Interdisciplinary Nutrition Sciences Symposium: Synergizing Animal and Human Obesity Research

Univ Of North Carolina Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill NC

Investigators

Linked publications & trials

Abstract

Abstract We will premiere the annual translational nutrition science conference, entitled ?Interdisciplinary Nutrition Sciences Symposium (INSS), with the inaugural theme ?Synergizing Animal and Human Obesity Research? to be held July 24-25, 2019 in Chapel Hill, NC. This conference will focus on obesity and will promote and advance scientific rigor in translational studies from animal to human models across a series of brief presentations by leaders in translational science followed by pragmatic and transdisciplinary panel discussions on successfully engagement in cutting-edge translational nutrition and obesity science. Interactive discussions will encourage early career investigators and faculty from under-represented minority groups to engage with senior investigators, and for academic and industry scientists to engage. These highly valuable experiences will provide early career investigators a foundation to build upon and will facilitate the creation of the next generation of successful translational researchers. Speakers and discussants include leading national academic and industry scientists with expertise in obesity-related, translational science. The interactive sessions will be organized to facilitate and encourage integration across disciplines, synthesize knowledge, and generate new ideas in selected areas of nutrition and obesity research, including precision nutrition. The goal of the conference is to develop best practices for translational nutrition science and to generate ideas for proposals and collaborative projects, with designated time set aside for such discussions. In addition, we will feature an NIH workshop on grant writing in translational science and animal-human models focused on career development led by NIH program officials that will be open to all attendees that will include a works-in-progress session to provide early career scientists an opportunity to get feedback on translation-related research they are developing. Rigorous evaluation of the symposium will involve summative assessment activities through online surveys conducted via the conference website to assess what participants learned, what was effective, and what needs improvement. Dissemination activities will be planned at the conference and will include preparing a manuscript on best practices in translational nutrition science to be submitted for publication to a primary major nutrition journal, such as The Journal of Nutrition. We will promote the symposium on our departmental website and broadly through nutrition- and obesity-focused scientific societies, nutrition departments, Nutrition Obesity Research Center (NORC) networks, and Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and will focus outreach efforts specifically tailored to early career scientists across the country. We anticipate that attendees will span the diverse fields of nutrition, endocrinology, microbiology, immunology, behavioral sciences, bioinformatics, biochemists, and more. We anticipate attendance of approximately 100 scientists, based on experience with topical conferences and the outstanding leading scientist keynote speakers who have agreed to attend.