National Recognition Highlights NRI Research Connecting Nutrition to Lifelong Health
Dr. Natalia Krupenko’s research focuses on folate, or vitamin B9, and how it can help promote health and prevent disease while avoiding the potential risks of over-supplementation. Her work supports more precise nutrition recommendations by examining how folate affects human health in different biological contexts.
Dr. Stephen Hursting’s research focuses on how nutrition, obesity, metabolism, and energy balance influence cancer development, progression, and response to treatment. His work helps identify biological pathways that may be targeted through nutrition-related strategies, such as calorie restriction, exercise, or other interventions, to reduce cancer risk and improve outcomes.
The UNC Nutrition Research Institute is proud to celebrate Natalia Krupenko, PhD, and Stephen Hursting, PhD, MPH,who have been named 2026 Excellence in Nutrition Fellows of the American Society for Nutrition.
The FASN designation recognizes distinguished members of ASN for their ongoing contributions to the field of nutrition and sustained engagement in the nutrition community. For Krupenko and Hursting, the honor reflects not only individual achievement, but also the long-term impact of research that is helping shape how scientists understand the relationship between nutrition, metabolism, chronic disease, and lifelong health.
Though their research programs focus on different questions, Krupenko and Hursting share a common goal: understanding how nutrition influences disease risk and how that knowledge can lead to better strategies for prevention and treatment.
Krupenko’s research focuses on folate, an essential B vitamin involved in one-carbon metabolism, a network of biological processes that supports DNA synthesis, repair, and regulation. Her work explores how folate contributes to health, while also asking important questions about when high levels of supplementation may carry unintended risks. This careful, nuanced approach reflects a key principle of precision nutrition: nutrients do not act the same way in every person or every biological context.
“There is no one-size-fits-all approach to biology or human health,” said Krupenko. “When we recommend the same intake for everyone, we may overlook people whose enzymes process nutrients differently. As we gather more data, we can move toward more precise recommendations that take genetic makeup into account and help ensure people get the right amount of nutrients, including folate, without getting too much.”
Hursting’s research examines the connections among obesity, metabolism, energy balance, and cancer. His work explores how nutrition-related factors, including calorie intake, physical activity, and metabolic health, may influence cancer development, progression, and response to therapy. By studying these complex relationships, his research contributes to a growing understanding of how nutrition and lifestyle may help reduce disease risk and improve outcomes.
“Nutrition and metabolism are closely tied to the biological pathways that influence cancer risk and progression,” said Hursting. “Our goal is to better understand those signals so we can move beyond trial and error and toward more personalized, effective strategies for prevention and treatment.”
Honors such as the ASN Fellows designation matter because they recognize more than a single discovery or moment in time. They reflect sustained leadership, scientific contribution, and service to the field. For institutions like the NRI, national recognition of faculty members also affirms the importance of investing in research that addresses some of the most pressing health challenges of our time.
“This recognition is a testament to the caliber of science taking place at the NRI and to the influence Dr. Krupenko and Dr. Hursting have had in advancing nutrition research,” said Deborah Tate, PhD, interim director of the UNC Nutrition Research Institute. “Their work represents the depth and breadth of our mission, from understanding the molecular effects of nutrients to identifying nutrition-related strategies that may help reduce chronic disease risk and improve human health.”
Together, Krupenko and Hursting represent the wide-ranging impact of nutrition science. Their research shows that food and nutrients are not simply matters of diet, but powerful biological factors that interact with genes, metabolism, disease pathways, and individual health across the lifespan.
As 2026 ASN Fellows, they join a distinguished group of nutrition scientists whose careers have advanced the field and strengthened its future. Their recognition reflects the NRI’s continued leadership in research that brings nutrition science closer to more personalized, preventive, and effective approaches to health.