Interdisciplinary Systems-based Training for Precision Nutrition

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Project Summary/Abstract Interdisciplinary Systems-based Training for Precision Nutrition The future workforce and current thought leaders in precision nutrition need in-depth knowledge of artificial intelligence (AI) to harness the power of modern technologies such as multi-omics and wearables to combat diet-related chronic diseases related to the mission of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK). Arizona State University (ASU), through the College of Health Solutions (CHS), is poised to meet this need through its multidisciplinary, transformative new structure. CHS has organized its research enterprise and academic programs into “Translational Teams,” wherein faculty, trainees, and community stakeholders work together to more rapidly translate basic discovery into practice. We propose a predoctoral and postdoctoral training program - rooted in foundational disciplines of nutrition and big data analytics - that will focus on courses and practical experiences related to precision nutrition. Students will be drawn from long- standing and successful PhD programs in Exercise & Nutritional Sciences and Biomedical Informatics, both of which are already housed within CHS and have strong collaborative ties among faculty and programmatic requirements. Our training program will provide an interdisciplinary, comprehensive training in precision nutrition topics, reflecting the expertise of our mentor team in nutrition and metabolism (obesity and diabetes; microbiome and functional foods; energy balance; wearable technologies; and digital health interventions) and artificial intelligence and systems modeling (multimodal and multiscale data integration; systems biology; actionable and interpretable AI; AI-based personalization ; time-series and mobile device analytics; and geographic information systems). The training program will support nine new predoctoral students and two postdoctoral students, each of whom will be mentored by a multidisciplinary pair of accomplished nutrition and big data analytics scientists. All trainees will be provided a hybrid-delivered “bootcamp” experience in nutrition and data science upon entry into the program to build a strong foundation for interdisciplinary training. Trainees will then sample from relevant courses in statistical and machine learning, energetics, nutrigenomics, clinical applications, adaptive trial design, etc... The training will be further supported by regular seminar series and journal clubs; experiential rotations; annual symposia; and community, industry, and healthcare-based internships. As an institution that serves >25% Hispanic population, our training program will emphasize recruitment of this and other underrepresented student populations and engage with disadvantaged communities. We will leverage our rich training environment of ongoing federally-funded projects, along with our collaborative partners at the Phoenix VA Healthcare System, and the NIDDK Phoenix Epidemiology and Clinical Research Branch, to provide trainee access to diverse datasets specific to underrepresented populations of the Southwest. This interdisciplinary training program will produce the next-generation precision nutrition scientists capable of solving the complex biomedical challenges we face in combating diet-related chronic disease outcomes.