Pilot and Feasibility Program Awardees

2023-24 Awardees

Ximena M. Bustamante-Marin, PhD
Assistant Professor, Department of Nutrition, Nutrition Research Institute
“Impact of Adipose and Tumor-derived-EVs from Obese and Nonobese Mice on Triple Negative Breast Cancer Cell Metabolism and Metastasis”

Jimikaye Beck Courtney, PhD
Assistant Professor, Department of Exercise and Sport Science
“Investigating the Combined Associations Between Physical Activity and Alcohol Use Behaviors with Obesity and Inflammation”

Anna Kahkoska, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor, Department of Nutrition
“Characterizing Dietary Practices and Beliefs Among Older Adults with Type 1 Diabetes and Opportunities to Provide Nutrition-based Education and Support”

Blake R. Rushing, PhD
Assistant Professor, Department of Nutrition, Nutrition Research Institute
“Assessing Metabolic Variation of Triple Negative Breast Cancers by Untargeted Metabolomics”

2022-23 Awardees

Malia Blue, PhD, CSCS, CISSN
Assistant Professor, Department of Exercise and Sport Science, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Project: “The Impact of Race on the Association of Body Composition and Genetic Variants in FTO and LEP”

2021-22 Awardees

Dana Carthron, PhD, RN, AGACNP-BC
Assistant Professor, Department of Nursing, North Carolina Central University
Project: “Improving the Diabetic Health of Black Men (MANUP-NC): MANUP-NC Feasibility Trial”

Stephanie Martin, PhD, MEd
Assistant Professor, Department of Nutrition, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Project: “Community-Engaged Formative Research to Design a School-Based Obesity Prevention Intervention for Adolescents in Kenya”

Johanna Smeekens, PhD
Research Assistant Professor, Department of Pediatrics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Project: “Prebiotics as a Nutritional Approach to Prevent Peanut Allergy”

2020-21 Awardee

Xue Bai, PhD
Assistant Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
Project: GRAF1 Regulates Brown and Beige Fat Formation and Function

2019-20 Awardees

Flavio Frohlich, PhD
Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Cell Biology and Physiology, Biomedical Engineering, and Neurology
Project: Target Engagement of Brain Circuits with Non-Invasive Brain Stimulation as a Function of Blood Glucose Dynamics

Rachel W. Goode, PhD, MPH, MSW
Assistant Professor of Social Work
Project: Reducing Binge Eating to Prevent Weight Gain in Black Women: A Pilot Study

Zoé A. McElligott, PhD
Assistant Professor of Psychiatry
Project: Investigating Adaptation in a Sweet Promoting Neural Pathway

2018-19 Awardees

Edward Moreira Bahnson, PhD
Assistant Professor of Surgery
Project: Development of a New Animal Model of Dyslipidemia, Atherosclerosis and Diabetes in Obese Rats

Folami Y. Ideraabdullah, PhD
Assistant Professor of Genetics and Nutrition
Project: Establishing the Collaborative Cross mouse reference population as a model for studying genetic determination of vitamin D status

Rachel W. Goode, PhD, MPH, MSW
Assistant Professor of Social Work
Project: Reducing Binge Eating to Prevent Weight Gain in Black Women: A Pilot Study

Damaris Nadia Lorenzo, PhD
Assistant Professor of Cell Biology and Physiology
Project: Regulation of Adipose Tissue Metabolism by ankyrin-B

2017-18 Awardees

Edward Moreira Bahnson, PhD
Assistant Professor of Surgery
Project: Development of a New Animal Model of Dyslipidemia, Atherosclerosis, and Diabetes in Obese Rats

Jimena Giudice, PhD
Tenure-Track Assistant Professor of Cell Biology and Physiology
Project: Alternate Splicing and Nutrient Uptake: Effects on Striated Muscle Homeostasis During Postnatal Development

Damaris Nadia Lorenzo, PhD
Assistant Professor of Cell Biology and Physiology
Project: Regulation of Adipose Tissue Metabolism by ankyrin-B

Fernando Pardo-Manuel de Villena, PhD
Professor of Genetics
Abbie Smith-Ryan, PhD, CSCS, CISSN
Assistant Professor of Exercise and Sports Science
Project: Genetic Determinants on the Physiological Response to Exercise: A Sex Evaluation

2016-17 Awardees

Rosa Tamara Branca, PhD
Assistant Professor, Department of Physics and Astronomy
Project: Assessment of Beige Fat Thermogenic Activity and its Contribution to Whole Body Metabolism by Hyperpolarized 129Xe gas MRI and Metabolic Chamber Studies

Natalia Krupenko, PhD
Assistant Professor, Department of Nutrition
Project: Liver Metabolism in CerS6 KO Mice

Fernando Pardo-Manuel de Villena, PhD
Professor, Department of Genetics
Project: Genetic Determinants on the Physiological Response to Exercise: A Sex Evaluation

Jason Kyle Whitmire, PhD
Assistant Professor, Departments of Genetics and Microbiology & Immunology
Project: Consequences of Adipose-T cell Interactions on Long-Term Immunity