Welcome from the Section Chief
Welcome to the Section of Developmental Nutrition at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. We are excited to share how our vibrant, innovative and outstanding team advances science every day. Thank you for visiting us today!
Our vision is to advance pediatric health by delivering cutting-edge, evidence-based strategies through nutritional and movement behavior sciences. Our mission is to serve children in Arkansas, and beyond, to achieve their best health. That means we focus research on prevention of future chronic diseases, in addition to optimization of nutritional status during acute medical events and while enduring chronic conditions.
The section is composed of research faculty members with diverse expertise and experiences, whose collaborations provide a holistic approach to pediatric health. Our expertise encompasses nutrition sciences, movement and fitness sciences, implementation sciences, neurosciences, cardiometabolic and skeletal health, gut health, and leverages unique assets and proficiencies from our outstanding core facilities, including resources to analyze the microbiome, metabolome and exposome and infrastructures to conduct robust research studies.
We are the primary home of research faculty members who are part of the Arkansas Children’s Nutrition Center (ACNC), which dedicates its effort to the impact of nutrition and movement behaviors on pediatric growth and development, with specific interest in cardiovascular, bone, brain, and metabolic processes using preclinical and clinical approaches, as well as community engaged research and implementation science. Located on the Arkansas Children’s Hospital Campus, within the Arkansas Children’s Research Institute, The ACNC is one of six national USDA Human Nutrition Research Centers, and one of only two dedicated to research in maternal and child health. For 30 years, the ACNC has been a premier research venue with strong collaborative ties to the medical and local communities, providing seamless accessibility to champion translational research. The ACNC is directed by Dr. Colin Kay.
Through engagement with our scientific societies (ACSM, APS, ASN, ISBNPA), advisors, funders (USDA, NIH, Foundations, ABI), the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee, and the National Academy of Medicine, our team has driven novel lines of investigation to enhance our understanding of the effects of maternal health on offspring health and the impact of infant feeding on childhood growth and development using robust study designs and methodologies.
We aim to build interdisciplinary teams that enhance our research programs to foster translation into the development of sound dietary and movement guidance to impact child health. Discover our research programs—we welcome research partnerships and prospects to develop unique training opportunities for medical fellows, doctoral, and post-doctoral trainees.
Sincerely,
Professor of Pediatrics