Nutrition and Dietetics Researcher Joins Bumpers College, Division of Agriculture
Research focuses on role of micronutrients in mitochondrial health
By Robby Edwards – Sept. 9, 2024
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Joanna Fiddler, whose research focuses on the role of micronutrients in maintaining health, joined the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences and the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture as an assistant professor of human nutrition and dietetics in August.
She has a joint appointment with the college’s department of food science, as well as with the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, the research arm of the Division of Agriculture.
The human nutrition and dietetics program is in the School of Human Environmental Sciences, which is part of Bumpers College.
“We are very excited to have Dr. Fiddler join our program here at the University of Arkansas and the U of A System Division of Agriculture,” said Dave Caldwell, interim head of food science. “We are confident that she will quickly develop high-impact research, teaching and outreach programs that will bring great benefit to stakeholders in our region and across the state.”
Her position is part of ongoing efforts to grow the human nutrition and dietetics program and expand nutritional science research collaboration between the School of Human Environmental Sciences and the department of food science to enrich human health. Fiddler will also contribute to the experiment station’s Center for Human Nutrition, which facilitates and enables interdisciplinary human nutrition research to improve health, productivity and quality of life, and is part of the food science department.
“In the time I have been teaching, I have learned the importance of building relationships with students and have seen their efforts improve as a result,” Fiddler said. “My proposed research program also provides opportunities for undergraduate, honors and graduate student mentorship. My philosophy as a mentor is to foster intellectual curiosity, critical thought and establish habits of transparency and rigor in research.”
Fiddler was most recently at the Clemson University as a faculty scholar in the School of Health Research and as assistant professor of human nutrition in the department of food, nutrition and packaging sciences since January 2023.
Her research centers on nutrient-gene interactions and the underlying molecular mechanisms influencing mitochondria health and disease. B vitamins and iron play significant roles in cellular and mitochondrial function, yet micronutrient deficiencies are a leading cause of malnutrition impairing growth and development, work capacity and healthy aging.
“My long-term research interest is in nutrition and metabolism, and studying their integration in health and disease,” Fiddler said. “My research translates to human health by focusing on the potential of micronutrients or gene-nutrient interactions to influence cellular metabolic pathways that influence health. My research objective is to establish links between dietary exposures, genetics and functional outcomes.”
She currently has grant funding from the National Institutes of Health ($287,515) for her project “Marginal iron depletion: Micronutrient partitioning and outcomes in the mitochondria.”
Fiddler will also be teaching graduate level nutrition classes: Advanced Nutrition and Research Methods in Nutrition.
“Teaching is one of my passions,” Fiddler said. “Long term, I look forward to working in academia, where both research and high-quality instruction are valued. My teaching philosophy centers on the development of fundamental knowledge and building the skills to apply that knowledge.”
Teaching in a health-related field allows her to share information she considers important to everyone. A solid foundation in nutrition science “empowers and enables people to make better decisions about their own health,” and can also lead to many employment and educational opportunities, Fiddler added.
Donna L. Graham, director of the School of Human Environmental Sciences, said she was pleased to have Fiddler join the faculty.
“With her passion for teaching and her experience and enthusiasm in nutritional science research, she will be a tremendous asset to the human nutrition program,” Graham said.
To learn more about the Division of Agriculture research, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station website. Follow us on 𝕏 at @ArkAgResearch, subscribe to the Food, Farms and Forests podcast and sign up for our monthly newsletter, the Arkansas Agricultural Research Report. To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit uada.edu. Follow us on 𝕏 at @AgInArk. To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit uaex.uada.edu.
About the Division of Agriculture
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture’s mission is to strengthen agriculture, communities, and families by connecting trusted research to the adoption of best practices. Through the Agricultural Experiment Station and the Cooperative Extension Service, the Division of Agriculture conducts research and extension work within the nation’s historic land grant education system.
The Division of Agriculture is one of 20 entities within the University of Arkansas System. It has offices in all 75 counties in Arkansas and faculty on five system campuses.
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture offers all its Extension and Research programs and services without regard to race, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, religion, age, disability, marital or veteran status, genetic information, or any other legally protected status, and is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.
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