Ph.D recipients
Grant J. Aaron
Graduation Date: 2010
Major Professor: Kenneth H. Brown
Graduate Group: Nutritional Biology
Dissertation title: 'Interventions to Control Deficiencies of Zinc and other Micronutrients in West Africa" (supported by GAIN, the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition, and HKI, Helen Keller International).
Seth Adu-Afarwuah
Graduation Date: 2006
Major Professor: Kathryn G. Dewey
Graduate Group: Nutritional Biology
Dissertation title: "Efficacy and acceptability of three types of multiple micronutrient supplements for home fortification of complementary foods for infants in Ghana" (supported by the Fogarty International Center and the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, The Nestle Foundation and USAID).
Alberto Aguilera
Graduation Date: 2015
Affiliation: Graduate Group in Nutritional Biology
Major Professor: Lucia L. Kaiser
Dissertation Title: "Changes in eating patterns of young Mexican-origin children."
Shaikh Meshbahuddin Ahmad
Graduation Date: 2007
Major Professor: Charles B. Stephensen
Graduate Group: Nutritional Biology
Dissertation title: "Immune function in men with marginal and adequate vitamin A stores" (supported by Fogarty International Center and the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, and the Agricultural Research Service of the United States Department of Agriculture).
Emmanuel Aklamati
Graduation Date: 2008
Major Professors: Kenneth H. Brown and Marjorie Haskell
Graduate Group: Nutritional Biology
Dissertation title: "Absorption and retention, and impact of high-dose vitamin A supplements on total body vitamin A stores of 3-4 year old Zambian boys" (supported by the Fogarty International Center, USAID/ CDC, and the Bristol Myers Squibb Freedom to Discover program).
Miriam Anaya-Loyola
Graduation Date: 2007
Major Professor: Lindsay H. Allen
Graduate Group: Nutritional Biology
Dissertation title: "Vitamin B12 deficiency: prevalence and causes in Mexico" (supported by CONACYT, UC MEXUS, USDA, Wyeth.)
Patrice Armstrong
Graduation Date: 2009
Major Professor: Charles B. Stephensen
Graduate Group: Nutritional Biology
Dissertation title: "Variation in the ALOX5 Gene and response to omega-3 fatty acid supplements in persons of African descent" (supported by the Nutritional Genomics Grant/National Institutes of Health – National Center of Complimentary & Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) and the Gustavus and Louise Pfeiffer Research Foundation).
Joanne E. Arsenault
Graduation Date: 2006
Major Professor: Kenneth H. Brown
Graduate Group: Nutrition
Dissertation title: "Dietary zinc intake of young children in Peru and the US, and effects of supplemental zinc on energy intake, appetite, body composition, and plasma leptin, ghrelin, and insulin concentrations of Peruvian infants" (supported by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation).
Naila Baig Ansari
Graduation Date: 2010
Major Professor: Philip Kass
Graduate Group: Epidemiology
Dissertation title: "The role of household food insecurity access, socioeconomic status and dietary diversity as underlying determinants of undernutrition in Pakastani households."
Lacey Baldiviez
Graduation Date: 2013
Major Professor: Kathryn G. Dewey
Graduate Group: Nutritional Biology
Dissertation title: "The relationship between iron supplementation during pregnancy and urinary 8-isoprostane-F2a, a biomarker of in vivo lipid peroxidation, and severe cases of maternal malaria in Ghana."
Jinan Banna
Graduation Date: 2008
Major Professor: Marilyn Townsend
Graduate Group: Nutritional Biology
Dissertation title: "Food behaviors and physical activity in Spanish-speaking women in California" (supported by the Public Health Institute, Gustavus and Louise Pfeiffer Research Fellowship, and Jastro Shields Research Scholarship).
Ty Beal
Graduation Date: 2017
Major Professor: Robert Hijmans
Graduate Group: Geography
Dissertation title: "The geography of malnutrition."
Khadija Begum
Graduation Date: 2013
Major Professor: Kathryn G. Dewey
Graduate Group: Nutritional Biology
Dissertation title: "Prevalence and predictors of breastfeeding practices and perceived breastfeeding problems in Bangladesh, Ethiopia and Viet Nam."
Adelia C. Bovell-Benjamin
Graduation Date: 1998
Major Professor: Lindsay H. Allen
Graduate Group: Nutrition
Dissertation title: "Evaluation of iron amino acid chelates as iron fortificants in maize" (supported by Albion Laboratories).
Virginia A. Bennett
Graduation Date: 2000
Major Professor: Kenneth H. Brown
Graduate Group: Nutrition
Dissertation title: "Evaluation of selected methods to assess and enhance complementary feeding of young children in low-income countries" (supported by UNICEF, USAID/UDLP, USAID/PSTC).
Erick Boy
Graduation Date: 2006
Major Professor: Kenneth H. Brown
Graduate Group: Nutrition
Dissertation title: "Evaluation of novel assessment tools and interventions to improve micronutrient nutrition" (supported by UC Davis and INCAP.)
Alex Brito
Graduation Date: 2015
Major Professor: Lindsay H. Allen
Graduate Group: Nutritional Biology
Dissertation Title: "Novel approaches for detecting sub-clinical effects Of vitamin B-12 deficiency and its interaction with folate status in the elderly."
Diana Bueno-Gutierrez
Graduation Date: 2013
Major Professor: Caroline Chantry
Graduate Group: Nutritional Biology
Dissertation: "Formative research to develop breastfeeding promotion messages in Tijuana, Mexico."
Kendra Byrd
Graduation Date: 2015
Major Professor: Christine Stewart
Graduate Group: Graduate Group in Nutritional Biology
Dissertation Title: "The impact of a community-based nutrition intervention on infant dietary quality, and factors influencing hepcidin concentrations among infants living in Bangladesh and Kenya."
Alison Lemon Campbell
Graduation Date: 2003
Major Professor: Lindsay H. Allen
Graduate Group: Nutrition
Dissertation title: "Causes and consequences of vitamin B-12 deficiency in a Californian Latino elderly population" (supported by USDA).
Jennifer E. Casterline-Sabel
Graduation Date: 1998
Major Professor: Lindsay H. Allen
Graduate Group: Nutrition
Dissertation title: "Vitamin B-12 deficiency and malabsorption in Guatemala and Mexico" (supported by USAID/UDLP and the Thrasher Research Fund).
Virginia Chaidez
Graduation Date: 2009
Major Professor: Lucia L. Kaiser
Graduate Group: Nutritional Biology
Dissertation title: "Toddler-feeding practices in Latinos: An early start in obesity prevention" (supported by the National Research Initiative of the Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service, the University of California Institute for Mexico and the United States (UCMEXUS); the Western Center for Agricultural Health and Safety; the Food Stamp and Nutrition Education Program (FSNEP); and the Gustavus and Louise Pfeiffer Research Foundation).
Camila Chaparro
Graduation Date: 2006
Major Professor: Kathryn G. Dewey
Graduate Group: Nutrition
Dissertation title: "Effects of the timing of umbilical cord clamping and other factors on infant iron and lead status at six months of age" (supported by The Thrasher Research Fund and the U.S. Fulbright Program).
Roberta J. Cohen
Graduation Date: 1994
Major Professor: Kathryn G. Dewey
Graduate Group: Nutrition
Dissertation title: "Optimal age of introduction of complementary foods to exclusively breast fed Honduran infants" (supported by the Thrasher Research Fund, the World Health Organization, UNICEF, and Georgetown University).
Kathleen Deegan
Graduation Date: 2008
Major Professor: Lindsay H. Allen
Graduate Group: Nutritional Biology
Dissertation title: "Vitamin B-12 in human milk: Methodology for measurement and determination of deficiency and the effect of supplementation on B-12 deficient lactating women" (supported by the Agricultural Research Service of the United States Department of Agriculture).
Jessica De Haene
Graduation Date: 2008
Major Professor: Janet King
Graduate Group: Nutritional Biology
Dissertation title: "Determinants of impaired glucose tolerance and insulin resistance among Mexican pregnant women" (sponsored by Fogarty International Center, Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation, Inc., and UC MEXUS).
Swati Deshpande
Graduation Date: 2004
Major Professor: Kathryn G. Dewey
Graduate Group: Nutrition
Dissertation title: "Strategies to optimize maternal and infant nutrition."
Daphna Dror
Graduation Date: 2009
Major Professor: Lindsay H. Allen
Graduate Group: Nutritional Biology
Dissertation title: "Prevalence, predictors, and consequences of vitamin D deficiency in mother-infant pairs in Oakland, CA" (supported by the Western Human Nutrition Research Center (USDA/ARS), the East Bay Neonatology Foundation and the Gustavus and Louise Pfeiffer Research Foundation).
Reina Engle-Stone
Graduation Date: 2011
Major Professor: Kenneth H. Brown
Graduate Group: Nutritional Biology
Dissertation title: "Micronutrient status and consumption of fortifiable foods among women and young children in Cameroon: results of a national survey" (supported by the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation, Sight & Life, and the Henry A. Jastro and Peter J. Shields Graduate Research Award).
Olga P. Garcia
Graduation Date: 1999
Major Professor: Lindsay H. Allen
Graduate Group: Nutrition
Dissertation title: "Isotope and community trials of the efficacy of a local food source of ascorbic acid for improving iron absorption and status in rural Mexico" (supported by CONACYT, Mexico; USAID/OMNI).
Gretchen George
Graduation Date: 2014
Major Professor: Lucia Kaiser
Graduate Group: Nutritional Biology
Dissertation title: "Childhood Obesity Reduction Within A Summer Camp Model."
Joanne Graham
Graduation Date: 2004
Major Professor: Lindsay H. Allen
Graduate Group: Nutrition
Dissertation title: "Benefits of riboflavin plus iron supplementation for pregnant Nepali women" (supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Floyd & Mary Schwall Dissertation Fellowship).
Juliana (Haber) Donohue
Graduation Date: 2016
Major Professor: Lyndsay Allen
Graduate Group: Nutritional Biology
Dissertation title: "Micronutrient Supplementation in Pregnancy and Lactation: Effects on Maternal and Infant Status, and Breast Milk Composition in Guatemala, Malawi and Ghana."
Andrea Hacker
Graduation Date: 2013
Major Professor: Janet C. King and Ellen B. Fung
Graduate Group: Nutritional Biology
Dissertation title: "Racial Differences in Maternal Bone Density and Calcium Intake in an Urban Population."
Craig Hadley
Graduation Date: 2003
Major Professor: Monique Borgerhoff Mulder
Graduate Group: Anthropology
Dissertation title: "The Biosocial Correlates of Children's Growth in Two Tanzanian Ethnic Groups" (supported by NSF, the Gifford Center for Population Issues, and UC Davis).
Andrew Hall
Graduation Date: 2011
Major Professor: Janet C. King
Graduate Group: Nutritional Biology
Dissertation title: "Supplemental Animal Source Foods for Reproductive-age Women in Rural Vietnam: Development, Acceptability, and Effects on Usual Diet, Micronutrient Status, and Infections" (supported by Pacific Rim Research Program, Fulbright U.S. Student Program, and UC Davis (Jastro-Shields Scholarship).
Laura M. Hall
Graduation Date: 2008
Major Professor: Charles B. Stephensen
Graduate Group: Nutritional Biology
Dissertation title: "Sun Exposure, Skin Reflectance and Vitamin D Intake to Predict Vitamin D Status" (supported by the NCMHD Center of Excellence in Nutritional Genomics, the Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation, Inc., the Gustavus and Louise Pfeiffer Research Foundation, and the Western Human Nutrition Research Center).
Kassandra Harding
Graduation Date: 2014
Major Professor: Kay Dewey
Graduate Group: Nutrition
Dissertation title: "Exploring Personal, Social, Cultural, and Environmental Factors that Influence the Health and Nutrition of Pregnant Women and Their Infants within the Context of a Community Health Program in Rural Bangladesh."
Marjorie J. Haskell
Graduation Date: 1996
Major Professor: Kenneth H. Brown
Graduate Group: Nutrition
Dissertation title: "Evaluation of the deuterated retinol dilution technique to assess vitamin A status of Bangladeshi adults" (supported by USAID).
Eric Hazzard
Graduation Date: 2009
Major Professor: Sheri Zidenberg-Cherr
Graduate Group: Nutritional Biology
Dissertation title: "Utilization of garden-based education to positively impact children's nutrition knowledge and behaviors."
Mohammad Bakhtiar Hossain
Graduation Date: 2006
Major Professor: Bo Lönnerdal
Graduate Group: Nutritional Biology
Dissertation title: "Effects of Maternal Iron and Zinc Deficiency and Supplementation on Neonatal Iron and Zinc Status, Iron Uptake, and Intestinal Iron and Zinc Transporter Expression in a Rat Model" (supported by the Fogarty International Center and the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development).
Md. Iqbal Hossain
Graduation Date: 2009
Major Professor: Kenneth H. Brown
Graduate Group: Nutritional Biology
Dissertation title: "Risk factors for severe malnutrition among hospitalized Bangladeshi children, and controlled evaluation of different community-based treatment protocols" (supported by Sida-SAREC, Sweden, ICDDR,B, and Program in International and Community Nutrition, UC Davis and the Fogarty International Center.)
Nazmul Huda
Graduation Date: 2017
Major Professor: Kay Dewey
Graduate Group: Nutritional Biology
Dissertation: "Determinants of Immune Function in Early Infancy: Intestinal Microbiota, Vitamin A and Physiologic Stress."
Kathleen Humphries
Graduation Date: 1995
Major Professor: Ken Brown
Graduate Group: Nutritional Biology
Dissertation: "Methods for Assessing Nutrition Outcomes to Weight Loss Dieting in Adolescent Girls."
Md. Munirul Islam
Graduation Date: 2007
Major Professor: Kenneth H. Brown
Graduate Group: Nutrition
Dissertation title: "Effects of energy density and feeding frequency of complementary foods on food and breast milk consumption, total energy intake, and time expended during individual meals by healthy, breastfed Bangladeshi children" (supported by the Government of Bangladesh through IHP-HNPRP and by the Fogarty International Center and the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development).
Katharine M. Jones
Graduation Date: 2005
Major Professor: Lindsay H. Allen
Graduate Group: Nutrition
Dissertation title: "Vitamin B-12 deficiency in Guatemalan mothers and infants: Prevalence, predictors and associations with maternal depression and infant development" (supported by the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association).
Josh Jorgensen
Graduation Date: 2014
Major Professor: Kathryn Dewey
Graduate Group: Nutritional Biology
Dissertation title: "Predictors of Iron Status and Oxidative Stress in Lactating Women: Effects of Iron Supplementation, Inflammation, and High BMI."
Rumana Khan
Graduation Date: 2013
Major Professor: Bruce N. Leistikow
Graduate Group: Epidemiology
Dissertation title: "Cardiovascular Diseases in Bangladesh and in the United States: The knowledge level of risk factors and association with smoking and obesity" (supported by Fogarty International Center and the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development).
Joel E. Kimmons
Graduation Date: 2000
Major Professor: Kathryn G. Dewey
Graduate Group: Nutrition
Dissertation title: "Assessment of appropriate and feasible strategies to improve infant complementary feeding practices in Ghana and Bangladesh" (supported by Nestlé Foundation; World Bank, ICDDR, B).
Moses Klevor
Graduation Date: 2014
Major Professor: Kathryn Dewey
Graduate Group: Nutritional Biology
Dissertation: "Breast Milk Retinol Concentrations of Ghanaian Women: Effect of Lipid-Based Nutrient Supplements Taken During Pregnancy and the First 6 Months Postpartum, and Associations with Maternal Dietary Patterns and Sociodemographic Factors."
Sika M. Kumordzie
Graduation Date: 2018
Major Professor: Kathryn G. Dewey
Graduate Group: Nutritional Biology
Dissertation title: "Effect of Maternal and Infant Lipid-based Nutrient Supplementation on Subsequent Growth and Health Outcomes of Preschool-aged Children in Ghana."
Anna Lartey
Graduation Date: 1998
Major Professor: Kathryn G. Dewey
Graduate Group: Nutrition
Dissertation title: "A randomized community-based trial of the effects of improved, centrally processed complementary foods on growth and micronutrient status of Ghanaian infants at 6-12 months" (supported by the Nestlé Foundation and the Rockefeller Foundation).
Daniel López de Romaña
Graduation Date: 2004
Major Professor: Kenneth H. Brown
Graduate Group: Nutrition
Dissertation title: "Development of iron- and zinc- (doubly-) fortified wheat products to improve the diets, nutrition, and health of Peruvian children" (supported by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Fogarty International Center and the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development of the United States).
Hanqi Luo
Graduation Date: 2017
Major Professor: Christine Stewart
Graduate Group: Epidemiology
Dissertation title: "Modeling the Effectiveness of Micronutrient Interventions on Adequacy of Nutrient Intake among Women and Young Children in Cameroon."
Zeina Maalouf-Manasseh
Graduation Date: 2011
Major Professor: Kathryn G. Dewey
Graduate Group: Nutritional Biology
Dissertation title: "Infant Feeding and Obesity: Relationships in the Mother-Infant Dyad" (supported by ERS-RIDGE).
Andrew Jackie Matchado
Graduation Date: 2019
Major Professor: Kathryn G. Dewey
Graduate Group: Nutrition
Dissertation title: "Dietary Factors Associated With Child Linear Growth In Rural Malawi."
Susana L. Matias
Graduation Date: 2008
Major Professor: Kathryn G. Dewey
Graduate Group: Epidemiology
Dissertation title: "The Early Breastfeeding Experience and its Association with Optimal Breastfeeding among Peruvian Mothers" (supported by the Fogarty International Center and the Gifford Center for Population Issues).
Megan McCrory
Graduation Date: 1997
Major Professor: Ken Brown
Graduate Group: Nutrition
Dissertation title: "Energy Balance, Body Composition and Lactation Performance."
Erin Reid McLean
Graduation Date: 2006
Major Professor: Lindsay H. Allen
Graduate Group: Nutrition
Dissertation title: "Effectiveness of weekly multiple micronutrients vs. two levels of iron supplements to improve anemia, micronutrient status and cognitive performance in Senegalese school children" (supported by The Micronutrient Initiative).
Concepción Mendoza
Graduation Date: 1997
Major Professor: Kenneth H. Brown
Graduate Group: Nutrition
Dissertation title: "Effects of phytate and calcium levels on iron and zinc absorption from genetically modified maize and a novel food supplement" (supported by the Rockefeller Foundation and the International Atomic Energy Agency).
Malay K. Mridha
Graduation Date: 2013
Major Professor: Kathryn G. Dewey
Graduate Group: Nutritional Biology
Dissertation title: "Prevalence and Factors Associated with Depressive Symptoms, Anemia, and Low and High Body Mass Index in Early Pregnancy among Rural Women in North-West Bangladesh."
Brietta Oaks
Graduation Date: 2014
Major Professor: Kathryn G. Dewey
Graduate Group: Nutritional Biology
Dissertation title: "Nutritional and physiological factors in relation to birth outcomes and the role of a lipid-based nutrient supplement (LNS) in pregnant Ghanaian women" (supported by The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.)
Eugenia Maku Ocansey
Graduation Date: 2018
Major Professor: Kathryn G. Dewey
Graduate Group: Nutritional Biology
Dissertation title: "Effects of Prenatal and Postnatal Lipid-based Nutrient Supplementation on Child Development and Physical Activity at Preschool Age in Ghana."
Harriet E. Okronipa
Graduation Date: 2018
Major Professor: Kathryn G. Dewey
Graduate Group: Nutrition
Dissertation title: "Impact of aupplementation with a slightly sweet lipid-based nutrient supplement early in life on sweet taste preference and sweet food and beverage preference or consumption among preschool-aged children in Ghana: A follow-up of a randomized controlled trial."
Deanna Olney
Graduation Date: 2006
Major Professor: Lindsay H. Allen, Ernesto E. Pollitt
Graduate Group: Nutritional Biology
Dissertation title: "Modeling the effects of anemia, malaria, growth and micronutrient supplementation on development of young Zanzibari children" (supported by The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and USAID).
Césaire T. Ouédraogo
Graduation Date: 2019
Major Professor: Sonja Hess
Graduate Group: Nutritional Biology
Dissertation title: "Assessment of pregnant women’s nutritional status and impact of multi-level interventions on their antenatal care seeking behavior and iron folic acid adherence in Zinder, Niger″ (supported by Nutrition International and Nutriset SAS).
Peggy Callaghan Papathakis
Graduation Date: 2005
Major Professor: Kenneth H. Brown
Graduate Group: Nutrition
Dissertation title: "Changes in body composition and micronutrient status during lactation in HIV-infected and HIV-uninfected South African women" (supported by Fulbright Scholarship, Wellcome Trust).
Ana Perez-Exposito
Graduation Date: 2009
Major Professor: Kenneth H. Brown
Graduate Group: Nutrition
Dissertation title: "Community intervention to assess the effects of orange-flesh sweet potatoes and vitamin A supplements on mineral absorption from rice-based meals and intestinal mucosal permeability in vitamin A-depleted Bangladeshi women" (supported by Harvest Plus).
Lisa Marie Rogers
Graduation Date: 2000
Major Professor: Lindsay H. Allen
Graduate Group: Nutrition
Dissertation title: "Vitamin B12 status of Guatemalan school children: indicators and predictors of deficiency" (supported by the Thrasher Research Foundation).
Sara Schaefer
Graduation Date: 2005
Major Professor: Marta Van Loan
Graduate Group: Nutrition
Dissertation title: "Association of acculturation and socioeconomic status with health behavior and health status in adolescent females" (supported by the United States Department of Agriculture, IFAFS Grant # 00-52102-9696).
Daniel Sellen
Graduation Date: 1995
Major Professor: Monique Borgerhoff-Mulder
Graduate Group: Ecology
Dissertation title: "The socio-ecology of young child growth among the Datoga pastoralists of Northern Tanzania" (supported by Wenner-Gren Foundation for Anthropological Research, the Leverhulme Trust, the Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain, and the LSB Leakey Foundation).
Setareh (Setti) Shahab-Ferdows
Graduation Date: 2008
Major Professor: Lindsay Allen
Graduate Group: Nutritional Biology
Dissertation title: "Randomized placebo-controlled Vitamin B12 supplementation trial in Deficient rural Mexican women: baseline assessment, Transcobalamin genotype and response of biochemical and functional markers to supplementation" (supported by ARS, USDA, WHNRC).
Towfida Jahan Siddiqua
Graduation Date: 2013
Major Professor: Lindsay H. Allen
Graduate Group: Nutritional Biology
Dissertation title: "Vitamin B12 supplementation during pregnancy and lactation in Bangladesh: Effects on maternal and infant B12 status, breast milk and immune function."
Amna Rehana Siddiqui
Graduation Date: 2006
Major Professor: Ellen B. Gold
Graduate Group: Epidemiology
Dissertation title: "Prenatal exposure to wood fuel and adverse infant birth outcomes" (supported by the National Institutes of Health).
Jonathan Siekmann
Graduation Date: 2001
Major Professor: Lindsay H. Allen
Graduate Group: Nutrition
Dissertation title: "Micronutrient deficiencies in Kenyan school children: Impact of food-based interventions, and associations with malaria and antibody titers" (supported by USAID Global Livestock CRSP).
Jérôme Winbetourefa Somé
Graduation: 2015
Major Professor: Kenneth H. Brown
Graduate Group: Nutrition
Dissertation title: "Effects of micronutrients supplementation on infectious morbidity in young children in Burkina Faso" (supported by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation).
Beth Carlton Tohill
Graduation Date: 2000
Major Professor: Kathryn G. Dewey
Graduate Group: Nutrition
Dissertation title: "Predictors of postpartum body composition changes and physical activity level in women from three different ethnic groups: Asian, Hispanic and non-Hispanic White" (supported by NIH).
Tami Turner
Graduation Date: 2012
Major Professor: Betti Burri
Graduate Group: Nutritional Biology
Dissertation title: Pro-vitamin A Carotenoids: Aspects of the Biology, Chemical Analysis, and Utilization of Foods for Improving Public Health
md Barkat Ullah
Graduation Date: 2020
Major Professor: Kay Dewey
Graduate Group: Nutritional Biology
Dissertation title: "Effect of pre- and postnatal nutritional supplements on childhood illnesses in Bangladesh: a cluster-randomized effectiveness trial."
Luz Elvia Vera Becerra
Graduation Date: 2012
Major Professor: Lucia L. Kaiser
Graduate Group: Nutritional Biology
Dissertation title: "Childhood Obesity in Mexican-Origin Populations." (Supported by UC MEXUS and Conacyt.)
Bineti Vitta
Graduation Date: 2010
Major Professor: Kathryn G. Dewey
Graduate Group: Nutritional Biology
Dissertation title: "Causal directions in the relationship between perinatal depressive symptoms and breastfeeding." (Supported by Department of Health and Human Services, Maternal Child Health Branch.)
William E. Watkins
Graduation Date: 1995
Major Professor: Ernesto Pollitt
Graduate Group: Nutrition
Dissertation title: "Effect of intestinal helminths on the nutritional status and cognitive performance of Guatemalan schoolchildren." (Supported by the USAID University Development and Linkage Program)
Anne Williams
Graduation Date: 2014
Major Professor: Caroline Chantry
Graduate Group: Nutritional Biology
Dissertation title: "Maternal Diet, Breastmilk Vitamin B12 Concentration, and Infant Feeding in the Context of Food Insecurity and Hunger in East Africa."
Ryan Wessells
Graduation Date: 2011
Major Professor: Kenneth H. Brown
Graduate Group: Nutritional Biology
Dissertation title: "The effects of short-term zinc supplementation on changes in plasma zinc concentration: two randomized-controlled trials investigating the magnitude and velocity of response, the efficacy of different physical forms of zinc supplements, and relationships with altered intestinal permeability." (Supported by the International Zinc Association, Nutriset S.A.S, the Bristol Myers Squibb Freedom to Discover program, and the Henry A. Jastro Graduate Research Scholarship Award.)
Sara E. Wuehler
Graduation Date: 2007
Major Professor: Kenneth H. Brown
Graduate Group: Nutrition
Dissertation title: "Estimation of the global risk of zinc deficiency and assessment of the impact of three doses of zinc supplementation, with or without copper, on markers of zinc and copper status, morbidity and growth among young Ecuadorian children." (Supported by USDA, UNICEF, USAID, and FARMA.)
Elizabeth Yakes
Graduation Date: 2010
Major Professor: Kenneth H. Brown
Graduate Group: Epidemiology
Dissertation title: "Polyunsaturated fatty acid intake and status of breast fed and non-breast fed Bangladeshi children 24-47 months of age." (Supported by Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation, Inc. and the HarvestPlus Challenge Program [coordinated by the Centro Internacional de Agricultura Tropical (CIAT) and the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).)
Zhenyu Yang
Graduation Date: 2008
Major Professor: Kathryn G. Dewey
Graduate Group: Nutritional Biology
Dissertation title: "Assessment and prediction of iron status and effects of iron supplementation with vs without a meal on iron, zinc and copper status and markers of oxidative stress." (Supported by Jastro-Shields and USDA/ARS.)
Tara Young
Graduation Date: 2008
Major Professor: Francene Steinberg
Graduate Group: Nutritional Biology
Dissertation title: "Gestational diabetes, type 2 diabetes risk and ethnicity: a qualitative and quantitative analysis." (Supported by The Gustavus and Louise Pfeiffer Research Foundation and The California Dietetic Association.)
Charlotte (Huang) Zhang
Graduation Date: 2013
Major Professor: Ken Brown
Graduate Group: Nutritional Biology
Dissertation: "Post-Absorptive Zinc Metabolism in Weanling Rats Consuming Additional Zinc in the Form of a Supplement or Zinc-Fortified Rice Slurry."
Sarah (Burke) Zyba
Graduation Date: 2017
Major Professor: Kathryn G. Dewey
Graduate Group: Nutritional Biology
Dissertation title: "Whole body, cellular, and molecular changes in healthy men consuming a moderately low zinc diet followed by an adequate zinc diet."
M.S. Recipients
Stuart Bresnick
Graduation Date: 2017
Major Professor: Kathryn G. Dewey
Graduate Group: Nutritional Biology
Katherine Cox
Graduation Date: 2020
Major Professor: Elizabeth Prado
Graduate Group: Nutritional Biology
Masters Thesis: "Heterogeneity in effects of early childhood nutrition and responsive care and learning interventions on linear growth and neurobehavioral development: a systematic review and meta-analysis."
Gina Ermis
Major Professor: Kathryn G. Dewey
Graduate Group: Nutritional Biology
Olga Garcia
Major Professor: Lindsay H. Allen
Graduate Group: Nutritional Biology
Keiko Goto
Major Professor: Kenneth H. Brown
Graduate Group: Nutritional Biology
Masters Thesis title: "Epidemiology of Impaired Intestinal Function of Guatemalan infants and Its Risks Factors, as Assessed by Permeability to Test Sugars." (Supported by the USAID University Development and Linkage Program.)
Fouad Hassaan
Major Professor: Kenneth H. Brown
Graduate Group: Nutritional Biology
Natalia León
Major Professor: Ernesto Pollitt
Graduate Group: Nutritional Biology
Barbara MkNelly
Major Professor: Louis E. Grivetti
Graduate Group: Nutritional Biology
Mayra Munoz-Gomez
Graduation Date: 2015
Major Professor: Lucia Kaiser
Graduate Group: Nutritional Biology
Masters Thesis title: "Development and Dissemination of Body Mass Index health Reports in a Mexican-Heritage Community in California's Central Valley."
Leslie Olivares
Graduation Date: 2020
Major Professor: Reina Engle-Stone
Graduate Group: Nutritional Biology
Masters Thesis: "Relationships between Anemia and Weight Status, Fatigue and Food Insecurity Among Farmworkers in California."
William Wheeler
Major Professor: Kenneth H. Brown
Graduate Group: Nutritional Biology
Masters Thesis title: "Solubility and bioavailability of metallic iron placed in drinking water". (Supported by UNICEF.)
Emily York
Major Professor: Lindsay H. Allen
Graduate Group: Nutritional Biology
In memoriam
Alhassan Abdullah Manu
(1960-1995)
A native of Ghana, Mr. Manu came to Davis in 1992 to enroll in the Program. He had previously received his B.Sc. from the University of Ghana in Nutrition and Food Science, and his M.S. from the University of Oslo, Norway, in Nutrition. His goal was to be a university instructor in the Department of Nutrition and Food Science at the University of Ghana, and to continue research on issues related to malnutrition and household food security in Ghana.
After completing his coursework and passing his orals, he returned to Ghana in 1994 to carry out his dissertation research on improved complementary foods in relation to the growth and morbidity of Ghanaian infants.
Unfortunately, he fell ill while in Ghana, and passed away in November, 1995. His untimely death was a great loss not only to his family and friends, who loved him, but also to the international nutrition research community, which lost a man of great intelligence and compassion.
Alhassan: May peace be upon you -- may God's blessings be upon you.