NICHD T32 Trainers
Julia L. Finkelstein, MPH ScD
Director, MCN Training Program
Associate Professor of Epidemiology and Nutrition
Division of Nutritional Sciences
The Finkelstein laboratory focuses on the role of vitamin B12, folate, and iron in the etiology of anemia and maternal and child health outcomes, to develop interventions to improve the health of women and children. During the past decade, I have conducted maternal and child nutrition research in clinical and community settings in India, Sub-Saharan Africa, South America, and the United States. Through these experiences, I have developed expertise in the design and conduct of randomized trials, cohort studies, and surveillance programs in high-risk obstetric and pediatric populations in resource-limited settings.
Laura Bellows, PhD MPH
Associate Professor, Division of Nutritional Sciences
Broadly, my research examines the impact of community-based interventions on public health outcomes. Specifically, my work focuses on the development of eating habits and physical activity patterns in early childhood audiences. To date my work has utilized innovative approaches in the development, implementation, and evaluation of interventions aimed at preventing childhood obesity in preschool settings and the home environment. I am committed to improving health outcomes through community-informed interventions by promoting health equity amongst at-risk audiences - those with limited resources, who are Hispanic, living in rural settings, and with limited health literacy.
John Hoddinott, DPhil
H.E. Babcock Professor of Food & Nutrition Economics and Policy, Division of Nutritional Sciences
Dr. Hoddinott is interested in the causes of poverty, food insecurity and undernutrition, and the design and evaluation of interventions that would reduce these. He has undertaken work on poverty dynamics, intrahousehold resource allocation, schooling, labour markets aid allocation and on improving survey methods. His current research interests focus on the links between economics (especially social protection, agriculture and gender), food security and early life nutrition. He has ongoing collaborative projects in Bangladesh, Ethiopia and Guatemala.
Kathleen Rasmussen, ScD
Founding Director, MCN Training Program
My research program focuses on the relationship between maternal nutritional status during the reproductive period and maternal and child health outcomes. We have shown, first in experimental animals, then in women who participated in the INCAP cohort study in Guatemala as well as more recently in the women of the Danish National Birth Cohort, that there is a trade-off between mother and infant in the consequences of variation weight gain during pregnancy. These findings were important in the development of the 2009 guidelines for weight gain during pregnancy. Most recently, I have collaborated with colleagues in Brazil to develop weight gain guidelines for Brazil.
Marla Lujan, PhD
Associate Professor, Division of Nutritional Sciences
The focus of the Lujan lab relates to the interplay of nutrition and metabolic status with women’s reproductive health. Specific interests include understanding mechanisms whereby diet, glucoregulatory status and adiposity impact ovulation and lead to loss of regular menstrual cycles (amenorrhea) in women. Her work also includes cross-disciplinary assessments aimed at understanding unique challenges faced by women with endocrine disruptions including usual dietary intake and physical activity, health-related knowledge and beliefs as well as experiences with healthcare providers.
Liz Johnson, PhD
Assistant Professor, Division of Nutritional Sciences
Research in the Johnson Lab is focused on understanding how bioactive lipids contribute to diet-microbiome and microbiome-host interactions. We use techniques in molecular biology, mass spectrometry, microbial genetics, and genomics to understand the consequences of lipid transfer between host and the microbiome. Specifically we are interested in how lipid-dependent host-microbe interactions define the initial colonization and development of the infant gut microbiome with the goal of supporting microbiome-conscious early-life nutrition.
Tashara Leak, PhD
Associate Professor, Division of Nutritional Sciences
I design culturally relevant interventions, in partnership with community stakeholders, that aim to improve diet, health, and overall wellbeing of adolescents that reside in urban communities. I am deeply committed to conducting research that informs public health programming and policy. As such, the majority of my research studies have a clearly identified plan for translation from the very beginning.
Angela Odoms-Young, PhD
In my research, I have attempted to meaningfully contribute to this discourse by examining the diverse factors that influence food choice behaviors in low-income populations and communities of color and inform the development of community-based intervention approaches. This work has focused on expanding theoretical paradigms, identifying and evaluating policy, systems, and environmental change interventions, and developing effective training approaches for nutrition professionals to deliver culturally appropriate, community centered nutrition education services.
odoms-young@cornell.edu | Nutrition Liberation, Food Sovereignty, and Justice Lab
Saurabh Mehta, MBBS ScD
The Janet and Gordon Lankton Professor, Division of Nutritional Sciences
I am a physician and an epidemiologist with expertise in infectious disease, nutrition, maternal and child health, and diagnostics. The central theme of my research is the interplay between nutrition and infection, including facilitating field-friendly assessment for both, and elucidating how nutrition can be used as a modifiable risk factor for infections and associated outcomes, often in the context of pregnancy and early childhood. This is achieved through a combination of active surveillance programs, invention of point-of-care diagnostics for nutrition and infection, and randomized controlled trials primarily in resource-limited settings in India, sub-Saharan Africa, and Latin America.
Kimberly O’Brien, PhD
Professor, Division of Nutritional Sciences
Professor O’Brien’s research has centered on studies designed to better understand mineral metabolism and bone health in infants, children, and pregnant and lactating women in both developed and developing countries. To address issues of calcium metabolism, she has undertaken metabolic studies in groups including children from osteoporotic families, pregnant and lactating adolescents, and children with chronic diseases such as cystic fibrosis and HIV infection. Her current research focuses on the impact of adolescent pregnancy, particularly among minority populations, on maternal and fetal bone health, risk of anemia, and maternal and neonatal vitamin D and iron physiology. Partitioning of nutrients between the mother and fetus is addressed at the cellular level by assessing placental mineral transporters in relation to maternal and neonatal status.
Katherine Dickin, PhD MS
Associate Professor, Department of Public & Ecosystem Health
I conduct formative and implementation research on the effectiveness of community-based programs to improve nutritional status and reduce health inequities in the US and globally. This includes qualitative and quantitative research on maternal and child nutrition, responsive parenting and social support, food security, obesity prevention, capacity building for multisectoral nutrition and sustainable food systems.
Barbara Strupp, PhD
Professor, Division of Nutritional Sciences
Our research team uses experimental methods to identify the optimal amount of choline to be consumed during pregnancy, with respect to child cognitive outcomes. We examine the causal effects of maternal choline supplementation on offspring memory, attention, information processing speed, and executive functioning from early infancy into childhood. Through our studies, we seek to advance scientific knowledge and understanding of how variations in maternal choline intake affect offspring neurobehavioral development from infancy into old age. In addition, we seek to provide evidence that will inform dietary intake guidelines for pregnant women.
bjs13@cornell.edu | Cornell Choline Cognition Research Group
Paul Soloway, PhD
Professor of Molecular Genetics, DNS
Chair, Department of Biomedical Sciences
My lab uses genetically-modified, and environmentally-manipulated mice to model various health and disease states that are seen in humans, and uses single cell methods to characterize chromatin states in affected tissues. The goals of these studies are to identify the various cell types that exist in tissues, and how their abundances and chromatin states change with health and disease state. These provide insights into the cellular and molecular bases of health and disease. Among the systems being studied are mouse models for Down syndrome, adipose development and metabolism, heart disease, and melanoma. Additional systems under investigation are immunodeficiencies in veterinary species, and insect vectors for infectious disease.