Dr. Borengasser has been an exercise, nutrition, and obesity researcher for 18+ years across the translational research spectrum. She has been funded by NIH at every career level (T32 predoctoral student, T32 postdoctoral fellow, K01 faculty, R01 faculty). Dr. Borengasser is passionate about mentoring the next generation of obesity, nutrition, and exercise scientists. She has developed a career development curriculum focused on enhancing communication skills to effectively present research findings to scientific and lay audiences using TED-talk style approaches and providing learners training opportunities not typically offered in other internal and external venues such as creating an infographic CV and how to give a rapid fire talk. On a personal note, Dr. Borengasser has been an avid runner for 30+ years and loves to eat/cook, watch her kids compete in soccer and cross country, and read.
Education:
- B.A. Wartburg College, Waverly, IA, Spanish Studies
- M.S. Iowa State University, Ames, IA, Exercise Science
- Ph.D. University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, Nutrition
- Postgraduate Training
- Arkansas Children’s Nutrition Center, Little Rock, AR, Early Origins of Obesity
Clinical/Research Interests:
Her primary research interests involve using multi-omics approaches (epigenetics, metabolomics, genetics, gut microbiome, and proteomics) to identify molecular biomarkers and biologically relevant pathways for environmental exposures in adult and pediatric populations, with specific expertise in epigenetics. Most recently, she is highly enthusiastic about using epigenetic clocks/epigenetic age acceleration (EAA) as biomarkers to assess the role of detrimental (obesity, poor diet, sedentary lifestyle, smoking) and beneficial (weight loss, exercise, high quality diet, smoking cessation) environmental exposures on biological (body) age and intervention responsiveness.
Funding:
- NIH R01 HD110585 |PI: Borengasser
02/01/2023 – 01/31/2028
“Preconception Maternal Nutrition, Offspring DNA Methylation, and Infant Growth in Low Resource Settings” The aims of this proposal are to determine if a preconception maternal nutrition supplement can alter targeted and epigenome-wide DNA methylation (DNAme) in infants born in regions prone to high rates of growth stunting (Guatemala, India, and Pakistan). We will also test if DNAme profiles at birth are associated with growth parameters at birth and in the first two years of life. Role: PI
- NIH R01 HD110585-01S1 | PI: Borengasser
09/07/2023 – 01/31/2024
“Preconception Maternal Nutrition, Offspring DNA Methylation, and Infant Growth in Low Resource Settings” The purpose of this R01 supplement is test if maternal heat stress impacts infant growth and if maternal nutritional status can mitigate such effects. We will also assess if maternal heat stress alters offspring epigenome at birth and beyond as an extension to the parent R01.
Role: PI
- NIH R56 DK136601 | PI: Creasy
09/01/23 – 08/31/2024
“Examining Time and Nutrient Dependent Effects of Aerobic Exercise on Energy Metabolism in Adults with Overweight and Obesity” The goal of this R56 is to examine differences in energy metabolism, targeted and untargeted metabolomics, and metabolic outcomes due to exercising in the morning or evening in the same individuals using a crossover study design.
Role: Co-I