Early-Career Research Grant
| Year Awarded | Entry Title | Author and Award Winner |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | “Determinants of Cerebral Energy Gain Measured by 31P Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy in Obesity” | Brooke Matson, PhD University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill |
| 2025 | “Perturbation to the Infant Small Intestine Microbiota Increases Intestinal Lipid Absorption and the Risk for Childhood Obesity” | Catherine Shelton, PhD Vanderbilt University Medical Center |
| 2024 | “Novel Noninvasive Test for Metabolic Dysfunction Associated Steatotic Liver Disease in the Pediatric Population” | Kelsey Chatman, MD Emory University |
| 2023 | “Connections between early life obesogenic diet, the gut microbiome, and neurocognition” | Anna Hayes, PhD University of Southern California |
| 2022 | “Developing nutritious no-prep, ready-to-eat meals for food pantry clients.” | Kelseanna Hollis-Hansen, PhD UTSouthwestern University |
| 2021 | “Identifying predictors of obesity treatment response in children using the electronic health record.” | Cody Neshteruk, PhD Duke University |
| 2020 | “Improving the Experience of Exercise Among Individuals with Internalized Weight Bias Using Acceptance-based Strategies” | KayLoni Olson, PhD Brown University |
| 2019 | “Macrophage Iron Handling and Insulin Action” | Nathan Winn, PhD Vanderbilt University |
| 2018 | “Measurement of in Vivo Mitochondrial Capacity in Infants: A 31P-MRS Pilot Study” | Nicholas Broskey, PhD |
| 2018 | “The Neural Basis for Negative Affect During Hunger” | Amber Alhadeff, PhD |
| 2017 | “Effects of Early Life Sugar Consumption on Memory Function During Adulthood” | Emily Noble, PhD |
| 2017 | “Hindbrain Astrocytes Mediate the Energy Balance Effects of Leptin” | Lauren Stein, PhD |
| 2016 | “Role of Pancreatic GLP-1 in Weight Loss and Glucose Homeostasis after VSG” | Ki Suk Kim, PhD |
| 2016 | “Roles for White Adipose Tissue (WAT) Sensory Nerve Function in the Control” | John Garretson, PhD |
| 2015 | “Role of Hepatic Mitochondrial Dysfunction in the Development of NAFLD in Obesity” | Fernando Bril, MD |
| 2015 | “A Randomized Trial of an Integrated Clinical-Community Partnership Model for Childhood Obesity Treatment” | Leah Frerichs, PhD |
| 2015 | “Maternal Supplementation of Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids Alleviates Obesity-Associated Inflammation in the Offspring” | Latha Ramalingam, PhD |
| 2014 | “Does Meal Timing Impact Energy Expenditure?” | Courtney Peterson, PhD |
| 2014 | “Evaluating a Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Portion Cap Policy” | Christina Roberto, PhD |
| 2013 | “The Effect of Maternal Obesity in Skeletal Muscle Cell Differentiation” | Kristen Boyle, PhD |
| 2013 | “Perinatal and Pregnancy Outcomes after Bariatric Surgery: A Nationwide Cohort Study” | Kari Johansson, PhD |
| 2012 | “Improvement in Provider and Patient Self-Efficacy in Weight Loss in Primary Care” | Stephanie A. Rose, PhD |
| 2011 | “Regulation of Leptin Resistance by Endocannabinoids” | Joseph (Yossi) Tam, PhD |
| 2011 | “The Effects of Cognitive Regulation Strategies on Neural Food Cue-Reactivity” | Kathryn E. Demos, PhD |
| 2011 | “Reduced Ambient Temperature as a Confounding Agent in Obesity Drug Discovery” | Daniel L. Smith, Jr., PhD |
| 2010 | “The Effects of Estrogen on Adipogenesis” | Kent C. Hansen, PhD |
Covidien Research Grants
| Year Awarded | Entry Title | Author and Award Winner |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | “Impact of Breakfast, as Part of Weight Loss Intervention, on Body Mass Index in Obese, Elementary School Children” | Marie-Pierre St-Onge, PhD |
| 2009 | “Identifying Cortical, Subcortical and Functional Neural Networks Associated with Weight Gain Following Gastric-Bypass Surgery” | Rachel L. Goldman, MA |
EGG Nutrition Center Research Grant
| Year Awarded | Entry Title | Author and Award Winner |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | “Reversing Obesity-Related Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease by Protein-Enriched Diet” | Dexi Liu, PhD |
| 2013 | “Role of Dietary Protein in a Familiar Breakfast Meal on Subjective Satiety, Food Intake and Thermic Effect of Food in Normal Weight and Overweight/Obese Children” | Nick Bellissimo, PhD |
GlaxoSmithKline Research Grants
| Year Awarded | Entry Title | Author and Award Winner |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | “Preventing Excess Weight Gain during Pregnancy Using Integrated Technologies” | Kelly C. Allison, PhD |
| 2010 | “Maternal Visceral Fat and Metabolic Dysregulation during Pregnancy” | Anjel Vahratian, PhD |
New Investigator Research Grants
| Year Awarded | Entry Title | Author and Award Winner |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | “The Consequences of Maternal Obesity and High Fat Diet Consumption on Offspring Energy Balance Regulation: An Emphasis on the Serotonin System” | Elinor Sullivan, PhD |
| 2009 | “Improving Behavioral Weight Loss via Electronic Handheld Device” | John Graham Thomas, PhD |
| 2008 | “Childhood Obesity and the Risk of Cancer in Adulthood” | Jennifer Baker, PhD |
| 2008 | “Metabolic Flexibility to Lipid During Moderate Intensity Exercise in Humans” | Jose Galgani, PhD |
| 2008 | “Mechanisms of Action of FGF21 in Obesity” | Martin Fisher, PhD |
| 2008 | “Inflammation, Oxygen Intermediates, and Mitochondrial Biology in Skeletal Muscle” | Madlyn Frisard, PhD |
| 2008 | “AMP Kinase as an Intracellular Mediator of Energy Balance” | Matthew Hayes, PhD |
| 2008 | “Molecular Mechanisms of Leptin Action via Neurotensin-Containing “Neurons of the Lateral Hypothalamus” | Gina Leinninger, PhD |
| 2008 | “The Role of Mitofusin-2 in Mitochondrial Dynamics and Adipocyte Metabolism” | Yaguang Si, PhD |
| 2008 | “Obesity and Sleep: Brain Mechanisms” | Jennifer Teske, PhD |
| 2008 | “Chewing Sugar-Free Gum Decreases Hunger Complaints in Between Meals in Obese Children” | Daniel Preud’Homme, MD |
| 2007 | “Role of Fast-Acting Neurotransmitter GABA Released from AgRP/NPY Neurons in Controlling Energy Homeostasis” | Qingchun Tong, PhD |
| 2007 | “Effects of Doubling the Portion Size of Low Energy-Dense Side Dishes Within a Meal on Energy Intake in Children” | Tanja V.E. Kral, PhD |
| 2007 | “Effect of High-Fructose Meal on Gene Expression of Appetite-Related Peptides on Baboons” | V. Saroja Voruganti, PhD |
| 2007 | “The Metabolically Healthy, but Obese (MHO) Individual: The Role of Free Fatty Acid Trapping as a “Protective Mechanism” in this Unique Subset” | Antony Karelis, PhD |
| 2007 | “Aerobic Exercise Training to Improve Angiogenesis and Glucose Tolerance in Obesity” | Steven J. Prior, PhD |
| 2007 | “Maternal Consumption of Diets Sweetened with High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) and Offspring Susceptibility to Diet-Induced Obesity” | April D. Strader, PhD |
Novo Nordisk Grants
| Year Awarded | Entry Title | Author and Award Winner |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | “Steroidogenic Factor 1 (SF1) and Non-Exercise Activity Thermogensis” | Colleen Novak, PhD |
| 2015 | “Physiological Significance and Pharmacological Potential of Ligand-Independent (Constitutive) Ghrelin Receptor Activity” | Jeffrey Zigman, MD, PhD |
| 2015 | “GLP – 1 Receptor Agonism in Subjects Failing Sleeve Gastrectomy” | Adrian Vella, MD |
Nutrisystem Inc. Research Grant
| Year Awarded | Entry Title | Author and Award Winner |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | “Use of Nutrisystem to Facilitate Dietary Adherence and Maximize Weight Loss After Bariatric Surgery” | Melissa Kalarchian, PhD |
| 2011 | “Hypocaloric Diet Prior to Total Knee Replacement in the Obese Patient” | Heather K. Vincent, PhD |
| 2010 | “The Effect of a Behavioral Weight Loss Program with Nutrisystem Meal Provision on Change in Weight, Fasting Blood Glucose, Cholesterol, and Blood Pressure over 12 weeks” | Kelly H. Webber, PhD |
Weight Watchers Karen Miller-Kovach Research Grant
| Year Awarded | Entry Title | Author and Award Winner |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | “ClockWork: Harnessing the Circadian Timing System for Postpartum Weight Management & Health” | Rachel Kolko Conlon, PhD University of Pittsburgh |
| 2018 | “Mobile Attention Retraining in Adolescents with Loss of Control Eating” | Marian Tanofsky-Kraff, PhD |
| 2017 | “Mobile Methods for Reducing Obesity Risk in Parents and Preschool Children” | Brooke Nezami, PhD |
| 2016 | “Use of a Food Photo App for Tracking Dietary Intake in a Weight Loss Program” | Allan Geliebter, PhD |
| 2015 | “A Scalable Intervention Tracking Three Weight-Related Behaviors” | Kathleen J. Melanson, PhD |
| 2014 | “A Companion Smartphone App to Enhance Dietary Adherence through Predictive Machine Learning” | Evan Forman, PhD |
Wrigley Science Institute Research Grants
| Year Awarded | Entry Title | Author and Award Winner |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | “Use of Chewing Gum to Prevent Weight Gain in Humans Taking Atypical Antipsychotic Medication” | Jennifer Nasser, PhD |
| 2008 | “Chewing Sugar-Free Gum Decreases Hunger Complaints in Between Meals in Obese Children” | Daniel Preud’Homme, MD |
| 2007 | “Impact of Chewing Gum on Appetite, Meal Intake, and Mood under Controlled Conditions” | Kathleen J. Melanson, PhD |
| 2007 | “Effects of Gum Chewing on Energy Expenditure” | Leah D. Whigham, PhD |