Membership in the IFNH is open to the faculty, staff, and students of Rutgers University who subscribe to the vision, mission, and core values of the institute.
Daniel Hoffman, PHD
Professor, Department of Nutritional Sciences
School of Environmental and Biological Sciences
dhoffman@sebs.rutgers.edu
848-932-0272
Affiliation: Director, IFNH Center for Childhood Nutrition Research; IFNH Center for Human Nutrition, Exercise, and Metabolism; IFNH Center for Nutrition, Microbiome, and Health; IFNH Center for Agricultural Food Ecosystems (RUCAFE)
Research Interests: Energy metabolism and body composition, human growth, international nutrition, and economic development
Emily Barrett, PHD
Department of Epidemiology
School of Public Health and EOHSI
emily.barrett@eohsi.rutgers.edu
848-445-0197
Affiliation: IFNH Center for Childhood Nutrition Research
Research Interests: Research interests: pregnancy, child development, environmental chemicals, psychosocial stressors, health and disease
Carol Byrd-Bredbenner, PHD, RD, FAND
Professor, Department of Nutritional Sciences
School of Environmental and Biological Sciences
bredbenner@sebs.rutgers.edu
848-932-0965
Affiliation: IFNH Center for Childhood Nutrition Research
Research Interests: Nutrition education and health promotion with the goal of effecting behavior changes that prevent negative outcomes and promote healthy lifestyles
Erin Comollo
Program Coordinator Admin
erin.comollo@rutgers.edu
Affiliation: IFNH Center for Childhood Nutrition Research
Research Interests: Children's nutrition education, food and culinary literacy, and physical activity
Cara Cuite, PHD
Assistant Professor, Department of Human Ecology
School of Environmental and Biological Sciences
cuite@rutgers.edu
848-932-4544
Affiliation: IFNH Center for Childhood Nutrition Research; IFNH Center for Agricultural Food Ecosystems (RUCAFE)
Research Interests: Community food security, risk communication and public perceptions of food-related issues, including food safety and genetically engineered foods
Karen D'Alonzo, PHD, RN, APN-c, FAAN
Division of Nursing Science
School of Nursing
kdalonzo@sn.rutgers.edu
848-932-0879
Affiliation: IFNH Center for Childhood Nutrition Research
Research Interests: Cardiovascular risk reduction among diverse groups of women using community based participatory research (CBPR) methods
Maria Gloria Dominguez-Bello, PHD
Professor, Departments of Biochemistry and Microbiology and of Anthropology
School of Environmental and Biological Sciences
mg.dominguez-bello@rutgers.edu
848-932-3500
Affiliation: IFNH Center for Childhood Nutrition Research; IFNH Center for Nutrition, Microbiome, and Health
Research Interests: Microbiome assembly in early life, perturbations; microbiome degradation in urbanites; microbiome conservation
David Donlon
General Manager, Rutgers Dining Services
Rutgers Dining Services
dave.donlon@dining.rutgers.edu
848-932-1932
Affiliation: Services: Dining Services
Shauna Downs, PHD
Assistant Professor, Department of Health Systems & Policy
School of Public Health
sd1801@spg.rutgers.edu
848-932-8055
Affiliation: IFNH Center for Childhood Nutrition Research; IFNH Center for Agricultural Food Ecosystems (RUCAFE)
Research Interests: Food system interventions to improve diets, characterizing food environments in low- and middle-income countries, climate and nutrition
Sara Elnakib, PHD, MPH, RDN
Chair, Department of Family & Community Health Sciences
Rutgers New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station
elnakib@njaes.rutgers.edu
973-305-5746
Affiliation: IFNH Center for Childhood Nutrition Research
Research Interests: Food insecurity and improving food access; food waste in institutional settings; how to leverage behavioral economics to reduce food waste
Nurgul Fitzgerald, PHD
Associate Professor, Department of Nutritional Sciences
School of Environmental and Biological Sciences
nurgul.fitzgerald@rutgers.edu
848-932-0981
Affiliation: IFNH Center for Childhood Nutrition Research
Research Interests: Culinary Medicine, community nutrition, chronic disease prevention and health promotion, diabetes
Christopher Gunning, BS, RDN
Nutritionist, Rutgers Health Services/IFNH
School of Environmental and Biological Sciences
cgunning@rutgers.edu
848-932-3684
Affiliation: IFNH Center for Childhood Nutrition Research
Research Interests: Nutritional habits and behaviors of college students; the intersection of technology and health to improve and promote wellness; and food literacy in children
Payton Harmon
PhD Candidate, Graduate Program in Nutritional Sciences
School of Environmental and Biological Sciences
payton.harmon@rutgers.edu
978-944-8484
Affiliation: IFNH Center for Childhood Nutrition Research
Research Interests: Role of amino acid ingestion in strengthening gut health and immunity in children with gastroenteritis.
Zhiping Pang, MD, PHD
Associate Professor
Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
pangzh@rwjms.rutgers.edu
732-235-8074
Affiliation: IFNH Center for Childhood Nutrition Research, IFNH Center for Nutrition, Microbiome, and Health, IFNH Center for Human Nutrition, Exercise, and Metabolism
Research Interests: Central nervous mechanism of glucose like peptide 1 in control of energy homeostasis.
Loredana Quadro, PHD
Professor, Department of Food Science
School of Environmental and Biological Sciences
lquadro@sebs.rutgers.edu
848-932-5491
Affiliation: Rutgers Center for Lipid Research; IFNH Center for Nutrition, Microbiome, and Health; IFNH Center for Childhood Nutrition Research
Research Interests: Maternal-fetal metabolism of vitamin A and its carotenoid precursor beta-carotene; microbiome of vitamin A deficiency
Victoria Ramenzoni, PHD
Assistant Professor, Department of Human Ecology
School of Environmental and Biological Sciences
victoria.ramenzoni@rutgers.edu
706-621-8452
Affiliation: IFNH Center for Childhood Nutrition Research, IFNH Center for Agricultural Food Ecosystems (RUCAFE)
Research Interests: Assessing the energetic and nutritional trade-offs of rural fishing households and their ecological determinants
Jennifer Shukaitis, MPH
Senior Program Coordinator. Department of Family & Community Health Sciences
Rutgers New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station
shukjen@rutgers.edu
848-932-3718
Affiliation: IFNH Center for Childhood Nutrition Research
James Simon, PHD
Distinguished Professor, Department of Plant Biology
School of Environmental and Biological Sciences
jimsimon@rutgers.edu
848-932-6239
Affiliation: Director, IFNH Center for Agricultural Food Ecosystems (RUCAFE); IFNH Center for Childhood Nutrition Research
Research Interests: Agricultural food ecosystems, plant breeding, natural products chemistry, linking horticulture with nutrition, health & medicine, bioanalysis and bioavailability of foods
Marissa Staffen
County Agent, Department of 4-H Youth Development
Rutgers New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station
marissa.staffen@rutgers.edu
415-218-7403
Affiliation: IFNH Center for Childhood Nutrition Research, IFNH Center for Agricultural Food Ecosystems (RUCAFE)
Research Interests: How to empower youth to be change agents in their communities (environment and food)
Susan Stephenson Martin, MS
Director, WIC
NJMS-Pediatrics-WIC Program, Rutgers Newark
s.s.martin@rutgers.edu
732-932-8253
Affiliation: IFNH Center for Childhood Nutrition Research
Jenny Wang, PHD
Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology and Cognitive Science
School of Arts and Sciences
jinjing.jenny.wang@rutgers.edu
Affiliation: IFNH Center for Childhood Nutrition Research
Research Interests: Infant and child development; Perceptual and cognitive development; Numerical cognition; Intuitive theories
John Worobey, PHD
Professor, Department of Nutritional Sciences
School of Environmental and Biological Sciences
worobey@sebs.rutgers.edu
848-932-0937
Affiliation: IFNH Center for Childhood Nutrition Research
Research Interests: Infant nutrition and behavior, children's diet and activity, disordered eating