Shaikh elected to American Society for Nutrition Board of Directors
July 6, 2022
Dr. Raz Shaikh
The American Society for Nutrition (ASN) has announced that Saame “Raz” Shaikh, PhD, associate professor and associate chair for research in the Department of Nutrition at the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health, will serve as director-at-large for nutrition science mechanisms on ASN’s board of directors. Shaikh has been a member of ASN since 2006, serving on the Nutritional Immunology Research Interest Section and as a co-chair on various symposia and educational programs. His two-year term as director-at-large began on July 1.
“It is a great honor to be nominated for a position on the ASN Board of Directors,” said Shaikh. “A key component of ASN’s mission is advancing our understanding of the underlying mechanisms by which nutrients control a wide array of complex biological processes in health and disease, and there are many challenges in this field. I believe ASN, based on its highly interdisciplinary membership, is well-suited to lead efforts that tackle these issues.”
The mission of ASN is to advance the science, education and practice of nutrition. As global leaders in nutrition, ASN members generate and disseminate fundamental nutrition evidence for informing food systems, public health, medicine, education and dietetic practice. As the landscape of nutrition rapidly changes, ASN members are working to increase transparency of research, restore consumers’ trust in nutrition science and increase investment in nutrition research.
At the Gillings School, Shaikh leads a research laboratory focused on understanding how dietary polyunsaturated fatty acids and their metabolites control inflammatory, infectious, and metabolic outcomes in the context of obesity and Type 2 diabetes. He also co-directs the UNC Nutrition Obesity Research Center (NORC), which facilitates the development and translation of cutting-edge interdisciplinary research from the lab to the general public for a wide range of obesity and nutrition-related diseases. He was awarded the Mary Swartz Rose Young Investigator Award from ASN in 2018.
ASN is the preeminent professional organization for nutrition research scientists and clinicians around the world. Founded in 1928, the society brings together the top nutrition researchers, medical practitioners, policymakers and industry leaders to advance our knowledge and application of nutrition. ASN publishes four peer-reviewed journals, provides education and professional development opportunities, and hosts an annual meeting, NUTRITION. Learn more at their website.
Contact the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health communications team at sphcomm@unc.edu.
