Faces of CAFNR: Nutrition & Exercise Physiology

Introducing the faculty members from NEP.




photo of Gwynn Hall, light gray stone with a green leaf tree framing the front

We asked NEP faculty members to introduce themselves to their CAFNR colleagues! Learn more about our new colleagues in Nutrition and Exercise Physiology.

Jennifer Bean

What is your role/title?
I am an associate teaching professor and the director of the Accelerated Master’s Coordinated Program in Dietetics

What courses do you teach and/or what is your research focus? |
Within the dietetics program, I am responsible for the medical nutrition therapy series and labs. Medical nutrition therapy is the cornerstone of clinical nutrition, our program’s emphasis area. I also teach Nutrition Across the Lifespan, a course that serves any student in health sciences, NEP, and any student pursuing the wellness minor.

How long have you worked for Mizzou?
I have been teaching for the university of Missouri and as part of the dietetics program in various roles since 2010.

Any additional campus involvements?
Using the Sheldon Simulation Center has grown my involvement in simulation, so I routinely participate in activities for other programs at the sim center.

Katherene OB Anguah

What is your role/title?
Assistant Professor in Nutrition and Exercise Physiology (NEP)

What courses do you teach and/or what is your research focus? |
My laboratory’s research focuses on the influence of different dietary components on appetite control, changes in the gut microbiome, and reduction in cardiometabolic risk factors. My current NIH-K01 investigates the mechanisms linking dietary fiber, the gut microbiome and satiety while our recent USDA-ARS (Pulse Crop Health Initiative) investigates the role of  pulse consumption in humans on appetitive responses, changes in the gut microbiome and rates of production of short chain fatty acids. I teach NEP’s capstone class, Research in Nutritional Sciences.

How long have you worked for Mizzou?
I first joined the faculty in NEP in 2018 as an assistant research professor and then transitioned into an assistant professor the following year.

Jaqcueline Limberg

What is your role/title?
Assistant Professor in Nutrition and Exercise Physiology (NEP)

What courses do you teach and/or what is your research focus?
I facilitate Problem Based Learning (PBL) within the Medical School. I teach NEP 4400: Pathophysiology of Diseases Affecting Metabolic Health. I teach a few lectures for MPP 9437/VBSCI 9467: Neural Cardiorespiratory Control, and this year I am also co-teaching NEP 8220: Cardiovascular Disease and Exercise. My lab examines how blood flow and blood pressure are regulated by the nervous system in humans, how this differs between men and women, and how this changes in conditions like obesity, sleep apnea, or insulin resistance.

How long have you worked for Mizzou?
This is my fifth year at Mizzou.

Any additional campus involvements?
I am currently the director of graduate studies for NEP.

Catherine Peterson

What is your role/title?
Associate Professor in Nutrition and Exercise Physiology (NEP)

What courses do you teach and/or what is your research focus? |
My expertise is in the role of micronutrients and other dietary factors in disease prevention. I have published research on the effects of variable calcium intakes on bone growth and mineralization, and the effects of soy phytoestrogens on bone throughout various phases of the life span. Using observational surveys, clinical trials and animal models, the current focus of my lab is on vitamin D and its function in health protection via modulation of inflammation and the adipoinsular axis, including the potential role of vitamin D in the fetal origin of obesity and obesity- related metabolic disease.

How long have you worked for Mizzou?
Since 2004, I have taught several undergraduate and graduate courses.

Any additional campus involvements?
I am the director of undergraduate studies for NEP, and recently served as the associate dean of undergraduate programs for the College of Human Environmental Sciences.

Jaume Padilla

What is your role/title?
I am an associate professor in Nutrition and Exercise Physiology in the Division of Food, Nutrition & Exercise Sciences, and an investigator at the NextGen Precision Health Building.

What courses do you teach and/or what is your research focus? |
My research program focuses on understanding the interplay between insulin resistance and cardiovascular disease. A primary focus is the study of mechanisms underlying vascular insulin resistance and dysfunction in the setting of physical inactivity, obesity, and type 2 diabetes. My research, funded by NIH, is collaborative, integrative, and incorporates biochemical and molecular techniques, in vitro cell and ex vivo tissue culture models (e.g., study of isolated arteries), in vivo studies in genetic mouse models and large animals, as well as studies in human participants using non-invasive vascular imaging modalities including Doppler and contrast-enhanced ultrasound under a myriad of experimental conditions. I also teach a graduate level course on cardiovascular disease and exercise.

How long have you worked for Mizzou?
I have been at Mizzou since 2009 when I joined as a postdoctoral fellow.

Any additional campus involvements?
I am currently a member of the Mizzou Forward advisory committee, a member of the Clinical Translational Sciences Unit steering committee, a faculty fellow in the Research Excellence Program, and an ad-hoc member of NIH study section Integrative Vascular Physiology and Pathology.

Elizabeth Parks

What is your role/title?
Professor of nutrition

What courses do you teach and/or what is your research focus?
My research focus is on how excess body weight affects processing of the foods we eat. I teach the biochemistry of lipids (fats) and aid in the instruction of medical students.

How long have you worked for Mizzou?
I have been at Mizzou since 2013

Any additional campus involvements?
I am the associate director of the Clinical Research Center, an inpatient facility where human research studies are conducted.