Dr. Bryant Keirns
Dr. Bryant Keirns
<b>Department: </b>Nutrition and Health Science<br><b>Research Area: </b>Cardiovascular disease prevention and "real-world" nutrition

Department: Nutrition and Health Science

Research Focus: Cardiovascular disease prevention and "real-world" nutrition

 

Potential Student Project(s):

We are interested in two general areas: cardiovascular disease prevention and nutrition in "real-life" situations. Our work on cardiovascular disease often includes "unusual" types of obesity. Specifically, we study people who have obesity, but little other evidence of cardiovascular disease. This population has been called "metabolically healthy obesity." Another group we are interested in are people with a normal body weight, but high body fat percentage ("normal-weight obesity"). 

Examples of our "real-life" nutrition studies have included looking at individuals' metabolic and inflammatory responses to realistic high-fat meals. We plan to launch a study soon looking at the effects of "Beyond Meat" versus beef on certain health indicators.

 

Attributes/skills/background sought in undergraduate:

Self-motivated, organized, strong work ethic, a curious mind, a passion for health education, attention to detail, works well independently and as part of a team.

 

Mentoring Plan:

You will work with myself and other students to learn and assist with hands-on data collection. This work will include using equipment to measure metabolic markers, processing and storing blood samples, and other activities. Through data collection and regular meetings with me, you will also learn skills related to data analysis, academic writing, and interpreting research. The student researcher will work 5 h/week on the project including a 1-on-1 interaction with me for at least 1 hour/week.

 

Contact: 765-285-8356, HB 530