All posts by Christina Tomoso

Ting Luo

Ting Luo, PhD

Ting Luo, PhD

2017 Presentation Title – Consumption of Red Raspberries, at Typical Levels of Intake Reduces Metabolic Syndrome Parameters in High-fat Fed Mice

Ting Luo, a PhD candidate in the Food Science and Technology Department at Oregon State University. Her major advisor is Dr. Neil F. Shay, and their collaborative research is focused on the consumption of whole foods and specific phytochemicals and the remediation of metabolic syndrome symptoms. In particular, the approach utilizes a mouse model in which animals are fed a high-saturated fat diet with added cholesterol and sugar to model the Western diet, contributing to the development of obesity, diabetes, and other symptoms of metabolic syndrome. Additionally, their research examines gene- phytochemical interactions and includes metabolomics approaches.

Ms. Luo received her master’s degree at the State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology, Nanchang University in China, one of China’s top programs in Food Science and Nutrition. Her previous research explored the effects of dietary lipids on the occurrence of atherosclerosis; more specifically, the impact of triolein and trilinolein on oxidized low-density lipoprotein-induced oxidative stress in endothelial cells. She is an active member of the American Society for Nutrition, and the American Chemical Society, and has received a graduate student research award from ASN and a teaching award from OSU. Her studies at OSU are being supported in part by a graduate fellowship awarded by the Chinese Scholarship Council. Ting’s current research includes investigations on the effect of consumption of phytochemical-rich red raspberries, omega-3- rich English walnuts, and soy isoflavones. In particular, the work investigates impacts on remediation of symptoms of metabolic disease, and on the gene expression regulation via the activation of hepatic transcription factors including the PPARs, LXR, and HNF-4α.

Patricia M. Guenther, PhD, RD

Patricia M. Guenther, PhD, RD

Patricia M. Guenther, PhD, RD

Patricia M. Guenther, PhD, RD, is a Research Professor in the Division of Nutrition at the University of Utah and Principle Consultant at Guenther Consulting. From 2003 to 2013, she was a nutritionist at the US Department of Agriculture’s Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion, where conducted research related to dietary assessment and dietary guidelines and supported the development of the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

Earlier Dr. Guenther was employed by the USDA Agricultural Research Service, where her work focused on developing improved methods for collecting and analyzing dietary survey data. Dr. Guenther received her B.S. and M.S. degrees in nutrition from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, and her Ph.D. in Nutritional Sciences from the University of Maryland, College Park. She completed an internship in clinical dietetics at the University of Michigan Medical Center. Dr. Guenther is a registered dietitian, member of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and the American Society for Nutrition, and serves on the editorial board of the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

April J. Stull, PhD RD

April Stull, PhD2017 Presentation Title – Blueberries: Is it a “Berry” Good Idea for Cardiovascular Health?

Dr. Stull is an Associate Professor of Nutrition in the Department of Human Ecology at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. Her research focuses on botanicals and their impact on risk factors associated with metabolic syndrome. Specifically, Dr. Stull’s lab found that supplementation with blueberries for 6 weeks improved insulin sensitivity and endothelial function in adult obese men and women that had metabolic syndrome. Dr. Stull received federal (National Institutes of Health, National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health) and nonprofit (US Highbush Blueberry Council) funding to support her blueberry research. She has published numerous book chapters and manuscripts in peer-reviewed scientific journals related to the health benefits of blueberries. Additionally, she has presented her research findings at many international and national conferences. Dr. Stull is very involved in various professional organizations, such as the American Society for Nutrition (Chair 2013-2014, Young Professional Interest Group; Vice Chair 2015-present, Minority and Diversity Affairs Committee), American Diabetes Association, and NIDDK Network of Minority Health Research Investigators.

Dr. Stull is also a Registered Dietitian and attained her Ph.D. in Nutrition Science from Purdue University. Her graduate training was followed by a National Institutes of Health T32 postdoctoral fellowship in diabetes, nutrition, and botanicals at Pennington Biomedical Research Center (Botanical Dietary Supplements Research Center, Baton Rouge, LA).

During her fellowship, she received the MARC (Maximizing Access to Research Careers) Postdoctoral Professional Development and Enrichment Award. Recently, she was honored as a Diamond of the Department of Nutrition Science at Purdue University. This award recognized her contributions to advancing the field of Nutrition. In her spare time, Dr. Stull enjoys spending time with family and friends, traveling, and scrapbooking.

David Stuart, PhD

Dr. David A. Stuart

David A. Stuart Ph.D. is Founder and Principal of “Food & Nutrient Impact, LLC”, a located in Hershey PA focusing on research and advice on healthy foods, on cacao and on agricultural sustainability.

He holds a B.S. in Biology and minor in Chemistry from California State University, Sacramento. He earned his M.A. and Ph.D. in Botany and Plant Physiology from the University of California, Berkeley where he studied the biophysics of plant cell growth.
David earned an Executive Program degree in Agribusiness from the Smeal School of Business at The Pennsylvania State University in 1999.David worked for Plant Genetics, Inc. in Davis CA for eight years where he was leader of their cell biology, plant pathology and the genetic improvement programs. Work there was done in association with some familiar companies such as Kirin Breweries, McCormick Spices and Best Foods (now part of Unilever).

David began work at The Hershey Company in 1989 where he was a manager or director the Research and Development Department. His career there literally spanned Cocoa Bean to Chocolate Bar. He began as Manager of Biochemistry where he immediately became involved with cocoa, its genetics, biochemistry and field production. He was active as a leader in the Chocolate Industry’s Cocoa Biotechnology programs which have led to advances in variety cloning, new variety development and the Cocoa Genome which was published in 2010. Eight years ago, he developed the proposal leading to the Hershey Center for Health and Nutrition becoming Center Director. He led a group of nine Ph.D. scientists responsible for the characterization of the flavanol chemistry of cocoa, flavanols levels of market basket surveys, flavanol loss during processing, shelf stability of flavanols, clinical trials using commercially available dark chocolate and cocoa, product labeling and web-site development. He worked with national and international groups to set the standard testing protocols for these naturally occurring bioactive compounds. His area was also responsible for the development of new cocoa and high-flavanol ingredients for use in product development as well as studies on the absorption of flavanols into the blood stream and on the impact of these compounds on human metabolism. He was recently awarded the life-time achievement award by the National Confectioners Association for his contributions to the industry.

David has authored more than 35 publications, an inventor on eight patents, including 17 papers and published presentations since the Center was formed. He has also participated in numerous lectures at universities, presentations at meetings and at scientific conferences.
Dave Berry Meeting Bio m5 d31 y13

Christian G. Krueger

Christian G. Krueger

Christian G. Krueger

2023 Presentation Title – Broadening the Berry Basket with Berry Supplements

Mr. Krueger is the Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of Complete Phytochemical Solutions, LLC, a consulting and analytic service company that provides intellectual and technical expertise in phytochemistry that enables their clients to develop, manufacture and market high quality and efficacious botanical and food products for human and animal nutrition.

Mr. Krueger has a 25+ year career at the University of Wisconsin-Madison as a phytochemist specializing in the development, validation and harmonization of analytic methods. Christian has published over 70 peer-reviewed manuscripts and his expertise in natural product chemistry, understanding of supply chain management (growers, processors, formulators, and retail) and research experiences relating phytochemical structures to biologic function provides a unique skill set and background. He is a member on several Association of Official Analytic Chemists (AOAC) Expert Review Panels and works closely with the United State Pharmacopeia (USP) to develop monographs for Dietary Supplement Compendia. He is an invited Advisory Council Member for the School of Nutrition at the Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine and Health Sciences (SCNM).

Dr. Luke Howard

Luke Howard, PhD

Luke Howard, PhD

Presentation

Recovery of Health-Promoting Proanthocyanidins from Berry Co-Products by Alkalization (PDF)

Biography

Dr. Howard received his B.S. degree in Horticulture from Purdue University, and his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Food Science from the University of Arkansas. He worked as an Analytical Chemist at the Dole Packaged Foods Research and Development Center for two years, and was an Assistant Professor in the Horticultural Sciences Department at Texas A&M University for five years. He has served on the faculty in the Department of Food Science at the University of Arkansas since 1997.

His research program is focused on the identification and quantification of bioactive compounds in fresh and processed fruits and vegetables. Dr. Howard has published over 70 scientific articles and five book chapters and had delivered over 50 presentations at scientific meetings. He is a Professional Member of the Institute of Food Technologists and the American Chemical Society.

Dr. Navindra Seeram

Navindra Seeram

Navindra Seeram

Presentation

Berryology 101 (PDF)

Biography

Navindra P. Seeram, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor in the Department of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Rhode Island, USA. Prior to this, he was the Assistant Director of the UCLA Center for Human Nutrition in the Department of Medicine, University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA), and an Assistant Adjunct Professor in the UCLA School of Medicine. His research group, the Bioactive Botanical Research Laboratory, investigates plant foods and natural products for preventive and therapeutic effects against chronic human diseases. Dr. Seeram has co-authored over 121 original peer-reviewed research articles, 7 review articles, 16 book chapters, and 6 international patents. He has co-edited 3 books and is the founding editor of the Clinical Pharmacognosy book series published by CRC Press/Taylor and Francis. He serves on the advisory board of the American Botanical Council and on the editorial advisory boards of the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, the Journal of Berry Research, and the International Journal of Applied Research in Natural Products. He was the recipient of the 2009 Young Scientist Award from the Division of Agricultural and Food Chemistry of the American Chemical Society and was elected as the 2017 Chair of that Division. He is among the most highly cited scientists in Agricultural Sciences by Thomson Reuters (in 2014 based on Web of Science indexed citations from 2002-2012) and is regularly quoted in the media and popular press about medicinal plant foods. Dr. Seeram did his doctoral and postdoctoral studies at the University of the West Indies (in Jamaica) and at Michigan State University (MI, USA), respectively.

Junior Investigators

2019 BHBS Oral Presenters

We are pleased to announce that the following poster abstracts have been selected for oral presentations:

2019_BHBS_Young_Scientist_Oral_Presentor_Claudia_FavariClaudia Favari, PhD Student at the University of Parma

Presentation | Plasma levels of phenyl-gamma-velerolactones derived from cranberry flavan-3-ols: a dose-reponse study

Claudia is a PhD student in Food Science at the Laboratory of Phytochemicals in Physiology, led by Prof. Daniele Del Rio within the Human Nutrition Unit of the Department of Food and Drugs and of Veterinary Medicine (University of Parma). Her research activity is presently focused on polyphenols and their microbiota-derived metabolites, and on the understanding of their role in human physiology.

 

2019_BHBS_Young_Scientist_Oral_Presentor_Inah_Gu

Inah Gu, PhD Student at the University of Arkansas

Presentation | Berry phenolics and volatiles inhibit inflammatory cytokines secretion in LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 cells through suppression of NF-κB signaling pathway

Inah is a PhD student in Food Science at University of Arkansas. She received her B.S. degree in Food Science and Nutrition from Pusan National University, South Korea, and her M.S. degree in Food Science from the University of Arkansas. She works with her advisor Dr.Sun-Ok Lee, focusing on how dietary phytochemicals and bioactive components in foods and natural extracts exert human health benefits. Inah’s research aims to identify and fractionate bioactive components in different kind of berries and investigate the effects of berry bioactive compounds in chronic inflammation. She is a member of the American Society for Nutrition, and Korean-American Scientists and Engineers Association.

 

2019_BHBS_Young_Scientist_Oral_Presentor_Natalie_VandenAkker

Natalie VandenAkker,  doctoral candidate at the University of Maine

Presentation | Red raspberry (Rubus idaeus) consumption restores the impaired acetylcholine-induced vasorelaxation in the aorta of the obese Zucker rat, a model of the Metabolic Syndrome

Natalie is a current doctoral candidate in the School of Food and Agriculture at the University of Maine (2017-present), where she researches the role of red raspberries on vascular function and obesity-induced inflammation under the tutelage of Dr. Dorothy Klimis-Zacas. Natalie attended Worcester State University where she graduated in 2013 with a bachelor’s degree in biology with minors in chemistry and business and in 2015 received a master’s degree in biotechnology where she researched regenerated parsnip and carrot plants from cultured callus cells. Her professional experience in research began in 2014 at Sanofi-Genzyme a pharmaceutical company as an animal research technician and continued at TetraGenetics as a research associate where she gained experience with Tetrahymena thermophila to produce recombinant proteins. She received the Food Science and Human Nutrition program’s outstanding PhD Graduate Student Award (2018) and has served on the board of the Graduate Student Government at the University of Maine.

Poster Abstract Guidelines

Submissions are no longer being accepted for the 2019 Berry Health Benefits Symposium

berry health benefits 2019 symposium poster session presenter young scientists feature imageAre you a current graduate student or postdoctoral fellow? Hear our call…for submissions! The poster session is open to all academic and industrial researchers regardless of academic rank and/or training.

From October 15th, 2018 through to January 15th, 2019, we will be accepting abstracts for original research relating to the symposium themes of berry biochemical composition, cardiovascular health, metabolism regulation, brain aging and other health properties of berry fruits.  Each abstract will be peer reviewed for content and merit, and notice of selection to share your research findings at BHBS 2019 will be issued by February 15th, 2019.

If you are a current graduate student or postdoctoral fellow you are eligible to apply for the poster and oral presentation competitions.

Abstracts will be accepted for:
Poster Presentation (20+ spots available): The most outstanding poster presented by a graduate student or postdoctoral fellow will receive a $300 award, as decided by the BHBS judging panel. Participants must cover their own travel costs and registration (student rates available).
Oral Presentation (3 spots available): NEW for 2019, 3 applicants will be chosen to give a 10-minute oral presentation (plus 5 minutes for questions) in the session that best fits their research theme. The chosen applicants will need to cover their own travel, lodging and registration costs (student rates available).

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
– Graduate students and postdoctoral fellows can apply for both the poster presentation and the oral presentation using the same abstract. It is possible to be selected for both presentations.
– Only original research relating to the symposium theme of berry biochemical composition, cardiovascular health, metabolism regulation, brain aging, gut health and other health properties of berry fruit will be considered.
– Each abstract will be peer reviewed for scientific content and merit of the research.
– Abstracts should not be submitted if the research represented by the abstract has already been accepted for publication in a journal.
– If you submit an abstract, you must be prepared to discuss essential details of your methods and results.

HOW TO APPLY
– Abstracts must be received through electronic submission to the Junior Investigators Abstract Review Committee Chairperson: Dr. Luke Howard – lukeh@uark.edu
– Please indicate that you would like your submission considered for:

  • Poster Presentation Only
  • Oral Presentation Only
  • BOTH the Poster and Oral Presentation opportunities

– Photocopies, facsimile, or e-mail copies will not be accepted and will be discarded.
– Abstracts will only be accepted between October 15th, 2018 and January 15th, 2019
– Submitting authors will be notified of acceptance by February 15th, 2019.

To download a PDF of the abstract guidelines, please click here.

To download a PDF of the abstract rubric, please click here.

2019-Berry-Health-Benefits-Symposium-Abstract-Rubric

 

Dr. Steven Clinton

Steven Clinton

Steven Clinton

Steven K. Clinton, MD, PhD is the John B. and Jane T. McCoy Chair in Cancer Research at the OSU Comprehensive Cancer Center and a Professor of Internal Medicine in the Division of Medical Oncology at The Ohio State University. He trained for his M.D. and Ph.D. at the University of Illinois in Urban Champaign followed by Internal Medicine internship and residency at the University of Chicago. He proceeded with Medical Oncology training at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School where he remained on faculty for nearly a decade.

Dr. Clinton joined The Ohio State University in 1998. He is Director of the Prostate and Genitourinary Oncology Program at The James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute. Under his leadership, the clinical program is a national leader in accrual to therapeutic and prevention clinical trials. The program provides integrated multidisciplinary oncology care to patients throughout central Ohio and for national and global referrals.

Dr. Clinton also serves as the Program Leader for Molecular Carcinogenesis and Chemoprevention at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center. The focus of this program, involving over 40 faculty, is to elucidate the fundamental mechanisms underlying the development of cancer and to define prevention strategies. A major strength of the program is the “crops to the clinic” research agenda that integrates the efforts of scientists in agriculture, food science, and nutrition with clinical investigators to conduct novel human clinical trials at The James.

Dr. Clinton is very active in bionutrition research at OSU. He serves as Associate Director for the campus wide Center for Advanced Functional Foods Research (CAFFRE) and the OSU Food Innovation Center (FIC), programs dedicated to the development of novel food products and their evaluation for promoting health outcomes and improving global nutrition. He provides service to many national organizations including the American Association for Cancer Research, the American Society of Nutrition, and the American Society for Clinical Oncology.

He recently served the National Academy of Sciences and Institute of Medicine as a member of the Dietary Reference Intake Committee for Vitamin D and Calcium. He is currently serving on the World Cancer Research Foundation / American Institute for Cancer Research (WCRF/AICR) Continuous Update Project committee. He is a member of the Advisory Committee for the United States Department of Health and Human Services and United States Department of Agriculture Dietary Guidelines for America 2015 Report. Dr. Clinton’s research activities focus on many aspects of diet, nutrition, and cancer; primarily focusing upon prostate and other genitourinary cancers. The research efforts include metabolic epidemiology, clinical intervention trials, as well as basic laboratory studies of cellular and molecular biology resulting in over 200 scientific publications, reviews, and book chapters.

John B. and Jane T. McCoy Chair in Cancer Research at OSU Comprehensive Cancer Center Professor of Internal Medicine in the Division of Medical Oncology at The Ohio State University. Director of the Prostate and Genitourinary Oncology Program at The James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute. Program Leader for Molecular Carcinogenesis and Chemoprevention at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center. Associate Director for the campus wide Center for Advanced Functional Foods Research (CAFFRE) and the OSU Food Innovation Center (FIC).