| Faculty and Staff Media Relations Training
1-4 p.m.
Last Day of Classes - Summer I
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| First Day of Classes - Summer II
Independence Day - University Holiday, No Classes
Last Day to Apply to Graduate in August
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Welcome to our first class of NURISh students
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The department's first cohort of summer undergraduate research students participating in the NURISh Program, or Nutrition Undergraduate Research Immersion for the Summer Program, joined us in Aggieland over Memorial Day weekend and started in their host labs the following week.
We are so excited to see what all of these brilliant young scientists work on this summer!
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Zoie Gavel, left, and Sarah Grace Wisener, right, will be supporting work led by Amber Chang, center, a doctoral student in the lab of Heidi Vanden Brink, Ph.D.
Chang's project includes a systematic review and meta-analysis of nutritional and health disparities in adolescent versus adult pregnancy in the United States.
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Robert Chapkin elected to Executive Committee of Distinguished Professors |
Robert Chapkin, Ph.D., was named a University Distinguished Professor in 2014. He has now been elected to serve on the Executive Committee of Distinguished Professors for a 3-year term.
The University Distinguished Professor designation is bestowed upon Texas A&M University faculty members who are preeminent in their fields and have made transformational contributions - or provided an intellectually substantial “leap forward” - in their discipline. It is the highest achievement a faculty member can earn at Texas A&M and is a testament to Chapkin's high quality of scholarship, along with his new election to the executive committee, which acts on behalf of the entire body of distinguished professors.
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Shaodong Guo and Yuxiang Sun recognized as EDGES Fellows
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The Chancellor Enhancing Development and Generating Excellence in Scholarship, EDGES, Fellowship honors and retains exceptional midcareer faculty who have made significant contributions to their disciplines, are recognized nationally and internationally, and are on a trajectory for the highest honors in their fields.
For this year's applications submitted by the Texas A&M College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, two faculty members were selected, both from the Department of Nutrition: Yuxiang Sun, Ph.D., and Shaodong Guo, Ph.D.
Sun researches how dietary interventions influence metabolism, immune health and aging. Guo investigates the molecular mechanisms of insulin resistance and its role in metabolic and cardiovascular health. This dual recognition is a testament to the strength and impact of research in the department. Congratulations to Guo and Sun for this outstanding achievement!
See the full list of EDGES Fellows awarded across the university in 2025 here.
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Joelle Sfeir receives American Society for Nutrition Fellowship
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Congratulations to doctoral student Joelle Sfeir from the lab of Heidi Vanden Brink, Ph.D., for receiving the 2025 Gerber Predoctoral Fellowship Award from the American Society for Nutrition, ASN. Her project, “Impact of Diet and Social Determinants of Health on Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Risk in Hispanic Adolescents,” was selected for its contribution to advancing maternal and child nutrition research.
Read more about Sfeir and the other honorees from the ASN meeting this year here.
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Teresa Davis to lead Texas A&M AgriLife institute
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Teresa Davis, Ph.D., has been named director of the Texas A&M AgriLife Institute for Advancing Health Through Agriculture, IHA, effective June 1. Davis served as a professor of pediatrics at the Children’s Nutrition Research Center, part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service at Baylor College of Medicine, where she has been on the faculty for 38 years.
As the IHA's director, Davis will oversee all aspects of the institutes operations, advancing strategic priorities and forging new paths to research collaboration and support.
Read more about Davis and her new role here.
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Study links human milk feeding to immune system signaling pathways |
Michael Salinas, a postdoctoral fellow in the Chapkin lab and the Single-Cell Data Science Core in the Texas A&M Center of Excellence in Cancer Research, recently published a first-author paper in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, titled "Single-cell transcriptomics reveals that human milk feeding shapes neonatal immune cell interleukin signaling pathways in a nonrandomized clinical trial."
Access this paper online here.
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| New staff welcomed to Vanden Brink lab
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The Vanden Brink lab welcomes Erlinda Pena, MPH, as its new research assistant and lab manager. Pena will be taking over as Hannah Lamar begins her graduate program in fall.
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Roth LP, Bernier A, Gulley L, Lohse K, Whooten R, Allen L, Vanden Brink H, Sfeir J, Simon S, Finn E, Cree MG. Obesity Management in Female Adolescents. Clin Endocrinol (Oxf). 2025 Apr 21. https://doi.org/10.1111/cen.15238.
Vanden Brink H*, McCormick K, Lujan ME, Chang J, Ipp L, Lamar H, Kim JY, Alladeen A, Mendle J* Psychological Symptoms in Peri-Menarcheal Adolescents: Association with PCOS Risk Factors. Frontiers in Endocrinology. Accepted, in press. https://doi.org/10.3389/fendo.2025.1551958. *co-corresponding.
Venkatesh S, Keenan OE, and Bably MB. Impact of the Dinner Tonight Healthy Cooking School on Participants’ Nutrition Knowledge and Cooking Confidence. Nutrients 2025, 17(10),1668: https://doi.org/10.3390/nu17101668
Pynckel MM, Venkatesh S, and Faries MD. Evaluation of the 10&10,000 Change Challenge Program. Nutrients 2025, 17(9),1494: https://doi.org/10.3390/nu17091494
Pan Q, Ai W, Chen Y, Shen, Z, Yang W, Jiang W and Guo S. CHIP mediates glucagon action on hepatic glucose production via regulating Smad3 ubiquitination. Diabetes, Obesity & Metabolism. 2025; 1‐12. https://doi.org/10.1111/dom.16493.
Da Mi Kim, Q Pan, Z Liu, W Ai, H Han, S. Banu, R. Tsai, G. Wright, S Guo* and Y Sun* (* equal contribution) GHSR-Foxo1 Signaling in Macrophages Promotes Liver Fibrosis via Inflammatory Response and Hepatic Stellate Cell Activation. Advanced Science, https://doi.org/10.1002/advs.202504223.
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Oral and Poster Presentations
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Wanbao Yang, Ph.D., a member of Guo's lab, attended the 53rd annual Meeting of the American Aging Association, which was held in Anchorage, Alaska, May 11-14. He delivered a poster presentation titled “Suppression of FOXO1 attenuates liver macrophage reprogramming and improves liver function during aging.”
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Giving to the Department of Nutrition
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The quality of education for nutrition students at Texas A&M University is shaped by the invaluable contributions of a diverse educational team. This includes not only faculty and staff but also donors, advisory committee members, guest speakers, industry leaders, internship supervisors, employers, community partners and many others. Together, they enrich the student experience and support the department's mission to advance the field of nutrition.
You can support the Department of Nutrition by making an endowed gift, which provides lasting support, or by contributing a non-endowed gift for immediate use toward a specific purpose. Your generosity plays a critical role in fostering student success and innovation in the field of nutrition.
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About the Department of Nutrition
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The Department of Nutrition at Texas A&M University is committed to providing students with an exceptional education that equips them with the knowledge, skills and expertise to excel as leaders in nutrition, health and food systems. Our students receive a comprehensive, science-driven education that prepares them for careers in health care, clinical nutrition, research, public health and more.
We offer a range of programs, including undergraduate and graduate degrees, minors and certificates, to help students expand and tailor their educational journey. With guidance from our experienced faculty and staff, who bring cutting-edge research and real-world expertise to the classroom, students are supported every step of the way as they prepare to address the complex challenges in the field of nutrition.
aglifesciences.tamu.edu | nutrition.tamu.edu
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