Principal Investigator
Dr. Ock K. Chun, Ph.D., MPH
is a Professor in the Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Connecticut. She completed her B.A in Food and Nutrition in Seoul National University, South Korea, in 1988 and received a PhD in Public Health from the Seoul National University in 1999. Dr. Chun received postdoctoral training in Cornell University (2002-2003) and Michigan State University (2003-2007). She has published more than 100 papers in peer-reviewed journals and is serving as an editorial board member of 14 reputed journals and ad hoc reviewer of more than 60 journals. Dr. Chun chaired in American Society for Nutrition (ASN) Community and Public Health Nutrition RIS in 2016-2018. DR. Chun is a nutritional epidemiologist and her research focuses on the impact of dietary behaviors and bioactive compounds in foods on reducing risk of chronic diseases and improving health outcomes.
Lab Members
Dr. Seoeun Ahn, Ph.D., MPH
is a postdoctoral researcher and visiting scholar at the University of Connecticut, specializing in nutritional epidemiology. She obtained her BS in Food and Nutrition from Seoul National University in South Korea and went on to complete both her MPH and Ph.D. in Public Health Nutrition at the same institution. Dr. Ahn's research investigates the relationships between dietary antioxidants and metabolic health outcomes. Her recent work emphasizes the development and validation of biomarkers, such as skin carotenoids, to accurately assess fruit and vegetable intake in diverse populations.
Matthew Madore, M.S. Student
is beginning his MS studies in fall 2021, focusing on nutritional epidemiology. He enjoys researching and sharing the implications of dietary patterns in the prevention and management of various chronic diseases. In the few years following the completion of a Bachelor's in Nutritional Sciences, he discovered a strong passion for epidemiology. Through graduate study, he intends to further his knowledge, accumulate work experience and learn how to best communicate the value and utility of nutritional epidemiology in improving human health to others.
Manije Darooghegi, PhD Student
is a third year PhD student in the Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Connecticut https://today.uconn.edu/2022/12/meet-the-researcher-manije-darooghegi-mofrad-cahnr/. She completed her BSc in Nutritional Sciences in Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Iran, in 2016 and received a MSc in Nutritional Sciences in Tehran University of Medical Sciences in 2019. She has published 27 papers, including 15 that featured her as the first author, in peer-reviewed journals. Her research interest is nutritional epidemiology especially assessing the role of dietary factors with chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease and cancer.
Briana Nosal, PhD Student
is a third year PhD student in the Department of Nutritional Sciences. While completing her Bachelor’s degree in the Nutritional Sciences Department at UConn and working on her honors thesis in Dr. Chun’s lab, she discovered a very strong interest in nutritional epidemiology and learning more about understanding the relationships between dietary patterns and diet components with chronic disease risk. Currently, her research is focused on the potential benefits of blackcurrant supplementation in the prevention of bone loss among early postmenopausal women. Using a combination of dietary assessments, biochemical analyses, bone density measurements, and multi-omics analyses she aims to elucidate the role of blackcurrant anthocyanins in maintaining bone health during this life stage.
Xiran Chen
is a second year master's student in the Nutritional Sciences Department with a focus on community nutrition and public health. She completed her undergraduate study at the University of Arizona and earned a B.S. in Nutritional Sciences. Her long-term goal is to make a contribution to the field of public health nutrition in an effort to increase public awareness and understanding of nutrition. She hope to help vulnerable populations escape the challenges of poor nutritional environments, leading them to the healthier and more sustainable Environment. Currently, she is working on the development of interactive online food access map and test its usefulness and usability in low-income households living in Windham, Connecticut.
Former Lab Members
Postdoctoral Fellows/Visiting Scholars/Scientists
Dr. Kijoon Kim, Visiting Scientist, January 2014 – August 2024
Dr. Kyungho Ha, Postdoctoral Fellow, November 2019 – November 2020
Dr. Sang Gil Lee, Research Specialist, October 2017 – February 2018
Dae-Ok Kim, PhD, Visiting Professor, Kyung Hee University, Korea, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013
Graduated Ph.D. Students
Junichi Sakaki: The Role of Beverage Consumption in the Development of Obesity and Cardiometabolic Outcomes in Youth (PhD: May 2022)
Melissa M. Melough: Relationship between Dietary Furocoumarin Exposure and Skin Cancer Risk (PhD: July 2019)
Terrence M. Vance: The Association between Dietary Antioxidants and Prostate Cancer Aggressiveness (PhD: December 2015)
Sang-Gil Lee: Antioxidant and Anti-inflammatory Properties of Berries: Effect of Anthocyanin Composition (PhD: December 2014)
Ying Wang, Dietary Antioxidant Capacity: A Useful Tool in Assessing Dietary, Plasma Antioxidant Status and Cardiovascular Disease Risk (PhD: December 2012)
Meng Yang: Development and Validation of a Food Frequency Questionnaire to Assess Antioxidant Intake in U.S. Adults (PhD: June 2012)
Graduated MS Students
Dalia Marmash: Assessment of Nutritional and Health Status and Feasibility of Personalized Nutrition Education Intervention in Mobile Food Pantry Users (MS: May 2021)
Xin Sun (MS: May 2017)
Xi Zheng (MS: May 2015)
Patrice Hubert (MS: May 2015)
Catherine G. Davis: Estimation of the Number of Days Required to Determine Usual Antioxidant Intakes and Assessment of the Prevalence of Nutrient Inadequacy Among College Students (MS: May 2011)
Anna Floegel: Development of an Algorithm to Establish a Total Antioxidant Capacity Database of the U.S. Population (MS: August 2009)