Our knowledge on the microbial communities that inhabit the human gut has grown exponentially during the last few years, and there is a profusion of novel information flowing from basic science laboratories into the clinical scenery. The YINI Symposium at ICN 2017 aims at translating the most recent advances to the nutrition community. Prof. Sharon Donovan, University of California, Davis, will introduce the event with an overview about the association between gut dysbiosis and non-communicable diseases incidence. She will also focus on how nutrition, in general, may impact gut microbiome and prevent dysbiosis, as well as on the benefits of the live microbes on gut microbiome, including probiotics.
Who is Sharon Donovan ?
Sharon Donovan received her B.S. and Ph.D. in Nutrition from the University of California, Davis. She completed a post-doctoral fellowship in Pediatric Endocrinology at Stanford University School of Medicine, then accepted a faculty position at the University of Illinois, Urbana in 1991. She is actively involved in her professional societies and served as the 2011-2012 President of the American Society for Nutrition (ASN) and is currently President-elect of the International Society of Research on Human Milk and Lactation (ISRHML). In addition, she has served as co-Chair of the Yogurt in Nutrition Initiative (YINI) since its inception in 2012.
Her Ongoing Research
The Donovan laboratory conducts basic and translational research in the area of pediatric nutrition. Ongoing work in the lab is focusing on optimizing intestinal and cognitive development of neonates, development of the gut microbiome and prevention of childhood obesity and picky eating in children. Sharon Donovan (and her team) has published ~175 peer-reviewed publications and book chapters and has garnered ~ $31M in research and training grant funding from NIH, USDA, private industry and foundations. She currently serves on the Food and Nutrition Board of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine and the Food Advisory Committee for the FDA Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition.
