Carolyn Slupsky named John E. Kinsella Chair in Food, Nutrition and Health

Dr. Carolyn Slupsky has been named the new John E. Kinsella Chair in Food, Nutrition and Health.   The Kinsella Chair was established in 1994 and honors Professor John Kinsella, dean of the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences from 1990 until his death in 1993. The endowment was created using funds provided by General Foods that originally supported the late Professor Kinsella’s research in food science and human nutrition, with specific focus on the interrelationships between food, nutrition, and health. In keeping with Kinsella’s long-standing support and cultivation of junior faculty, the Kinsella Chair recognizes outstanding faculty members during the development stages of their careers.

Dr. Slupsky's research includes understanding the impact of diet on human health from the perspective of nutrition, the gut microbiome, and host-microbial co-metabolism. She uses a multi-discplinary research approach that integrates metabolomics with clinical measures, global gene expression profiles, as well as microbial community analysis to understand the intimate link between our gut microbiome, metabolism, and health. In addition, she is looking into the implication of food processing, agricultural practices, and plant health status on the nutrient content and sensory aspects of the food we eat. These studies will provide novel insight on health management and food development, and usher us into the era of personalized nutrition.

Says Slupsky, “My vision is that if we understand how food and food components interact with the microbiome, and how this impacts host metabolism, we can work with food companies and growers to create better food products, and use these products in the context of overall diet to modulate health in a personalized way that will ultimately reduce healthcare costs, and increase quality of life.”

Contact Information

Carolyn Slupsky, Ph.D.
Professor, Department of Nutrition/Department of Food Science & Technology
Email: cslupsky@ucdavis.edu
Phone: (530) 219-5757
Office: 3247 Meyer, 3206 RMI South
Slupsky Lab Website