Saroja Voruganti, PhD, Director of the Clinical Research Core at the UNC Nutrition Research Institute (NRI), has been named one of the first recipients of the new Excellence in Nutrition “Fellow of ASN” (FASN) designation by the American Society for Nutrition (ASN). This national recognition honors her transformative scientific career and sustained contributions to the nutrition community.
The FASN program, created to recognize professionals with ten or more years of postdoctoral experience, distinguishes those who demonstrate leadership, innovation, and continued engagement in the field of nutrition. Out of more than 8,000 ASN members, Voruganti is one of only 55 who were selected for this distinction in the program’s inaugural year. She will be formally honored at NUTRITION 2025, ASN’s flagship annual meeting in Orlando this May.
Voruganti was jointly nominated by José M. Ordovás, PhD, principal faculty of the Harvard Stem Cell Institute, and Raz Shaikh, PhD, professor and chair of the Department of Nutrition at UNC-Chapel Hill, both respected leaders in the field of nutrition and long-time collaborators with Voruganti.
“I was excited to nominate Saroja for this award given her outstanding contributions toward advancing nutrigenomics and nutrigenetics research and education.”
Raz Shaikh, PhD, Professor of Nutrition and Chair of the Department of Nutrition at UNC-Chapel Hill
Her research explores the complex interplay between nutrition, genetics, and disease risk, with a particular focus on purine metabolism and its influence on obesity and related conditions. Nutritional genomics is a relatively new field of nutrition research, and Voruganti is at the forefront. She aims to develop personalized, genotype-guided nutritional approaches to reduce the burden of chronic diseases.
“Understanding how genes and nutrients interact helps us move toward more effective, individualized ways to prevent or manage disease – especially in communities that have been historically underrepresented in research.”
Saroja Voruganti, PhD
Her work has led to the discovery of how compounds such as urate, adenosine, and inosine – components of the purine metabolic pathway – may serve as treatment targets for metabolic and inflammatory conditions, including obesity and cancer.
💡 What are purines?
Purines are chemical compounds used to create DNA. By acting as cell signaling molecules, they play a key role in energy metabolism, inflammation, and oxidative stress. Findings from the Voruganti Lab have shown that purines like urate, adenosine, and inosine have the potential to be treatment targets for various diseases, mainly obesity and cancer.
At the NRI, Voruganti directs the Clinical Research Core and co-leads the Precision Nutrition Core of the UNC Nutrition Obesity Research Center (NORC). She also leads a semi-annual short course on nutrigenetics and nutrigenomics, where attendees analyze their own genotyping data to gain hands-on experience in the science of precision nutrition.
Voruganti has been a member of ASN for over 20 years and has served in multiple leadership roles, including Chair of the Nutrient-Gene Interaction Research Interest Section. She currently advises the ASN Early Career Nutrition group and contributes as an associate editor for Nutrition Reviews and Genes and Nutrition. Her international collaborations and mentorship reflect a career dedicated to advancing both science and scientists.
“I’m deeply honored to be recognized among such a distinguished group of colleagues,” said Voruganti. “This recognition reflects the support and collaboration I’ve been fortunate to receive throughout my career. I’m grateful for the opportunity to contribute to a field that has such potential to improve health outcomes for diverse communities.”
To learn more about Voruganti’s work, visit her faculty page on the NRI website here.