Academic Senate Faculty & Cooperative Extension

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

  • Professor and Department Chair
  • Nutritionist in AES
  • Director, Didactic Program in Dietetics
  • Corrine L. Rustici Endowed Chair in Human Nutrition
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

Fawaz G. Haj, Ph.D.

  • Professor and Co-Vice Chair
  • 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

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

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

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