Translation

Translation

Our faculty turn nutrition research into knowledge, practices, and solutions that can improve health and well-being in real-world settings.

Explore Our Research Areas


Mary E. Kable, Ph.D.

  • Research Molecular Biologist, USDA ARS WHNRC
  • Assistant Adjunct Professor
Dr. Kable is interested in the mechanisms governing how diet impacts the bacterial composition of the human gut and how these diet-bacterial interactions can influence human health.

Sonja Y. Hess, Ph.D.

  • Research Nutritionist | Interim Director Institute for Global Nutrition
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

Reina Engle-Stone, Ph.D.

  • Associate Professor
  • Associate Nutritionist in AES
  • Faculty member associated with the Master of Advanced Study in Maternal and Child Nutrition Program
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

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

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

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

K. Ryan Wessells, Ph.D

  • Project Scientist
Dr. Wessells' research interests are focused on micronutrient deficiencies 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. She has extensive expertise in designing and implementing randomized controlled trials, as well as conducting systematic reviews and meta-analyses.
3147 Meyer Hall

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

John W. Newman, Ph.D.

  • Research Chemist, USDA ARS WHNRC
  • 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; 5) Developing analytical tools for the quantitative assessment of dietary intake.
210 WHNRC

Joan S. Frank, M.S., R.D.N., F.A.N.D

  • Lecturer
  • Assistant Director, Didactic Program in Dietetics
  • Faculty member associated with the Master of Advanced Study in Maternal and Child Nutrition Program
Ms. Frank's work focuses on curriculum design, outcomes assessment, and management practice in dietetics.
3241 Meyer Hall