Tufts University
Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy
150 Harrison Avenue
Boston, MA 02111
The Nutrition and Genomics Laboratory is a pioneer in the study of gene-diet interactions in the area of cardiovascular diseases, utilizing both genetic epidemiology approaches as well as controlled dietary intervention studies.
When Silvia Berciano Benitez had the opportunity to join the Nutrition & Genomics Lab at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging (HNRCA) in 2016, she moved from her native country of Spain to Boston to pursue her research goals in the field of Personalized Nutrition.
What can you do with a Ph.D.? Some pretty amazing things, from running a lab to heading an international hunger-relief program.
These nine rising stars—some with Tufts doctorates, some with roles at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging (HNRCA) at Tufts, some with both—are making their mark as scientists, teachers, and leaders in their fields. And don’t just take our word for it: The National Institutes of Health awarded career-development grants to all four of the HNRCA scientists here, a testament to their promise as nutrition researchers.
Caren E. Smith is a Scientist II in the Nutrition and Genomics Laboratory at the HNRCA and serves as Instructor at the Friedman School.
In the winter of 1944, the western Netherlands faced a famine of epic proportions. A Nazi blockade had stopped all food or fuel from entering the region, forcing residents to eat whatever they could scrounge up—sometimes even grass or tulip bulbs. Many consumed as little as 600 calories a day, and by the time the famine eased that spring, more than 20,000 people had starved to death.
When it comes to studying the causes of weight gain and obesity, nutrition researchers rightly focus on the interaction between diet and exercise. They’re just starting to understand the influence of an activity that humans engage in for a third of their lives—sleep.
José Ordovás' research focus is molecular biology; nutrition and genetics; and lipoproteins and cardiovascular disease risk. He is a professor at the Friedman School, as well as a senior scientist and director of the Nutrition and Genomics Laboratory at the HNRCA.
