Our Focus
The primary goal of our research program is to integrate multiple disciplines including nutrition, food, agricultural, and biomedical sciences to perform translational research studies.
The lab will:
- Identify foods, particularly those rich in polyphenols such as flavonoids, that exert functional effects on human physiology and health;
- Critically examine the clinical efficacy of nutrition and food-related interventions, namely polyphenol-rich functional foods, to improve vascular function and reduce cardiovascular and metabolic disease risk factors in high-risk aging human populations;
- Evaluate underlying mechanisms by which nutrition and food-related interventions induce clinical responses;
- Explore the bidirectional relationship between nutrition and food-related interventions and food systems as they relate to human health and sustainability; and
- Inform evidence-based practice and dietary recommendations.
A population of particular interest is postmenopausal women, as the physiological changes that occur throughout the menopausal transition and postmenopausal period accelerate the development and progression chronic diseases and conditions, particularly vascular dysfunction and cardiovascular disease.
Dr. Sarah A. Johnson, Director
Recent Publications
Our Team
Dr. Sarah A. Johnson, Director
Students
- Sylvia Lee, M.S. – Ph.D. candidate, 2nd year
- Nancy Ghanem, M.S. – Ph.D. candidate, 2nd year
- Sydney Holmes, M.S. student, CMPD student, 3rd year
- Natali Mendez, M.S. student, 2nd year
- Jenny Whittington, M.S. student, 3rd year
- Aaron Nacey – M.S. student, 1st year
Staff
- Clinical Coordinator – Afsana Khandaker, M.S., M.B.B.S.
Left to right: Nancy Ghanem, Dr. Sarah Johnson, Dr. Emily Woolf, Sylvia Lee