is the regulation of alcoholic liver injury by hepatic methionine metabolism. Previous work established the mechanisms for folate absorption from the intestine, including characterization of a novel enzyme glutamate carboxypeptidase, as well the effects of alcoholism on folate metabolism in humans and animal models.
6323 Genome and Biomedical Sciences Facility
Lucia Kaiser

Lucia L. Kaiser, Ph.D.

  • Cooperative Extension Specialist Emerita
Dr. Lucia Kaiser’s research interests have included developing and evaluating nutrition education programs to promote food security and prevent obesity and nutrition-related chronic diseases. As a Cooperative Extension specialist, she conducted workshops, seminars, in-service training events, and media outreach to the general public, as well as to health providers. Dr. Kaiser maintains the UC Cooperative Extension Community Nutrition website, which provides nutrition education resources and evaluation tools to help those working in the community to promote healthy lifestyles and improve the food environment.
3150D Meyer Hall
Carl Keen

Carl L. Keen, Ph.D.

  • Professor Emeritus
  • Professor Emeritus, Department of Internal Medicine
  • Nutritionist in AES Emeritus
Dr. Keen's research group is primarily concerned with: 1) the investigation of the influence of maternal diet on the risk for pregnancy complications (mother, and conceptus); and 2) the influence of diet on the risk for age-related chronic diseases with a focus on phytochemicals and vascular health.
3135A Meyer Hall | Lab: 3407 Meyer Hall
Janet King

Janet C. King, Ph.D., R.D.

  • Research Professor Emerita
  • Senior Scientist, Children's Hospital Oakland Research Institute
Using stable isotopes and kinetic modeling techniques, Dr. King´s research group studies how calcium and zinc utilization is affected by different physiological states, such as pregnancy, lactation, aging, or insufficient or excessive intakes.
Robert Rucker

Robert Rucker, Ph.D.

  • Distinguished Professor Emeritus
Dr. Rucker's current research focus is on the role of nutrients in early growth and development, the physiological roles of quinone cofactors derived from tyrosine, such as pyrroloquinoline quinone, and allometric scaling relevant to nutrition.
3415 Meyer Hall
Barbara Schneeman

Barbara O. Schneeman, Ph.D.

  • Professor Emerita
Dr. Schneeman is recognized for her work on dietary fiber, gastro-intestinal function, development and use of food-based dietary guidelines, and the connection between science and policy development.
Marilyn Townsend

Marilyn S. Townsend, Ph.D., R.D.

  • Cooperative Extension Specialist Emerita
Dr. Townsend's work centers on nutrition education (research and programs) with an emphasis on children and adolescents. She is involved in theory-driven program development and implementation, nutrition educational methodologies and program evaluation. Her work also involves health behavior change strategies.
3150D Meyer Hall
Sheri Zidenberg-Cherr

Sheri A. Zidenberg-Cherr, Ph.D.

  • Cooperative Extension Specialist Emerita
Dr. Zidenberg-Cherr´s research program studies the impact of multi-faceted approaches to nutrition education on the dietary and lifestyle choices of school-aged children. Her research utilizes a food systems approach in the development and testing of nutrition education curricula and comprehensive nutrition education programs for school age children. She was also the founding Director of the Center for Nutrition in Schools in the Department of Nutrition at University of California, Davis.

In Memoriam

Andres Clifford

Andrew J. Clifford, Ph.D.

  • (In Memoriam) Distinguished Professor Emeritus
Dr. Clifford's research concerned the dynamic and kinetic behavior of nutrient metabolism as it occurs in vivo in humans. Nutrients of special interest include folate, vitamin E, β-carotene, lutein, and food (fruits/vegetables) components (flavonoids, isothiocyanates, catechins, sulfaraphanes, resveratrol). Foods rich in the above components protect against and hold promise for improved management of developmental, chronic, and degenerative diseases.
Charles Hess

Charles E. Hess, Ph.D.

  • (In Memoriam) Dean Emeritus, College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences
  • Department Chair (2007-2009)
Dr. Hess was the Chair of the UC Davis Nutrition Department from 2007 to 2009. He also served as Dean of the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences from 1975 to 1989. In 1989 he was appointed by the President to be the Assistant Secretary of Science and Education in the USDA. He also had two presidential appointments to the National Science Board, the governing board of the National Science Foundation. Upon his return to campus in 1991, he served as the Director of International Programs and has served as a special assistant to the Provost and Chancellor.
Fredric Hill

Fredric S. Hill, Ph.D.

  • (In Memoriam) Professor Emeritus
Professor Hill was a pioneer in the field of nutrition, one of the first to study the interaction of carbohydrates, fats and amino acids as energy sources in the body. He studied comparative nutrition, researching how different animal species utilize the major dietary components as energy sources. Hill's initial research focused on the nutritional requirements of poultry, including pioneering work on food composition as it relates to poultry production and growth. Dr. Hill served as the founding chair of the department of nutrition at UC Davis from 1967-1972. He also served as editor of the Journal of Nutrition, the official journal of the American Society for Nutritional Sciences.
Lucille Hurley

Lucille S. Hurley, Ph.D.

  • (In Memoriam) Professor Emerita
Lucille S. Hurley was internationally acclaimed for her studies on the role of maternal nutrition in perinatal development. She was one of the first to recognize that the phenotypic expression of some deleterious genotopyes could be prevented by appropriate dietary manipulations. With her death in 1988, the scientific community lost an eminent scholar and member; present and future students lost an exceptional educator; and the public lost one of its more articulate advocates for the need to improve the diets of pregnant women in order to optimize the outcome of their pregnancies.
Elizabeth Prado

Elizabeth L. Prado, Ph.D.

  • (In Memoriam) Associate Professor
  • Associate Nutritionist in AES
Dr. Prado's research included the effect of nutrition on brain development in children; the effect of nutrition on cognition, mood, and caregiving in mothers; and the cross-cultural and cross-linguistic adaptation and validation of tests of motor, cognitive, and socio-emotional function in children and adults. Her research made a large impact on the on the field of maternal and child nutrition, early-life learning and development.
Judith Stern

Judith S. Stern, Sc.D., R.D.

  • (In Memoriam) Distinguished Professor Emerita, Departments of Nutrition and Internal Medicine
Dr. Stern joined the UC Davis faculty in 1974. Her work on the metabolic and behavioral aspects of obesity flourished and she and many graduate students and postdoctoral fellows were well published. Over her distinguished career, she was awarded numerous national and international awards, including election as a fellow of the American Society for Nutritional Sciences and of the American Association for the Advancement of Sciences.
Helene Swenerton

Helene Swenerton, Ph.D.

  • (In Memoriam) Cooperative Extension Specialist Emerita
In 1970, Dr. Swenerton joined the UC Davis Faculty as a Research Nutritionist, in association with renowned Professor Dr. Lucille Hurley. Together, they published what is now considered a classic series of research papers on the effects of zinc deficiency in the diet on mammalian fetal development. In 1972, Dr. Swenerton was appointed a UC Cooperative Extension Specialist in Nutrition, where she served the public with distinction for over 17 years.
William Weir

William C. Weir, Ph.D.

  • (In Memoriam) Professor Emeritus, Department of Animal Science
  • Department Chair (1973-1981)
Dr. Weir joined the faculty of the Animal Husbandry Department at U.C.D. in 1948. Professor Weir had an exemplary record of service to the University: Dean of Students (1956, 1958-1965), including a period as Dean of Women; Chief-of-Party for the U.C.-University of Chile Cooperative Program (1970-1972); Chairman of the Department of Nutrition (1973-1981); Associate Director of the Small Ruminent C.R.S.P. (1981-1987); Associate Dean for International Programs for U.C.D. (1985-1990).
No Photo

Gaylord P. Whitlock

  • (In Memoriam) Cooperative Extension Specialist
Born in Mt. Vernon, Ill., on July 7, 1917, Whitlock was the oldest of four children. He put himself through Southern Illinois Normal College delivering bread, milking cows and picking peaches. He was a Navy weatherman in World War II and was shipwrecked off the coast of Alaska. He taught nutrition through the UC Davis extension office.
Fraces Zeman

Frances J. Zeman, Ph.D., R.D.

  • (In Memoriam) Professor Emerita
Before she earned her doctorate in nutrition and dietetics from Ohio State University, Dr. Zeman worked as a dietitian for Cleveland City Hospital in Cleveland. She subsequently taught in the nutrition department at Kent State University. She came to UC Davis, in 1964. At UCD, Dr. Zeman, a Registered Dietitian, was a professor of dietetics and nutrition and was involved in years of research in her field of developmental nutrition and teratology. During her years at the university, she was invited to be a visiting scientist at the Dunn Nutrition Laboratory in Cambridge, England. She authored or co-authored more than 70 research papers and three textbooks, including "Clinical Nutrition and Dietetics” the premier text in the field during the 1980-90’s.