This proposal requests support for a new, interdisciplinary post-doctoral training program at Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC). The program will be led by the Institute of Human Nutrition (IHN) and the Department of Epidemiology (EPI), and will be co-directed by Dr. Debra Wolgemuth (IHN) and Dr. Ezra Susser (EPI). The proposed mentors are well-funded and well-published investigators with considerable experience in training Masters and predoctoral students and postdoctoral fellows. A major theme of this training program is to train investigators with translational skills applicable to defining the effects of nutrients and nutrition early in the lifecycle on health outcomes later in life. The proposed program will capitalize on the unique strengths of these two partners within CUMC relevant to this theme: i) basic research in nutritional and metabolic biology in the IHN, and ii) population health science in EPI. The goal of the program is to provide postdoctoral training for research scientists with doctorate or equivalent degrees in a basic science (usually nutritional science), medicine, or in a population health science (usually epidemiology) through didactic and research experience in the complementary discipline. During the minimum two-year training period, the candidates will pursue course work and concomitant research projects in the complementary discipline under the direction of a mentor and co-mentor from each field. The trainees will have the opportunity to obtain an MS degree in the complementary discipline as part of their training. The trainees will retain their original disciplinary focus in basic science or population health science, but their training in the complementary discipline will facilitate engagement in interdisciplinary research which requires partners from both fields, and will make this interdisciplinary research much more effective. Thus trainees of the program will be uniquely prepared to enter translational research environments where bridging disciplines is an essential requirement for cutting edge research to enhance human health.

Public Health Relevance

A major theme of this training program will be to train investigators with transitional skills applicable to defining the effects of nutrients and nutrition early in the lifecycle and health outcomes later in life, an area of research that is becoming increasingly important in disease prevention. The trainees of this interdisciplinary program will be uniquely prepared to enter translational research environments where bridging disciplines, in this case nutritional and metabolic biology and population health sciences, is an essential requirement for cutting edge research to enhance human health and in treating disease.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)
Type
Institutional National Research Service Award (T32)
Project #
5T32DK091227-05
Application #
8928146
Study Section
Kidney, Urologic and Hematologic Diseases D Subcommittee (DDK)
Program Officer
Densmore, Christine L
Project Start
2011-08-01
Project End
2017-07-31
Budget Start
2015-08-01
Budget End
2017-07-31
Support Year
5
Fiscal Year
2015
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
Columbia University (N.Y.)
Department
Genetics
Type
Schools of Medicine
DUNS #
621889815
City
New York
State
NY
Country
United States
Zip Code
10032
Lemeshow, Adina R; Rimm, Eric B; Hasin, Deborah S et al. (2018) Food and beverage consumption and food addiction among women in the Nurses' Health Studies. Appetite 121:186-197
Davidson, Lance E; Yu, Wen; Goodpaster, Bret H et al. (2018) Fat-Free Mass and Skeletal Muscle Mass Five Years After Bariatric Surgery. Obesity (Silver Spring) 26:1130-1136
Widen, Elizabeth M; Tsai, Irene; Collins, Shalean M et al. (2018) HIV infection and increased food insecurity are associated with adverse body composition changes among pregnant and lactating Kenyan women. Eur J Clin Nutr :
Hoepner, Lori A; Whyatt, Robin M; Widen, Elizabeth M et al. (2016) Bisphenol A and Adiposity in an Inner-City Birth Cohort. Environ Health Perspect 124:1644-1650
Lemeshow, Adina R; Gearhardt, Ashley N; Genkinger, Jeanine M et al. (2016) Assessing the psychometric properties of two food addiction scales. Eat Behav 23:110-114
Widen, Elizabeth M; Whyatt, Robin M; Hoepner, Lori A et al. (2016) Gestational weight gain and obesity, adiposity and body size in African-American and Dominican children in the Bronx and Northern Manhattan. Matern Child Nutr 12:918-28
Mueller, N T; Whyatt, R; Hoepner, L et al. (2015) Prenatal exposure to antibiotics, cesarean section and risk of childhood obesity. Int J Obes (Lond) 39:665-70
Widen, Elizabeth M; Whyatt, Robin M; Hoepner, Lori A et al. (2015) Excessive gestational weight gain is associated with long-term body fat and weight retention at 7 y postpartum in African American and Dominican mothers with underweight, normal, and overweight prepregnancy BMI. Am J Clin Nutr 102:1460-7
Widen, Elizabeth M; Factor-Litvak, Pam R; Gallagher, Dympna et al. (2015) The Pattern of Gestational Weight Gain is Associated with Changes in Maternal Body Composition and Neonatal Size. Matern Child Health J 19:2286-94
Mueller, Noel T; Bakacs, Elizabeth; Combellick, Joan et al. (2015) The infant microbiome development: mom matters. Trends Mol Med 21:109-17

Showing the most recent 10 out of 22 publications