Congratulations to Alexis Kirkendall, PhD candidate in the Microbiology Program, for passing her comprehensive exam!! The exam involved writing a research proposal on a topic outside of her main focus, and presenting her idea for an hour to her faculty committee, who then asked detailed questions about her work and understanding of this research for almost two hours.
Over the next two or three years, her dissertation research will focus on culturing bacteria that we previously isolated from mice consuming a steamed broccoli sprout diet, to test their capacity to grow amongst the gut pathogen Helicobacter pylori and produce the anti-inflammatory sulforphane under different conditions, as well as which bacteria produce sulforaphane in the gut, how they do it, and under which circumstances. It complements the collective lab research on how broccoli sprouts and gut microbes can be used to resolve Inflammatory Bowel Disease.
Alexis Kirkendall
Doctor of Philosophy candidate, Microbiology
Alexis is from Ohio and initially joined the lab in 2022 when she was majoring in Biology at Heidelberg University, through the Summer 2022 REU, during which she divided her time researching Cryptosporidium in cows, helping in the MSE Symposium, and aiding in the Camel Rumen Microbiome Project. Alexis continued her work remotely, and returned to Maine in summer 2023 as a research assistant for several projects related to gut microbes, diet, and Inflammatory Bowel Disease. Her research interests are in genetics and she has a love for the fascinating world of microbes.
She returned in January 2024 as a graduate student in the Microbiology program!
Summary reposted from the MSE newsletter, now hosted by AMI!Subscribe to the newletter or join the group here.
MSE recently hosted its 5th annual summit, this year dedicated to exploring the concept of Microbiome Stewardship. Microbiome Stewardship is a concept that is intended to provide guiding insights, articulate responsibilities, and suggest practices aimed at maintaining microbial biodiversity and microbiome functioning across microbial habitats, which, in turn, supports the health and well-being of humans, animals, plants, and ecosystems. The summit consisted of two days of presentations (webinars) and two days of virtual workshop discussions.
We opened with two days of webinars featuring 12 speakers from wide-ranging fields of expertise, all focused on how social or environmental conditions impact health and microbiomes. This included an introduction to the concept of microbiome stewardship and guiding principles for its implementation, the need for diversification of fecal microbiome donors for health interventions, degradation of waterways and microbial transfer, the industrialization of food systems and the rise of antimicrobial resistance, the use of too-vague population descriptors in microbiome science, integrating systems-level thinking in microbiology curricula, and working with Indigenous communities on microbiome research. The webinars sparked imaginative and thoughtful questions from the 200 attendees (nearly 300 registrants), and set the stage for the subsequent two days of workshops. We also shared a working draft of the Microbiome Stewardship Guiding Principles document with attendees, and welcomed feedback. We hope to submit that manuscript for peer review and publication soon.
Workshop attendance was by application, and restricted to 50 attendees across the two days, which focused on host and environmental microbiomes, respectively. For each workshop day, attendees self-organized into breakout rooms focusing on different disciplines or themes. Speakers, MSE and Microbiome Stewardship researchers, and attendees discussed the challenges and opportunities for their respective fields, what was needed to achieve more integration between research and education or policy, and how to incorporate the principles of stewardship into their respective research. These conversations helped realize existing areas of overlap between our work, and identify compatible expertise that was needed to explore these interdisciplinary research questions. Similar themes and challenges emerged across workshop days and discussion groups, highlighting opportunities to strengthen the microbiome stewardship and paths to implementation.
The live sessions were recorded to accommodate our global audience who were unable to make the session, and can be viewed here. While the workshops were not recorded, the thoughtful discourse from throughout the seminar and workshops will be used to inform that guiding principles publication-in-development, as well as future publications and output over the next 2-3 years from the collaborations which germinated during the breakout room sessions.
Please note, the webinars and the workshop each require registration to help us manage attendance.
Who should attend?
Students, and professionals from any discipline, are encouraged to attend! The summit is highly interdisciplinary and we welcome diverse perspectives: research presentation and workshop activities represent microbiome, ethics, health, food systems, ecology, and environmental sciences, and more!
What’s the summit about?
Microbiome stewardship is the broad idea that we need to consider ecosystem-level factors when we think about public health, as our environment, behaviors, and public policy affects interactions between microbes and human health. Our ability to develop practices and advocate for policy reform that address societal inequities is limited without a strong microbiome stewardship framework. Led by MSE and the Microbiome Stewardship working group, attendees of the webinars will learn how other researchers engage with microbiome or health stewardship. Participants of the workshops will plan a pathway to bring their own work in line with principles of conservation and stewardship, or design future research to provide tangible and meaningful stewardship endpoints relevant to their area of focus.
Webinars and Case Studies (Monday and Tuesday): Open to everyone, these sessions will feature insightful presentations from leading researchers, policymakers, and community leaders. Join us to hear the latest in microbiome science, social equity, and public health, and leave with new perspectives and ideas to help shape future efforts.
Interactive Workshops (Wednesday and Thursday): Selected participants will come together in these collaborative sessions to co-develop case studies that integrate research, practice, and policy. With a focus on actionable outcomes, these workshops provide an opportunity to work closely with experts and contribute directly to the development of a global microbiome stewardship framework. Participation is by application, ensuring a diverse group of voices and expertise.
Date: Monday July 7, 2025. 12:00 ~ 5:00 PM Eastern Time
Welcome and Intro to the Summit Sue Ishaq, PhD, Associate Professor, University of Maine; Founder and Lead, MSE
The Concept of Microbiome Stewardship Kieran O’Doherty, PhD, Professor, University of Guelph; MSE
Indigenous perspectives on microbiome stewardship and public health. Nicole Redvers, DPhil, ND, MPH, Associate Professor, Western Research Chair & Director, Indigenous Planetary Health; Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Schulich; Interfaculty Program in Public Health, University of Western Ontario
Interpreting the Flora, Interrupting the Frame: Race and Responsibility in Vaginal Microbiome Research Ari Kozik, PhD, Assistant Professor of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan
Microbiome-based therapeutics in clinical practice: how can we be better stewards? Susy Hota, MD, MSc, FRCPC. Division Head, Infectious Diseases, University Health Network and Sinai Health; Medical Director, Infection Prevention and Control, University Health Network; Co-Lead of the Microbiota Therapeutics Outcomes Program; Associate Professor, Division of Infectious Diseases, University of Toronto
The political economy of emerging digital data collection platforms and applications with microbial stewardship. Victor Secco, PhD, Postdoctoral Researcher, Department of Philosophy and Cultural Heritage, Ca Foscari University of Venice
Communities and Contexts in Childhood Microbiome Research. Justine Debelius, PhD. Assistant Scientist, Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
Welcome and Intro to the Summit. Sue Ishaq, PhD, Associate Professor, University of Maine; Founder and Lead, MSE
Microbiome stewardship curricular design using MSE themes Carla Bonilla, PhD, Associate Professor of Biology, University of San Diego; MSE
The Concept of Microbiome Stewardship Mallory Choudoir, PhD, Assistant Professor and Soil Microbiome Extension Specialist, North Carolina State University; MSE
Microbes, microbiomes and biodiversity conservation Kent Redford, PhD, Principal, Archipelago Consulting
Built environment and microbiome engineering: Responsible Development and Engagement Jennifer Kuzma, PhD, Professor, School of Public and International Affairs; Co-Director, Genetic Engineering & Society Center; Associate Director, Precision Microbiome Engineering Center (PreMiEr, NSF-ERC); North Carolina State University Kristen Landreville, PhD, Senior Research Scholar, Societal and Ethical Implications (SEI) Core in the PreMiEr Engineering Research Center, North Carolina State University
Intersections Between the SDOH and Community-Acquired Antibiotic Resistance: A New Role for Environmental Surveillance? Maya Nadipalli, PhD, Assistant Professor, Emory University
Engaging with Indigenous perspectives related to subsurface microbiome research Professor Josh Neufield, PhD, Professor, University Research Chair, University of Waterloo
Workshop Sessions 1 and 2: Stewardship Planning Activities
Session 1: Focus on Host Microbiomes, Wednesday July 9, 2025, 1:00 ~ 3:30 PM Eastern Time Session 2: Focus on Environmental Microbiomes, Thursday July 10; 1:00 ~ 3:30 PM Eastern Time
We will use Zoom Breakout Rooms to form groups of 5 -10 people based on several topic themes. Each group will be led by an invited speaker and an MSE group member, and group notetaking will be facilitated using shared online documents.
Discussion 1 (Foundations)
How does the connection between microbiomes and health (human and non-human) relate with your work? What needs to be stewarded/protected in your area of expertise? To achieve goals of microbiome stewardship in your area, what interdisciplinary partnerships, or research or education programs need to be developed? What problems exist in your field that prevent implementing research or policy solutions?
Discussion 2 (Policy Connections) What are the policy domains we need to target for protection of microbial ecosystems to ensure positive health outcomes? What kind of policies could be effective in helping to maintain microbiome health? What agencies or organizations might oversee regulations for the protection of microbial ecosystems? How could one begin to advocate for microbiome health in various policy domains?
Group activity: Create your path to microbiome In Zoom Breakout Rooms organized by broad topics, we will generate case studies related to our own work which would include microbiome stewardship.First, use the template provided to draw your pathway. Then, design a project or research that would advance you along that path. Finally, identify a task list, time table, list of needs, and list of goals/outputs for the project.
Discussion 3 (Getting Microbiome Stewardship onto the Agenda) How can we raise awareness about the importance of microbial ecologies in human and planetary health? How can we get the protection of microbial ecosystems onto policy maker agendas? What initiatives currently exist with whom we can seek partnerships?
Please note, the webinars and the workshop each require registration to help us manage attendance.
Who should attend?
Students, and professionals from any discipline, are encouraged to attend! The summit is highly interdisciplinary and we welcome diverse perspectives: research presentation and workshop activities represent microbiome, ethics, health, food systems, ecology, and environmental sciences, and more!
What’s the summit about?
Microbiome stewardship is the broad idea that we need to consider ecosystem-level factors when we think about public health, as our environment, behaviors, and public policy affects interactions between microbes and human health. Our ability to develop practices and advocate for policy reform that address societal inequities is limited without a strong microbiome stewardship framework. Led by MSE and the Microbiome Stewardship working group, attendees of the webinars will learn how other researchers engage with microbiome or health stewardship. Participants of the workshops will plan a pathway to bring their own work in line with principles of conservation and stewardship, or design future research to provide tangible and meaningful stewardship endpoints relevant to their area of focus.
Webinars and Case Studies (Monday and Tuesday): Open to everyone, these sessions will feature insightful presentations from leading researchers, policymakers, and community leaders. Join us to hear the latest in microbiome science, social equity, and public health, and leave with new perspectives and ideas to help shape future efforts.
Interactive Workshops (Wednesday and Thursday): Selected participants will come together in these collaborative sessions to co-develop case studies that integrate research, practice, and policy. With a focus on actionable outcomes, these workshops provide an opportunity to work closely with experts and contribute directly to the development of a global microbiome stewardship framework. Participation is by application, ensuring a diverse group of voices and expertise.
Date: Monday July 7, 2025. 12:00 ~ 5:00 PM Eastern Time
Welcome and Intro to the Summit Sue Ishaq, PhD, Associate Professor, University of Maine; Founder and Lead, MSE
The Concept of Microbiome Stewardship Kieran O’Doherty, PhD, Professor, University of Guelph; MSE
Indigenous perspectives on microbiome stewardship and public health. Nicole Redvers, DPhil, ND, MPH, Associate Professor, Western Research Chair & Director, Indigenous Planetary Health; Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Schulich; Interfaculty Program in Public Health, University of Western Ontario
Interpreting the Flora, Interrupting the Frame: Race and Responsibility in Vaginal Microbiome Research Ari Kozik, PhD, Assistant Professor of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan
Microbiome-based therapeutics in clinical practice: how can we be better stewards? Susy Hota, MD, MSc, FRCPC. Division Head, Infectious Diseases, University Health Network and Sinai Health; Medical Director, Infection Prevention and Control, University Health Network; Co-Lead of the Microbiota Therapeutics Outcomes Program; Associate Professor, Division of Infectious Diseases, University of Toronto
The political economy of emerging digital data collection platforms and applications with microbial stewardship. Victor Secco, PhD, Postdoctoral Researcher, Department of Philosophy and Cultural Heritage, Ca Foscari University of Venice
Communities and Contexts in Childhood Microbiome Research. Justine Debelius, PhD. Assistant Scientist, Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
Welcome and Intro to the Summit. Sue Ishaq, PhD, Associate Professor, University of Maine; Founder and Lead, MSE
Microbiome stewardship curricular design using MSE themes Carla Bonilla, PhD, Associate Professor of Biology, University of San Diego; MSE
The Concept of Microbiome Stewardship Mallory Choudoir, PhD, Assistant Professor and Soil Microbiome Extension Specialist, North Carolina State University; MSE
Microbes, microbiomes and biodiversity conservation Kent Redford, PhD, Principal, Archipelago Consulting
Built environment and microbiome engineering: Responsible Development and Engagement Jennifer Kuzma, PhD, Professor, School of Public and International Affairs; Co-Director, Genetic Engineering & Society Center; Associate Director, Precision Microbiome Engineering Center (PreMiEr, NSF-ERC); North Carolina State University Kristen Landreville, PhD, Senior Research Scholar, Societal and Ethical Implications (SEI) Core in the PreMiEr Engineering Research Center, North Carolina State University
Intersections Between the SDOH and Community-Acquired Antibiotic Resistance: A New Role for Environmental Surveillance? Maya Nadipalli, PhD, Assistant Professor, Emory University
Engaging with Indigenous perspectives related to subsurface microbiome research Professor Josh Neufield, PhD, Professor, University Research Chair, University of Waterloo
Workshop Sessions 1 and 2: Stewardship Planning Activities
Session 1: Focus on Host Microbiomes, Wednesday July 9, 2025, 1:00 ~ 3:30 PM Eastern Time Session 2: Focus on Environmental Microbiomes, Thursday July 10; 1:00 ~ 3:30 PM Eastern Time
We will use Zoom Breakout Rooms to form groups of 5 -10 people based on several topic themes. Each group will be led by an invited speaker and an MSE group member, and group notetaking will be facilitated using shared online documents.
Discussion 1 (Foundations)
How does the connection between microbiomes and health (human and non-human) relate with your work? What needs to be stewarded/protected in your area of expertise? To achieve goals of microbiome stewardship in your area, what interdisciplinary partnerships, or research or education programs need to be developed? What problems exist in your field that prevent implementing research or policy solutions?
Discussion 2 (Policy Connections) What are the policy domains we need to target for protection of microbial ecosystems to ensure positive health outcomes? What kind of policies could be effective in helping to maintain microbiome health? What agencies or organizations might oversee regulations for the protection of microbial ecosystems? How could one begin to advocate for microbiome health in various policy domains?
Group activity: Create your path to microbiome In Zoom Breakout Rooms organized by broad topics, we will generate case studies related to our own work which would include microbiome stewardship.First, use the template provided to draw your pathway. Then, design a project or research that would advance you along that path. Finally, identify a task list, time table, list of needs, and list of goals/outputs for the project.
Discussion 3 (Getting Microbiome Stewardship onto the Agenda) How can we raise awareness about the importance of microbial ecologies in human and planetary health? How can we get the protection of microbial ecosystems onto policy maker agendas? What initiatives currently exist with whom we can seek partnerships?
Lab rockstar, Marissa Kinney, successfully defended her master’s thesis today!!! After a well-earned holiday break, Master Kinney is pursuing a career in biomedical/microbiological research.
Marissa was Master of Science student in Microbiology, and a researcher in the One Health and the Environment program, both of which are prestigious graduate programs at UMaine, from Jan 2023 – Dec 2024. She loves learning and bench microbiology, and she employed these passions on multiple lab projects investigating the bacteria which transform glucoraphanin in broccoli sprouts into the anti-inflammatory sulforaphane in the gut. The focus of her time has been to develop new lab protocols, refine existing ones and make them easier for new lab members to learn, and to share her expertise by teaching other students in the lab. She’s excelled at these objectives so well, that in the past two years many people assumed she was a Lab Manager rather than a student.
Marissa has been extremely productive in the last two years: in her first three months she contributed lab work to two publications on broccoli sprout diets in mouse models of Inflammation Bowel Disease in 2023, and has since contributed to another manuscript currently in review on glucoraphanin supplements and gut microbiome changes in people, and two more manuscripts in preparation on culturing gut microbiota, and a broccoli sprout diet in people. It’s no surprise that Marissa has been an author on so many papers in so little time — she led a publication when she was an undergraduate! You can check her Google Scholar page for more info on these papers. Marissa has also presented this work on campus at the UMaine Student Research Symposium twice, as well as attended conferences for the American Society for Nutrition and the American Society for Microbiology for professional development.
Marissa Kinney presenting research.
The Ishaq Lab at Boda Borg in Boston, summer 2023. We are showing how many quests we completed.
Lab lunch with Mira Talalay, Sue, and Marissa Kinney
Previous to being in the lab, Marissa completed her undergraduate at the University of Maine in 2021, earning a BS in Microbiology and a BS in Cellular/Molecular Biology. She devoted a large portion of her time in undergrad to research in the laboratories of Dr. Julie Gosse and Dr. Edward Bernard. After graduating, she worked in the field of public health at UMaine’s Margaret Chase Smith Policy Center, collecting and processing data about violent and drug-related deaths in Maine. While her role at the Center was one she loved dearly, she felt a big pull towards laboratory work and academic research, and her graduate work enforced this passion. Marissa has been a core member of the lab, and we’ll miss her!! She plans to pursue a research career here in Maine after defending and enjoying a well-earned vacation.
USING BROCCOLI SPROUT DIETS TO UNDERSTAND GUT BACTERIAL GLUCOSINOLATE METABOLISM TO RESOLVE INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASE
Abstract
Globally, millions of people have been diagnosed with a type of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). These diseases cause dysfunction of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, resulting in a wide range of symptoms that create a disruption in overall health. Research has suggested that diet and the microbial community composition of the gut microbiome play a significant role in regulating gastrointestinal inflammation. Specifically, studies have shown that diets high in cruciferous vegetables, such as broccoli, are associated with a reduction in gastrointestinal inflammation. Glucoraphanin is a compound present in broccoli that can be metabolized by gut bacteria to become an anti-inflammatory compound known as sulforaphane. Our initial research showed that the administration of a broccoli sprout diet to mouse models for Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, two major types of IBD, yields inflammation reduction and symptom resolution. For these trials, fecal samples obtained from different sections of the mouse bowel were tested for presence of glucoraphanin-metabolizing genes present in a common gut bacteria, Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron (B. theta). Glucoraphanin conversion is higher and more reliable in mice than in people, however mouse models are not perfect representatives of humans. Hoping to understand the impacts of broccoli sprouts on the human gut microbiome, fecal samples were obtained from healthy individuals who consumed broccoli sprouts for 28 consecutive days, as long-term diet interventions are needed to meaningfully change gut microbial communities. In a separate trial conducted by the scientists at Brassica Protections Product, fecal samples were collected from people who were administered a single dietary supplement containing a high dose of glucoraphanin with and without plant-sourced myrosinase, as a means of evaluating the effectiveness of glucoraphanin conversation which was or was not reliant on gut microbiota, respectively. These samples were analyzed for glucoraphanin metabolizing genes from B. theta and other commensal gut bacteria. Data collected from these human trial experiments aided in understanding the impacts of a whole food broccoli sprout diet and supplementation of glucoraphanin on the bacterial community composition of the gut microbiota. Additionally, this work will help grow and strengthen the current knowledge on broccoli as an anti-inflammatory and the variabilities present in the gut microbiomes of humans.
Congratulations to Lola Holcomb, PhD candidate in the Graduate School for Biomedical Sciences and Engineering program, for winning a graduate student research award from the Bioscience Association of Maine!!
Over the next few months, she’ll focus on characterizing candidate anti-inflammatory bacterial species and genes of the gut microbiome, using whole genome sequence data from bacteria we previously isolated during a broccoli sprout diet study. This is part of Lola’s larger PhD project investigating which bacteria produce sulforphane in the gut, how they do it, and under which circumstances. It complements the collective lab research on how broccoli sprouts and gut microbes can be used to resolve Inflammatory Bowel Disease.
Lola Holcomb, B.S.
Doctorate of Philosophy candidate, Biomedical Science
Lola entered as a rotating first-year GSBSE student in March 2022, and declared the Ishaq Lab her dissertation lab soon after. Troubled with indecisiveness and the desire to research, well, everything, she quickly found that using bioinformatics and big data as a lens to study microbial ecology (and in time, its relation to social equity) allowed her to do the kind of meaningful interdisciplinary research she’s always wanted to do. Lola is currently working on 16s data analysis for other ongoing lab projects, comparing gut microbiomes of mouse models of Inflammatory Bowel Disease with broccoli as a dietary treatment. Lola is currently doing 16S data analysis for ongoing lab projects and developing a metagenomic analysis workflow to compare gut microbiomes of mouse models of Inflammatory Bowel Disease with broccoli as a dietary treatment. In addition to research, she instructs a graduate-level Genetics course, tutors several Biology undergraduate students, and serves as a GSBSE senator in the Graduate Student Government here at UMaine.
Congratulations to Alexis Kirkendall, PhD student in the Microbiology Program, for winning a graduate student research award from the Bioscience Association of Maine!!
Over the next year, she’ll focus on culturing bacteria that we previously isolated from mice consuming a steamed broccoli sprout diet, to test their capacity to grow amongst the gut pathogen Helicobacter pylori and produce the anti-inflammatory sulforphane under different conditions. This will be part of Alexis’ larger PhD project investigating which bacteria produce sulforaphane in the gut, how they do it, and under which circumstances. It complements the collective lab research on how broccoli sprouts and gut microbes can be used to resolve Inflammatory Bowel Disease.
Alexis Kirkendall
Doctor of Philosophy student, Microbiology
Alexis is from Ohio and initially joined the lab in 2022 when she was majoring in Biology at Heidelberg University, through the Summer 2022 REU, during which she divided her time researching Cryptosporidium in cows, helping in the MSE Symposium, and aiding in the Camel Rumen Microbiome Project. Alexis continued her work remotely, and returned to Maine in summer 2023 as a research assistant for several projects related to gut microbes, diet, and Inflammatory Bowel Disease. Her research interests are in genetics and she has a love for the fascinating world of microbes.
She returned in January 2024 as a graduate student in the Microbiology program!
Events will be hosted January – December, 2024, on the last Friday of every month, 12:00 – 14:00 pm ET. Presented over Zoom.
After each talk, we will continue the discussions in an informal social meeting with MSE. All speakers and members of the audience are welcome to join the social meeting.
Hosted by: Sue Ishaq, MSE, and finacially supported by the University of Maine Institute of Medicine and the UMaine Cultural Affairs/Distinguished Lecture Committee.
Dr. Emily Vogtmann is an Earl Stadtman Investigator in the Metabolic Epidemiology Branch of the Division of Cancer Epidemiology & Genetics in the National Cancer Institute. She received her B.S. in biochemistry and molecular biology and B.A. in Spanish from Michigan State University, M.P.H. in international health epidemiology from the University of Michigan, and Ph.D. in epidemiology in 2013 from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Dr. Vogtmann’s research focuses on the association between the human microbiome and cancer risk and the evaluation of methods for collection, storage, and processing of samples and data for study of the human microbiome.
Events will be hosted January – December, 2024, on the last Friday of every month, 12:00 – 14:00 pm ET. Presented over Zoom.
After each talk, we will continue the discussions in an informal social meeting with MSE. All speakers and members of the audience are welcome to join the social meeting.
Hosted by: Sue Ishaq, MSE, and finacially supported by the University of Maine Institute of Medicine and the UMaine Cultural Affairs/Distinguished Lecture Committee.
Dr. Emily Vogtmann is an Earl Stadtman Investigator in the Metabolic Epidemiology Branch of the Division of Cancer Epidemiology & Genetics in the National Cancer Institute. She received her B.S. in biochemistry and molecular biology and B.A. in Spanish from Michigan State University, M.P.H. in international health epidemiology from the University of Michigan, and Ph.D. in epidemiology in 2013 from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Dr. Vogtmann’s research focuses on the association between the human microbiome and cancer risk and the evaluation of methods for collection, storage, and processing of samples and data for study of the human microbiome.
Events will be hosted January – December, 2024, on the last Friday of every month, 12:00 – 14:00 pm ET. Presented over Zoom.
After each talk, we will continue the discussions in an informal social meeting with MSE. All speakers and members of the audience are welcome to join the social meeting.
Hosted by: Sue Ishaq, MSE, and finacially supported by the University of Maine Institute of Medicine and the UMaine Cultural Affairs/Distinguished Lecture Committee.
“Linking Plant, Animal, and Human Health in Livestock Systems: a Metabolomics Approach.”
Dr. Stephan van Vliet, Phd.
Apr 26, 2024 12:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time. This event has passed, watch the recording here.
Dr. Stephan van Vliet is a nutrition scientist with metabolomics expertise in the Center for Human Nutrition Studies at Utah State University. Dr. Stephan van Vliet earned his PhD in Kinesiology as an ESPEN Fellow from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and received training at the Washington University in St Louis School of Medicine and Duke University School of Medicine. Dr. van Vliet’s research is performed at the nexus of agricultural and human health. He routinely collaborates with farmers, ecologists, and agricultural scientists to study critical linkages between sustainable agriculture, the nutrient density of food, and human health. His work has been published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Scientific Reports, the Journal of Nutrition, and the Journal of Physiology.
The Ishaq Lab 