UC Davis Nutrition, Meyer Hall, Davis, CA (2026)

05/28/2026

Picnic Day brought nutrition science to life !

From nutrition trivia and grip strength testing to nutrition science questions and hands-on learning, it was incredible to welcome 400+ community members to Meyer Hall!

Thank you to everyone who joined us and helped make the day so special ✨

Read more at the link in bio!

Video description: Various photos of community members at Meyer Hall on Picnic Day 2026.

05/21/2026

Congratulations to UC Davis Department of Nutrition faculty members Drs. Lauren Au, Gerardo Mackenzie, and Reina Engle-Stone on being recognized as 2026 Excellence in Nutrition Fellows by American Society for Nutrition!

This recognition reflects outstanding contributions to nutrition research, education, mentorship, and public health impact. This honor highlights the strength of the UC Davis nutrition community and its commitment to advancing science that improves human health worldwide.

Read more: https://nutrition.ucdavis.edu/news/uc-davis-faculty-honored-excellence-nutrition-fellows

Image description: 1. A woman with dark bobbed hair smiles, wearing a floral print dress and a decorative necklace. 2. A man wearing glasses and a blue plaid shirt smiles at the camera. 3. A woman with long, dark, wavy hair smiles at the camera. She is wearing a pink V-neck shirt with a repeating pattern. Image text: UC Davis Faculty Honored as Excellence in Nutrition Fellows by American Society for Nutrition Lauren Au, Associate Professor, Gerardo Mackenzie, Department Chair and Professor, Reina Engle-Stone Associate Professor

05/20/2026

New blog alert 💫
How does nutrition shape women’s health from puberty to menopause?

Dr. Amy Nichols explores how key life stages influence long-term health—and why women’s health research needs a stronger lifecourse lens.

Read the full article here: https://nutrition.ucdavis.edu/news/advancing-womens-health-across-lifecourse

Image description: A pregnant person in a yellow cardigan slices a hard-boiled egg on a cutting board next to a bowl of salad. Image text: Women’s Health Across the Lifecourse: How nutrition shapes lifelong health.

05/19/2026

UC Davis Nutrition Graduate Student Spotlight

Meet Shannon Trinh, a UC Davis Nutritional Biology Ph.D. student whose journey connects physiology, nutrition science, and a passion for education and research.

💡 What inspired her path into nutrition?
Her interest began during an undergraduate seminar that highlighted how underprioritized prevention, such as nutrition, can be in healthcare. Another course on science in the media led her to explore nutrition misinformation, which sparked a deeper interest in how nutrition science is communicated and understood.

📚 Favorite UC Davis courses:
• NPB 114 — GI Physiology (Dr. Bautista)
• FST 230 — Food and Gut Microbiota (Dr. Mills)

🔬 Current research:
The effects of grapes on the gut microbiome and vascular health.

🤝 Involvement:
Graduate student leader in GGNB GradSAC (Treasurer and Assorted Development, Mentorship, and Exploration (ADME) peer mentoring Program Coordinator).

🌱 Most rewarding part of nutrition:
Using her background in physiology to better understand and explain emerging findings in nutrition research.

🎯 Career goal:
To pursue a career in academia as a professor to teach and mentor future dietetics and nutrition students.

We are proud of students like Shannon whose experience reflects the UC Davis Nutrition vision of transforming lives through nutrition discovery and education.

Interested in our graduate degrees? Learn more about the GGNB at: https://ggnb.ucdavis.edu/

Image description: A person with dark hair, wearing a black sleeveless turtleneck and a silver necklace, with arms crossed and smiling. Image text: Shannon Trinh, Ph.D. student. A UC Davis Nutritional Biology Ph.D. student whose journey connects physiology, nutrition science, and a passion for education and research.

05/14/2026

Proud to spotlight undergraduate research in the UC Davis Department of Nutrition

At this year’s Annual Undergraduate Research, Scholarship & Creative Activities Conference, fifteen students showcased projects ranging from food fortification and vitamin deficiency to precision nutrition and disease prevention. Their work reflects the power of mentorship and hands-on research experiences in shaping future leaders in nutrition science.

Read more in our latest blog + explore the abstracts here: https://nutrition.ucdavis.edu/news/celebrating-undergraduate-research-nutrition-uc-davis

UC Davis Undergraduate Research Center - URC

Image descriptions: A close-up of a digitally created person with colorful splashes on a blue background /A person stands next to a poster presentation/ A person stands in front of a research poster /Two people stand in front of a blue and yellow banner that reads "UC Davis Undergraduate Research Center." The person on the left holds a certificate /A person holds a certificate & stands in front of a research poster/ Two people stand with awards & bouquets in front of an Undergraduate Research Center Banner /A person holds a certificate & stands in front of a research poster /A person smiles & holds a certificate in front of a research poster Image text: Swipe to see featured work from undergraduate researchers /Evaluation of dietary switch interventions in obesity-induced hepatic steatosis in mice Ananya Narke, Nutrition Science /Pharmacological Inhibition of Protein Tyrosine Phosphatases as a Potential Novel Therapeutic Intervention for Diabetic Kidney Disease Ayaka Sonehara, Nutrition Science /Evaluating Factors Associated with Vitamin B12 Deficiency in Ghanaian Children Aged 2-5 Years Carol Georgies, Clinical Nutrition /Evaluating Lactoferrin Supplementation on Intestinal Development in Early Life Using a Lactoferrin Knock-out Mouse Model Esther Louie, Nutrition Science /Validating an Innovative AI Dietary App at UC Davis: Lessons and Future Directions Nicole Omori, Clinical Nutrition, & Maggie Peña, Molecular and Medical Microbiology /Evaluating Sodium Levels in Chips and Prepackaged Sandwiches at Two UC Davis Campus Markets Qilin Guan, Clinical Nutrition /An in Vitro Model to Evaluate the Capacity of Phthalates to Promote an Acute Phase Response Shayla Nguyen, Biochemistry, Minor in Environmental Toxicology

05/13/2026

The preconception and prenatal periods are critical windows for infant development and long-term health outcomes. Yet, it’s estimated that nearly half of pregnancies are unplanned. New research highlights an important knowledge gap on nutrition leading up to and throughout pregnancy.

A recent study conducted by Drs. Debbie Fetter and Jennifer Smilowitz, along with UC Davis alumni, Keila Estrada, and UC Davis student, Candice Chan, found that most college students lack knowledge about most pregnancy-related nutrition recommendations. While most knew the recommendations to avoid alcohol, many didn’t know how various nutrient needs change during pregnancy.

This research reinforces the Department of Nutrition’s mission to address complex nutrition challenges beyond the laboratory and into the community, helping educators, policymakers, and community leaders identify knowledge gaps and design more effective educational programs.

Find the full article here: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/07448481.2026.2645896

Image description: Slide 1: A pregnant person sits cross-legged with their eyes closed and hands resting on their belly. Slide 2: A pregnant person smiles and holds their belly, wearing a mint green long-sleeved shirt.

Image text: Slide 1: Did you know that nearly half of pregnancies are unplanned? Nutrition during pregnancy influences maternal health and infant development, yet many don’t know how dietary recommendations change during pregnancy.
Slide 2: “Most programs and public health campaigns focus on recommendations for people who are planning on becoming pregnant or who are already pregnant. However, most pregnancies are not planned. Targeting non-pregnant populations with educational materials about how dietary recommendations change during pregnancy could help improve health outcomes.” -Dr. Debbie Fetter, Associate Professor of Teaching

05/11/2026

Meet Shawna Wyatt, a UC Davis Nutrition graduate student whose journey blends culinary arts, clinical nutrition, and research-driven practice.

Her path into nutrition began in an unexpected place: the restaurant kitchen. She loved the energy of the kitchen and watching people eat the food she prepared, but the industry often lacked a culture that supported feeding oneself. This realization made nutrition and health a priority for her.

At UC Davis, she has found strong mentorship and intellectual growth through courses and research opportunities. She is currently collaborating on a pilot study exploring the impact of a well-balanced diet on psoriasis outcomes, which is a chronic, auto-immune condition that affects more than 8 million Americans.

Her long-term goal is to become a Registered Dietitian and integrate her culinary background into clinical practice with a focus on medically tailored meals to support diabetes care, bariatric nutrition, and weight management. She is especially passionate about helping individuals build sustainable eating patterns that fit into everyday life.

At UC Davis, she has found the space to connect her identity as a chef with her evolving role as a clinician and researcher, thus transforming a passion for food into a career dedicated to improving health outcomes.

Learn more about the Graduate Group in Nutrition Biology here: https://ggnb.ucdavis.edu/

Image description: A smiling person with glasses and dark hair wearing a sleeveless mauve top with arms crossed, against a white background.
Image text:
Slide 1: Student Spotlight Shawna Wyatt
Slide 2: After graduating from The Culinary Institute of America, she worked in Napa Valley restaurants. She loved food and cooking, but noticed an overemphasis on culinary culture and a lack of focus on nutrition and self-care within the industry.
Slide 3: She is currently collaborating on a pilot study exploring the impact of a well-balanced diet on psoriasis outcomes using the Total Body PET/CT Explorer.
Slide 4: At UC Davis, she’s connecting food, science, and care turning a passion for cooking into a career improving health outcomes.

05/04/2026

School gardens do more than grow plants, they grow nutrition knowledge 🌱

A new study piloted a tool to better measure how farm-to-school programs shape students’:
🥕 food preferences
🥬 attitudes toward fruits & veggies
🍎 eating behaviors
🌿 hands-on gardening skills

Why it matters: strong and consistent evaluation enables us to understand the program impact.

Better evaluation = better programs = better nutrition outcomes for kids.

Learn more about how schools can measure and improve garden-based nutrition education: https://www.mdpi.com/2813-2882/4/2/14

Image description: Three children filling a wooden crate with fresh vegetables in a garden setting. Image text: School gardens do more than grow plants, they grow nutrition knowledge

04/30/2026

Can we prevent adverse pregnancy outcomes?🤰✨

The Multi-Omics for Mothers and Infants (MOMI) Consortium is an international collaboration that aims to identify new predictive biomarkers for adverse pregnancy outcomes.

At UC Davis, Dr. Daniela Hampel is leading the analysis of B-vitamins, choline, amino acids, and fatty acids to better understand their role in pregnancy health.

These nutrients are important during pregnancy and can influence fetal development, placental function, and birth outcomes.

Through this work, Dr. Hampel and her team are exploring how these nutrients may be linked to adverse pregnancy outcomes, such as preterm birth, preeclampsia, and stillbirth.

By advancing this research, UC Davis is contributing to a world where we can understand how maternal nutrition influences pregnancy outcomes to support future interventions.

In recognition of Global Child Nutrition Month, we’re proud to highlight this global collaboration tackling an urgent global challenge, with researchers at UC Davis playing a key role. 🌍

About the Consortium:
The MOMI Consortium is an international, Gates Foundation funded project that uses multi-omics approaches and machine learning to identify predictive biomarkers and biological pathways associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes.
https://globalnutrition.ucdavis.edu/multi-omics-mothers-and-infants-momi-consortium

Read the MOMI Consortium Protocols here: https://jogh.org/2026/jogh-16-05002/

Image description: An infographic illustrating the impact of maternal nutrition on fetal brain development, showing recommended food groups and their effects. Also features the UC Davis Institute for Global Nutrition and UC Davis Nutrition Logo. Image text: Are nutrient deficiencies linked to adverse pregnancy outcomes? Through data analysis we at the Institute for Global Nutrition at UC Davis are determining whether, and how, B-vitamins and related metabolites may contribute to adverse pregnancy outcomes such as preterm birth, preeclampsia and still birth.

04/27/2026

Meet Carol, a UC Davis Nutrition student whose passion for global health and evidence-based science is shaping her academic journey and future career in nutrition.

At UC Davis, she has especially enjoyed NUT 106: Food Chemistry for Clinical Nutrition, where she explored the connections between chemistry, health, and nutrition while developing skills in scientific writing, lab data collection, and interpreting/communicating research findings.

She is currently gaining hands-on research experience in Dr. Reina Engle-Stone’s lab, where she began by supporting sample organization for the CoMIT (Micronutrient Innovation Trial) study. Carol then was able to observe data collection processes and is now conducting a secondary analysis focused on vitamin B12 deficiency. (https://bouillon.ucdavis.edu/)

Looking ahead, she plans to pursue graduate studies to deepen her expertise and contribute to nutrition research and practice that improves health outcomes in clinical and community settings.

Image description: A young person with long, dark hair smiles at the camera, wearing a black top and a necklace. They are outdoors with green foliage and a blurred background. Image text: Student Spotlight Carol, Clinical nutrition Fun fact: Her journey into nutrition was inspired by learning how a single crop, golden rice, can be engineered to help address a major global nutrient deficiency.

04/21/2026

April is Global Child Nutrition Month 🌍

This month, we’re spotlighting the work of UC Davis Distinguished Professor Emeritus Dr. Ken Brown, whose collaborative research is advancing micronutrient solutions for women and children.

🚨 The Problem: In Ethiopia 🇪🇹many babies are born with neural tube defects, a serious congenital anomaly that can cause lifelong disability or death.
⚠️ The Cause: A major driver is folate insufficiency before and during early pregnancy.
💡 The Solution: Fortify something everyone uses: salt. A collaborative effort helped develop a way to add folic acid to iodized salt by building on an existing system already used to deliver iodine.
🌍 The Impact: Findings from Dr. Brown's work helped inform Ethiopia’s national fortification policy and supported a broader effort to scale up folic acid fortification of iodized salt nationwide.

🔗 Learn more:https://globalnutrition.ucdavis.edu/trials-micronutrient-fortified-salt

Image description: A wooden scoop and bowl filled with coarse sea salt, with some salt spilled on a dark surface. A red thumbtack is placed on a map of Ethiopia. Image text: Project Spotlight: Trials of Micronutrient Fortified Salt

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