Sandra M. Mooney, PhD
Associate Professor of Nutrition
sandra_mooney@unc.edu
704-250-5022
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Sandra Mooney, PhD joined the UNC Chapel Hill Nutrition Research Institute in August 2018 as an Associate Professor of Nutrition. Her research program investigates the effect(s) of environment and genes on brain development, with a focus on prenatal alcohol exposure. Current studies use animal models to understand how nutritional needs change after alcohol exposure, thereby increasing the chances that modifying (or personalizing) nutrition will optimize growth and development. This work is supported by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA). Dr. Mooney received her Ph.D. from the University of Otago in New Zealand.
The overall theme of Dr. Mooney’s research is to understand normal brain development, how exposure to alcohol (and other drugs or experiences) disrupts this, what the behavioral outcomes are, and whether simple nutrition-based interventions can improve outcomes. Developmental exposure to ethanol profoundly affects development of the nervous system. Indeed, fetal alcohol exposure is described as the primary known cause of mental retardation, and recent estimates suggest that 2-5% of US children can be diagnosed with a Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder.
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Mooney’s Team

Lana Billings
Research Technician, Mooney Lab
Elanaria “Lana” Billings joined the Mooney Lab in December 2021. A trick for remembering how to pronounce her name is to rhyme it with banana, as in “Lana Banana”. Lana has a BS in Biology from Appalachian State University and defines herself as a fervid conservationist.

Madison McNew
Research Technician, Mooney Lab
Madison joined the Nutrition Research Institute in early Fall of 2020, transferring from the NCSU Plants for Human Health Institute to complete an internship as part of her education and training. As a local of Rowan County Madison went to Rowan-Cabarrus Community College and graduated with an Associate’s degree in Biotechnology. Their Work-Based Learning program is what led Madison to the Mooney lab where she hopes to refine her skillset before pursuing a Master’s degree in Microbiology or Ecology. Madison is thrilled for the opportunity the Mooney Lab presents in her early research career.

Carolyn Munson
Research Specialist, Mooney Lab
Carolyn Munson graduated in 2015 from Rowan Cabarrus Community College with an AAS in biotechnology. She is working as a research technician in the Surzenko Lab at the NRI. Much of her work is directed by Dr. Natalia Surzenko performing immunohistochemistry work.

Hannah Petry
Graduate Student
Hannah obtained her Bachelor of Science in Nutritional Sciences and Dietetics in May 2022 from Texas Tech University. She joined the NRI and began her doctoral studies in Fall 2022. She works in Dr. Mooney's lab to research fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD).

Kathleen Walter, PhD
Postdoctoral Research Associate, Mooney Lab
Katie joined the NRI in August of 2019. She is a nutritional immunologist and received her PhD in Animal Science from North Carolina State University. Her dissertation focused on long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) supplementation as a means to dampen immunosuppressive effects of respiratory pathogens. She is now investigating impacts of fetal alcohol syndrome on Alzheimer-related pathologies and behavioral impairments.
Publications
2020
Proceedings of the 2019 Annual Meeting of the Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders Study Group.
2019
Alterations in the whole brain network organization after prenatal ethanol exposure.
Proceedings of the 2018 annual meeting of the Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders study group.
Quantifying Medication Exposure in Very Low Birth Weight Neonates.
2018
2017
Proceedings of the 2017 annual meeting of the Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders study group.
The Role of CREB, SRF, and MEF2 in Activity-Dependent Neuronal Plasticity in the Visual Cortex.
2016