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Diane M. O'Brien
Research Interests:
I am interested in how naturally-occurring variations in stable isotope ratios can be used as markers for nutritional and physiological processes. Currently a large portion of my research is devoted to the development of these markers for use in nutritional epidemiology. I work closely with the Center for Alaska Native Health Research at UAF [CANHR] to develop tools for linking dietary patterns to chronic disease in Alaska Natives and other populations. If you are interested in working in my lab, please send me an email with your interests.
Diane
M
O'Brien
Professor
Office:
230 Arctic Health Research Building
907-474-5762
Postal Address:
Institute of Arctic Biology
PO Box 757000
University of Alaska Fairbanks
Fairbanks, AK 99775-7000
Positions
- 2015-now Professor, University of Alaska Fairbanks
- 2009-2015 Associate Professor, University of Alaska Fairbanks
- 2004-2009 Assistant Professor, University of Alaska Fairbanks
- 2003-2004 Assistant Professor, Wellesley College
- 2001-2002 Visiting Assistant Professor, Swarthmore College
- 2000-2003 Visiting Scientist, Carnegie Institution of Washington Geophysical Laboratory
- 1998-2003 Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Biological Sciences, Stanford University
Education
- 1998 PhD, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University
- 1991 BA, Department of Biology, Amherst College
2019
, 2019. The Nitrogen Isotope Ratio Is a Biomarker of Yup'ik Traditional Food Intake and Reflects Dietary Seasonality in Segmental Hair Analyses. The Journal of Nutrition, 149(12). Available at: https://academic.oup.com/jn/advance-article/doi/10.1093/jn/nxz144/5527776.
, 2019. Perspective: Dietary Biomarkers of Intake and Exposure—Exploration with Omics Approaches. Advances in Nutrition. Available at: https://academic.oup.com/advances/advance-article/doi/10.1093/advances/nmz075/5544358http://academic.oup.com/advances/advance-article-pdf/doi/10.1093/advances/nmz075/29130216/nmz075.pdf.
, 2019. Sources of primary production to Arctic bivalves identified using amino acid stable carbon isotope fingerprinting. Isotopes in Environmental and Health Studies, 55(4), pp.366-384. Available at: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10256016.2019.1620742.
2018
, 2018. Morphological characteristics of harbor seal (Phoca vitulina) whiskers and their use in dietary reconstruction using stable isotope ratios. Canadian Journal of Zoology. Available at: http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/10.1139/cjz-2017-0309http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/pdf/10.1139/cjz-2017-0309.
2017
, 2017. Stable isotope ratios as emerging dietary biomarkers. In Advances in the Assessment of Dietary Intake. Advances in the Assessment of Dietary Intake. CRC Press, Taylor & Francis Group.
, 2017. Dietary and genetic influences on hemostasis in a Yup’ik Alaska Native population. PloS one, 12(4), p.e0173616. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5380313/pdf/pone.0173616.pdf.
, 2017. Stable isotope analysis of CO 2 in breath indicates metabolic fuel shifts in torpid arctic ground squirrels. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part A: Molecular & Integrative Physiology, 209, pp.10-15.
, 2017. Resource partitioning between Pacific walruses and bearded seals in the Alaska Arctic and sub-Arctic. Oecologia, pp.1-14.
, 2017. Declines in traditional marine food intake and vitamin D levels from the 1960s to present in young Alaska Native women. Public health nutrition, 20(10), pp.1738-1745.
Pages
American Society for Nutrition
- Developing a novel set of diet pattern biomarkers, based on stable isotope ratios (Negem Nallunailkutaa) (2007-2012)
- IPY: Collaboration Research: Extremes of Hibernation Physiology: Patterns of Expression, Regulation, and Limits (2007-2010)
- Stable Isotope Fingerprinting: A Novel Approach for Identifying Amino Acid Biosynthetic Sources, Using Stable Isotope Variation Among Amino Acids (2006-2008)
Current Graduate Students (More info)
- Jessica Johnson
Current Post-Doctoral Fellows (More info)
- Laura Oxtoby
Past Graduate Students
- Justin Smith, MS 2018 -- Center for Environmental Management of Military Lands, Colorado State University at Fort Wainwright, Alaska
- Garrett Savory, MS 2013 -- Center for Environmental Management of Military Lands, Colorado State University at Fort Wainwright, Alaska
- Sarah H. Nash, PhD 2013. -- Cancer Surveillance Director at Alaska Native Tumor Registry, Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium
- Trixie Lee Pittman, PhD 2012 -- Associate Professor of Biology at Harding University
- Caroline van Hemert, PhD 2012 -- Research Wildlife Biologist at the Alaska Science Center, USGS. Also an author!
- Justine Sears, MS 2008
Past Post-Doctoral Fellows
- Dr. Hee Young Yun --
- Dr. Kyungcheol Choy -- Department of Cultural Anthropology, Hanyang University, Ansan, South Korea
- Dr. Thomas Larsen -- Department of Archaeology, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Jena, Germany
News Releases
- Scientists find new tool to measure sugar consumption
(18 June 2013) Stable isotopes, obesity, sugar-sweetened beverages
In the News
- Study: Red foxes conquering the North Slope thanks in part to human food
(pdf)
(31 May 2014) Alaska Dispatch - Fifty years of far-north biology
(pdf)
(4 September 2013) Sit News - Fifty years of far-north biology
(pdf)
(31 August 2013) Fairbanks Daily News-Miner - Ned Rozell: 50 years of covering science issues in Alaska
(pdf)
(30 August 2013) Anchorage Daily News - Alaska Science Forum: Fifty years of far-north biology
(pdf)
(30 August 2013) Juneau Empire - UAF study may hold key to measuring sugar intake
(pdf)
(23 June 2013) Fairbanks Daily News-Miner - Scientists find new tool to measure sugar consumption
(pdf)
(21 June 2013) ScienceBlog.com - Scientists find new biomarker to accurately measure long-term sugar intake from blood or hair sample
(pdf)
(21 June 2013) News-Medical.net - A Strand of Hair Could Reveal How Much Soda Was Consumed
(21 June 2013) Counsel&Heal.com - New test for sweet tooth
(pdf)
(20 June 2013) SeparationsNow.com - Scientists find new tool to measure sugar consumption
(pdf)
(19 June 2013) HealthCanal.com - New Biomarker Can Measure Dietary Sugar Intake From Food and Drink Consumption
(pdf)
(19 June 2013) Medical Daily - Measuring Sugar Consumption
(19 June 2013) ThirdAge.com - Can A Piece Of Hair Reveal How Much Coke Or Pepsi You Drink?
(18 June 2013) National Public Radio: The Salt (blog) - Scientists Measure Sugars in Diet with New Tool
(pdf)
(18 June 2013) Science World Report - Scientists find new tool to measure sugar consumption
(pdf)
(18 June 2013) UAF Cornerstone - Scientists find new biomarker to measure sugar consumption
(pdf)
(18 June 2013) Medicalxpress.com - Scientists find new tool to measure sugar consumption
(18 June 2013) Armenian Medical Network - Scientists find new tool to easily measure long-term sugar consumption (Video)
(pdf)
(18 June 2013) examiner.com - Your hair can reveal some interesting details about what you drink
(pdf)
(25 May 2013) The Blaze - Nutrition expert explores Native health in isotope study
(pdf)
(19 November 2012) Fairbanks Daily News-Miner - Yup'ik blood to help researchers study personalized prescriptions
(29 September 2010) The Tundra Drums - New research could lead to personalized prescriptions
(29 September 2010) Alaska Business Monthly
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