Please join the Center for Social & Behavioral Science (CSBS) and the Personalized Nutrition Initiative (PNI) over Zoom from noon to 12:50 PM on January 24, 2024, to explore how your social and behavioral science expertise may be relevant to personalized nutrition. 

Meeting ID: 893 4611 6722
Password: 076379

Learn about opportunities to form research collaborations with other investigators to better understand the drivers of food choices and dietary behaviors and for developing interventions to influence peoples’ eating behavior to improve their health. 

The PNI at Illinois was formed in the middle of 2020. At the same time, NIH launched the 2020-2030 Strategic Plan for NIH Nutrition Research, an NIH-wide strategic plan for nutrition research that emphasizes cross-cutting, innovative opportunities to advance nutrition research across a wide range of areas, from basic science to experimental design to research training.

Behavior along with psychosocial and sociocultural influences across the lifespan are part of three of NIH’s four strategic goals. Thus, there are opportunities for successful interdisciplinary teams, including social and behavioral scientists to garner external funding. 

Agenda

Overview of personalized nutrition, PNI, and NIH’s strategic plan
Sharon Donovan, PhD, RD Director of the Personalized Nutrition Initiative at Illinois & Professor and Melissa M. Noel Endowed Chair in Nutrition and Health, Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition
Opportunities and important roles for social and behavioral scientists in personalized nutrition research
Eva M. Pomerantz, PhD, Director of the Center for Social & Behavioral Science and Professor, Department of Psychology
Showcase(s) of successful joint seed grant projects with interdisciplinary teams involving nutritionists and social and behavioral scientists.
The Role of Self-Regulatory Processes in the Development of Children’s Eating Behaviors
Kelly Bost, PhD, Professor, Department of Human Development and Family Studies 

Continuous Capture of Infant Feeding, Motor Activity, and Sleep Biorhythms via an Infant Wearable Platform and Machine Learning Approaches
Nancy McElwain, PhD, Research Professor, Department of Human Development and Family Studies
Q&A
Wrap-up

Our long-term goal is to assist the PNI and CSBS communities establish new interdisciplinary collaborations. Jointly funded Seed Grant opportunities will be available through the PNI and CSBS during 2024 to support the development of new ideas and for gathering preliminary data for applications for external funding, including NIH, to further our understanding in the role of social and behavioral influences on nutrition.