Folami Ideraabdullah, Ph.D., joined the UNC Nutrition Research Institute (NRI) in 2013 as assistant professor of genetics in the UNC-Chapel Hill School of Medicine.
Dr. Ideraabdullah joined the NRI to expand her research program in genetics to study the role of dietary nutrients such as folate, choline, betaine, and Vitamin B12 in determining disease susceptibility. She investigates which genetic differences between individuals determine how the cells of our body respond to changes in diet and, not only how these cellular responses may increase the risk of disease in the individual, but also how such responses may be inherited by their children. She also studies how dietary nutrients can be used to decrease the risk of disease associated with exposures to harmful environmental factors such as pesticides.
The overall goal of this research is to identify genetic factors that contribute to diet-related disease susceptibility, which can then be used to screen individuals to determine their disease risk or outcome and ultimately allow for more effective treatment and preventative care.
Dr. Ideraabdullah earned her B.S. in Biology at the Pennsylvania State University and her Ph.D. in Genetics and Molecular Biology at UNC-Chapel Hill. She continued her training in epigenetics as a postdoc at the University of Pennsylvania where she was awarded a Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences.
