Lisa Tussing-Humphreys, PhD, MS, RD

The Tussing-Humphreys lab uses epidemiological, clinical, social, behavioral, and molecular tools and assessments to understand the complex relationship between environmental exposures, including diet, and colorectal cancer risk disparities. This unique transdisciplinary approach to cancer health equity research places her in a strong position to co-lead the UICC Cancer Prevention and Control Program. She been leading multidisciplinary research studies and dietary/lifestyle intervention trials for over 10 years with a major focus on reducing health disparities in racial/ethnic minorities residing in both rural and urban settings. From a mechanistic perspective, she has made significant contributions to the understanding of iron metabolism in the context of obesity with specific emphasis on: 1) the role of the iron regulatory hormone hepcidin in obesity-related iron metabolism dysfunction, 2) the positive effect of weight reduction on systemic iron metabolism, and 3) the potential of subcutaneous adipose tissue to release hepcidin using an in vivo vein drainage model from obese and lean individuals. Her current work, will contribute to the understanding of diet and colorectal health and colorectal health disparities by: 1) elucidating the relationship between dietary heme and non-heme iron, the gut microbial community and colorectal health; 2) detailing racial differences in diet and endpoint bacterial metabolism of taurine and bile acids and colonic inflammation, and 3) examining the influence of community context, and individual behavior and health on the gut microbiome and colorectal health.