Graduate Student & Postdoctoral Fellow Committee

Geoff Ball, Ph.D., R.D.

Research Associate, University of Southern California
Keck School of Medicine, Institute for Prevention Research
ball@usc.edu

I received my B.Sc. in Dietetics from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada, and completed my internship to become a registered dietitian in Edmonton, Alberta. I recently completed my Ph.D. in nutrition and metabolism at the University of Alberta, where I carried out three research projects that included family-based treatment of childhood obesity, school-based observational study, and health risk assessment to evaluate fitness and fatness in boys and girls. I am now working with Dr. Michael Goran, where my research focus is the development of a resistance training intervention for overweight children with the aim of positively influencing body fatness, body fat distribution, and risk factors for type 2 diabetes.

Sai Krupa Das, Ph.D.

Postdoctoral Fellow, Tufts University
Jean Mayer Human Nutrition Research Center
Energy Metabolism Lab
sdas@hnrc.tufts.edu

My research targets issues in clinical nutrition and energy regulation. Specifically, I am interested in overweight, obese, and extremely obese populations, and also in age differences between young subjects versus the elderly. Currently, I am studying the metabolic effects of caloric restriction in adults. I am interested in all issues related to weight management and obesity.

David Fields, Ph.D.

Postdoctoral Fellow, Washington University in St. Louis
Department of Internal Medicine, Center for Human Nutrition
dfields@im.wustl.edu

My doctoral work at Auburn University focussed on exercise physiology. I am currently working on post-prandial lipemia and lipoprotein metabolism, under the direction of Dr. Klein.

Victor Hernandez-Escalente, M.D., M.S.

Research Assistant, University of Yucatan, Mexico
Department of Nutrition, School of Medicine
drvictorhe@yahoo.com

I earned my masters degree in Metabolism and Clinical Nutrition from the University of Yucatan School of Medicine. Currently, I work with Dr. Bastarrachea-Sosa and Dr. Molina in metabolism and nutrition. I plan to further my research experience in the United States in the near future.

Paul W. Franks, PhD, MSc, MPhil (Chair)

Post-doctoral research fellow (genetic epidemiology), Diabetes and Arthritis Epidemiology Section, NIDDK, National Institutes of Health, Phoenix, Arizona.
pfranks@niddk.nih.gov

I am currently working under the direction of Drs Bogardus and Knowler as an NIH post-doctoral research fellow. My research examines the genetics of diabetes and obesity in cohorts such as the Pima Indians. I am particularly interested in exploring how physical activity modulates the impact of genes on metabolic dysfunction.