Dr. Carl Keen
2019 Presentation Title – Effects of Short-Term Consumption of Strawberry Powder on Parameters of Vascular Health in Adolescent Males
Dr. Keen has been a member of the nutrition faculty at the University of California, Davis since 1981. He was the Chairman of the Department of Nutrition from 1993 to 2006, and he was the Interim Director of the University of California, Davis, Foods for Health Institute from 2006-2007. Dr. Keen has over 650 peer reviewed scientific publications. He has won several awards including the American Institute of Nutrition Bio-Serv Award (1985), and the American Institute of Nutrition Research Award (1995), and the McCormick Science Institute Research Award (2014). In 2002, he was recognized by the Institute of Scientific Information as a highly cited researcher in the Agricultural Sciences, and in 2004 he was recipient of the Teratology Society’s Warkany Award for research accomplishments in developmental biology.
In 2006, he was appointed as the first holder of the Mars Family Endowed Chair in Developmental Nutrition. He has served on numerous government boards and panels, and editorial boards. Dr. Keen’s current research is focused in two areas; the investigation of the influence of maternal diet on the risk for pregnancy complications (maternal and conceptus) and the influence of diet on the risk for age-related chronic diseases. Regarding the influence of diet on embryonic and fetal development, his research group has been studying the acute and long-term consequences of micronutrient deficiencies on embryonic and fetal development for almost three decades. The majority of their efforts has centered on the characterization of the effects of primary and secondary mineral deficiencies on the developing vascular system and brain. Regarding the influence of diet and chronic disease, for the last couple of decades, the laboratory group has focused on the study of dietary factors that influence the risk for vascular disease. This includes the cardiovascular health benefits associated with plant food rich diets that is attributed to their flavanol content.