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 headshot.](/images/personnel/Hoffman-Daniel.jpg)
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 headshot.](/images/personnel/Barrett-Emily.jpg)
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 headshot.](/images/personnel/Byrd-Bredbenner-Carol.jpg)
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 headshot.](/images/personnel/Comollo-Erin.jpg)
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 headshot.](/images/personnel/Cuite-Cara.jpg)
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 headshot.](/images/personnel/D'Alonzo-Karen.jpg)
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 headshot.](/images/personnel/Dominguez-Bello-Maria Gloria.jpg)
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 headshot.](/images/personnel/Donlon-David.jpg)
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 headshot.](/images/personnel/Downs-Shauna.jpg)
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 headshot.](/images/personnel/Elnakib-Sara.jpg)
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 headshot.](/images/personnel/Fitzgerald-Nurgul.jpg)
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 headshot.](/images/personnel/Gunning-Christopher.jpg)
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 headshot.](/images/personnel/Harmon-Payton.jpg)
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 headshot.](/images/personnel/Pang-Zhiping.jpg)
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 headshot.](/images/personnel/Quadro-Loredana.jpg)
Loredana Quadro, PHD
Professor, Department of Food Science
School of Environmental and Biological Sciences
lquadro@sebs.rutgers.edu
848-932-5491
Affiliation: IFNH - 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 headshot.](/images/personnel/Ramenzoni-Victoria.jpg)
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 headshot.](/images/personnel/Shukaitis-Jennifer.jpg)
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 headshot.](/images/personnel/Simon-James.jpg)
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 headshot.](/images/personnel/Staffen-Marissa.jpg)
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 headshot.](/images/personnel/Stephenson Martin-Susan.jpg)
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 headshot.](/images/personnel/Wang-Jenny.jpg)
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 headshot.](/images/personnel/Worobey-John.jpg)
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