2026 Lillian Fountain Smith Conference Program Speakers Michelle Baack | Professor Presentation title: As a Matter of Fat: Periconceptual diets to shape pregnancy outcomes and generational health Dan Bessesen | Director, Anschutz Health and Wellness Center Presentation title: TBD Lisa Beutler | Assistant Professor Presentation title: Dissecting the gut-brain dynamics of anorexia and aversion Josie Broussard | Associate Professor; Director, Sleep and Metabolism Lab Presentation title: Sleep and circadian disruption: a model of accelerated aging across multiple physiological systems Carmen Byker Shanks | Principal Research Scientist Presentation title: Navigating Change in Today’s Public Health Nutrition Landscape Wayne Campbell | Professor Presentation title: Protein-rich food choices for cardiometabolic health; does it really matter? Amandine Chaix | Assistant Professor Presentation title: Ketogenic diet for type 2 diabetes management: fat chance! Sarah Elzinga | Assistant Professor Presentation title: At the nexus of obesity, prediabetes, and aging: is neuroinflammation the common denominator in dementia? Christopher Gardner | Rehnborg Farquhar Professor of Medicine Presentation title: The evolving landscape of antiobesity medications, implications for our understanding of body weight regulation Teri Hernandez | Professor and Associate Dean Presentation title: In Defense of Carbs: Challenging the low-carbohydrate diet for gestational diabetes Richard Johnson | Professor Presentation title: Insights from Diet, Nature & Evolution on the cause of metabolic diseases Tom LaRocca Presentation title: Brain aging, molecular genetics, and nutraceuticals Minghua Tang | Associate Professor Presentation title: Why diet matters for the little ones: the impact of complementary feeding on infant growth and development
