Advancing human health through nutrition: a core foundation for health promotion and disease prevention
Marian L Neuhouser, PhD, RD
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center
Marian L Neuhouser, PhD, RD, is a Professor and Program Head in the Cancer Prevention Program, Division of Public Health Sciences at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center. She is also Core Faculty in Nutritional Sciences and Affiliate Professor of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Washington. Dr. Neuhouser completed her undergraduate degree in Community Nutrition at the University of California, Davis. She obtained her PhD in Nutritional Sciences at the University of WA followed by postdoctoral training at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center where she subsequently became faculty and has spent the past 28 years engaged in cancer-related nutrition research.
Dr. Neuhouser has been Principal Investigator or Co-Investigator of numerous NIH and USDA-funded grants focused on: (1) dietary modification interventions for reduction of risk of cancer or progression of existing disease; (2) short term intervention trials to delineate the role of foods, food components and dietary patterns on human metabolism and physiology, and for dietary biomarker discovery; and (3) methodologic research to improve dietary assessment used in cancer prevention research. Research designs range from large observational cohorts to controlled feeding trials. She has authored over 450 peer-reviewed manuscripts in the biomedical literature.
Dr. Neuhouser is member and chair of the NIH’s Lifestyle and Health Behaviors (LHB) Scientific Review Group and is a member of the Food & Nutrition Board of the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine. Dr. Neuhouser was a member of the 2015 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee, was President of the American Society for Nutrition 2016-2017, was elected as a fellow of the American Society for Nutrition in 2023, and is Deputy Editor of The Journal of Nutrition.
Eating behavior in children and adolescents
Katherine Balantekin, PhD, RD
Assistant Professor
Department of Exercise and Nutrition Science
School of Public Health and Health Professions
University at Buffalo
(A)lfajor to (Z)apallo – developing a food contaminants database to support children’s health in Uruguay
Katarzyna Kordas, PhD
Associate Professor
Department of Epidemiology and Environmental Health
School of Public Health and Health Professions
University at Buffalo
Kasia Kordas is an environmental epidemiologist with interdisciplinary research that combines global health, nutritional sciences, environmental health, and human development. Kasia earned her PhD in international health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Currently, she is an associate professor in the department of Epidemiology of Environmental Health at the University at Buffalo. In the fall 2023 she was based in the Czech Republic at the RECETOX, Masaryk University as part of her Distinguished Fulbright Scholar award.
With her colleagues, Kasia established and co-leads the Salud Ambiental Montevideo (SAM) environmental school cohort in Uruguay. Her research program investigates the effects of complex environmental (chemical) exposures and toxicant-diet interactions on the health and development of urban Latino children. Her research spans from molecules to neighborhoods, accounting for the family, school, and neighborhood contexts in the relationship between toxicants and neurobehavioral development of children. This program of research has been supported by several grants from the National Institutes of Health. With funding from UB’s Office for International Education, Kasia and her colleagues have recently begun investigating heavy metal contamination in diets of Uruguayan children.
Looking back and seeing forward – the role of nutrition in vision as we age
Amy E. Millen, PhD
Associate Professor
Department of Epidemiology and Environmental Health
School of Public Health and Health Professions
University at Buffalo
Mobile Produce Market Address Nutrition Insecurity in Underserved Communities across the U.S.
Lucia Leone, PhD
Associate Professor
Department of Community Health and Health Behavior
School of Public Health and Health Professions
University at Buffalo
Dietary factors, smoking cessation and lung cancer: Investigations in Chinese and US populations
Ajay Anand Myneni, PhD
Research Scientist
Department of Surgery
Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences
University at Buffalo
Dr. Myneni obtained his undergraduate in Medicine in India and pursued higher studies in public health in the U.S. He completed his MPH from the University of Illinois Springfield and PhD in Epidemiology from the Department of Epidemiology and Environmental Health here at UB with his dissertation focus on diet, smoking cessation, and lung cancer. Currently, he is Assistant Director of UB Surgical Outcomes and Research with focus on addressing disparities in access and utilization of care and improving quality of care.
Exploring Smoking Cessation Outreach at the Seneca Babcock Community Association Food Pantry
Toni Naccarella
MPH student in Health Services Administration
Department of Epidemiology and Environmental Health
School of Public Health and Health Professions
University at Buffalo
Toni Naccarella is a graduate student pursuing a Master of Public Health with a concentration in Health Services Administration, expected to graduate in May of 2024. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Urban and Public Policy from the University at Buffalo. During field training at the Seneca Babcock Community Association food pantry, Toni assisted in providing food to around 80 individuals and families weekly. She collaborated with Dr. Kruger, Dr. Felicione and other students in the initial process of doing smoking cessation outreach at the pantry. Currently, Toni is conducting a literature review to inform interventions aimed at increasing knowledge and utilization of the NYS Quitline in food pantry settings.
Using dietary patterns to understand mechanisms through which nutrition may influence chronic disease
Kaelyn Burns
PhD candidate
Department of Epidemiology and Environmental Health
School of Public Health and Health Professions
University at Buffalo
Kaelyn Burns is a third year PhD candidate in the Department of Epidemiology and Environmental Health at UB, and she has a master’s degree in human nutrition from the University of Delaware. She currently serves as an Executive Committee member for the Student Interest Group of the American Society for Nutrition. Kaelyn’s research interest is in nutritional epidemiology, focusing on the role of dietary intake in chronic disease development. Kaelyn was awarded a Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award Individual Predoctoral Fellowship (F31) from the NHLBI to support her dissertation, which aims to clarify the metabolic processes following consumption of a diet high in choline that may lead to atherosclerosis development.
Manipulating tumor energetics with dietary restrictions for better cancer care
Sabrina Orsi
PhD candidate
Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology
Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences
University at Buffalo
Sabrina Orsi is a fourth year PhD candidate in the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology at the University at Buffalo, with interests in metabolism, nutrition, and cancer therapeutics. Prior to pursuing her graduate education, Sabrina received a BS in Biochemistry, a BS in Microbiology, and conducted research in a neuroscience lab at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. Currently, Sabrina conducts research under the mentorship of Dr. Roberto Pili where she is investigating the use of specific dietary restrictions to target metabolic vulnerabilities in different subtypes of renal cell carcinoma. Since joining Dr. Pili’s lab, Sabrina’s accomplishments include poster presentations at multiple conferences, a co-authored manuscript on translocation renal cell carcinoma, and several awards for her presentations including UB’s Three-Minute Thesis People’s Choice Award.