NRI Congratulates First-time First-authors
December 2019 –Agatha Christie once said, “The first time you do a thing is always exciting.” Well, we’ve had a lot of excitement at the Nutrition Research Institute recently! Two members of the Smith Lab are celebrating becoming first-time first-authors of scientific journal publications.
Cecilia Kwan, PhD, RD, is a postdoctoral researcher. Her recent publication, Maternal Iron Nutriture Modulates Placental Development in a Rat Model of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder, is her first first-author publication at the Nutrition Research Institute. Dr. Kwan received her PhD in molecular nutrition from Cornell University. While at Cornell, she also completed a dietetic internship and is currently certified as a Registered Dietitian.
Kaylee Helfrich, a PhD student, also recently saw the publication of her first paper as co-first author. Alcohol’s Dysregulation of Maternal-Fetal IL-6 and p-STAT3 Is a Function of Maternal Iron Status was co-authored by Nipun Saini, PhD, a post-doctoral researcher in the Smith Lab. Kaylee, who completed her BS degree in Biochemistry at Clemson University, works with Dr. Smith to research prenatal alcohol exposure and its interaction with iron metabolism in the mother and infant.
Publishing in a scientific journal is no easy feat. In addition to the many hours spent writing and revising the publication itself, research needs to be completed and outcomes analyzed before the decision to publish results can even be made. Congratulations to Cecilia and Kaylee on this hard-earned accomplishment!
Help the NRI make nutrition discoveries: Become a study participant
December 2019 – NRI research starts in the laboratory then, sometimes, moves into clinical trials. These studies rely on people who volunteer to be a part of scientific discovery to find new ways to detect, treat or even prevent disease. At the NRI, research focuses on the intersection of nutrition and genetics and, therefore, each clinical study has different requirements. When you participate in a clinical trial you provide opportunity to researchers and hope to so many people worldwide. Check the opportunities here to see if you are eligible.
Focus on a Happy Healthy New Year!
December 31, 2019 – As we enter 2020, there’s no better time for us to look ahead with clarity at the task before us: To explore precision nutrition for the improvement of health worldwide. From all of us at the NRI, thank you for your interest in and support of our precision nutrition work all year long. We wish you a healthy, happy, and prosperous new year!
