Danielle N. Christifano, Ph.D.

Professional Background

An assistant professor in the KU Department of Dietetics and Nutrition, Danielle Christifano, Ph.D., teaches courses in maternal and child nutrition for the master's degree program in dietetics and nutrition. She also mentors students for their non-thesis, thesis and dissertation projects in the program, along with those in KU's medical nutrition science and clinical nutrition doctoral degree programs.

Christifano joined the KU faculty in October 2019 after serving as senior scientist (2016-2019) at the Hoglund Brain Imaging Center at KU Medical Center. She maintains her role at Hoglund as a the neurophysiology core manager where she assists investigators in conducting neurophysiological research across the lifespan. Prior to her time at Hoglund, she served as a project lead in research focused on nutrition and weight management among cancer survivors and rural populations.

Academic Background
Christifano earned her doctorate in medical nutrition science from KU in 2014. This followed successful completion of her master's degree in dietetics and nutrition at KU Medical Center in 2012. Her undergraduate degree in biomedical sciences was awarded by Marquette University, Milwaukee, Wis., in 2009.

An active participant in professional organizations, Christifano currently serves as president of the U.S. Developmental Origins of Health and Disease Society and is also on the board of directors for the International Society for the Study of Fatty Acids and Lipids.

Research

Overview

Christifano's research focuses on the intersection of nutrition and lifestyle in maternal and child health. Her work at Hoglund continues on the Prenatal Autonomic Neuro-Developmental Assessment (PANDA) study. This work is focused on measuring the effects of docosahexaenoic acid, also known as DHA, on brain development in infants.