Alumni Career Paths

Keith Ayoob, R.D., Ed.D.

Keith Ayoob, R.D., Ed.D. is a pediatric nutritionist and associate clinical professor in the Department of Pediatrics at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. He is also the director of the Nutrition Clinic at the Rose F. Kennedy Children’s Evaluation and Rehabilitation Center. Dr. Ayoob specializes in child and adult nutrition, obesity and heart health, and is focused on the health issues of early-onset overweight children as well as those in children with special health care needs. He served as a national media spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association for nine years and has given over 1000 interviews in both the electronic and print media. Dr. Ayoob is the co-author of the American Dietetic Association’s position paper on food and nutrition misinformation. Currently, in addition to being a frequent guest on Healthy Life with Dr. Tim Johnson on the ABC NewsNow network, Dr. Ayoob is also asked to comment on timely nutrition news for ABCNews.com and has a blog on USAToday.com that focuses on healthy lifestyle and weight management issues. In 2005 he wrote The Uncle Sam Diet, the first book about the 2005 US Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

John Buza, M.S.

After completing his thesis work at the Institute of Human Nutrition, John Buza, M.S.,  spent a few pleasantly unproductive weeks on the beach in Southern California before returning to the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons for medical school. He is looking forward to speaking with anyone who is interested in, or currently applying to medical school.

Mary DiGiorgi, M.S., M.P.H.

Mary DiGiorgi, M.S., M.P.H. is a Teaching Assistant at the IHN and Research Manager at the Columbia University Center for Metabolic and Weight Loss Surgery. She is also a Ph.D. candidate in the Behavioral Nutrition program with a specialization in Nutritional Epidemiology at Teachers College, Columbia University. Ms. DiGiorgi completed an M.P.H. in Epidemiology at the Mailman School of Public Health as she completed the M.S. degree in Nutrition. While she was a student she was a programmer/data analyst for the Division of General Surgery, Columbia University Medical Center.  As she gained experience in research methods she became more involved in study design and statistical analysis. Shortly after completing her Master’s degrees Ms. DiGiorgi began working exclusively with the Columbia University Center for Metabolic and Weight Loss Surgery. She has published many clinical research papers in the field of endocrine surgery, surgical oncology and bariatric surgery.

I.J. Frame, M.S.

I.J. Frame, M.S.  is an alumnus of the IHN ('07) living in New York City.   Professionally, he is currently enrolled in the MD/PhD program at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine.  He enjoys activities throughout New York City, particularly road running, trying new restaurants, and going to concerts. 

Gerald Friedman, M.D.

Gerald Friedman, M.D.  took his M.S. degree in Nutrition at Columbia in 2000 when he was still in active practice (Gastroenterology).  His original interest in nutrition stemmed from a continuing interest in research (his Ph.D. thesis was in experimental obesity), and updating his interest in genetics.  Dr. Friedman’s thesis at Columbia was on the impact of probiotics in gastroenterology.  Since graduation, he continued to do clinical research on probiotic therapy and has published two scientific papers and one book chapter relating to probiotics in the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome and another book chapter relating to the use of probiotics in alternative medicine.  Dr. Friedman is currently teaching Gastroenterology Fellows the value of nutrition in gastroenterology and the use of nutrition support in hospitalized patients.  He is also working on a new curriculum in an effort to introduce nutrition to medical students at the Mount Sinai School of medicine.

Michael Kelleman, M.S.

Since graduating in the fall of 2008, Michael Kelleman, M.S., worked as a research technician in Dr. Vasselli's lab at St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital Center, working in animal models of diabetes and obesity.  Since June 2009, Mr. Kelleman has been the coordinator for Dr. St-Onge's Capsinoid Weight Loss Study.  They are examining the effects of Capsinoid-containing gel capsules, in conjunction with diet and exercise, on body composition.  Outside of work, Mr. Kelleman is looking into applying to biostatistics M.P.H. or Ph.D. programs beginning the fall of 2010 or 2011.

Elena Ladas, M.S., R.D.

Elena Ladas, M.S., R.D.  is the Director of the Integrative Therapies Program. She counsels patients and families on nutrition and CAM therapies and integrates complementary therapies into her nutrition practice. Ms. Ladas is the Chair of the Nutrition Committee of Children's Oncology Group, on the National Cancer Institute's PDQ Complementary and Alternative Medicine Editorial Board and Advisory Board, and Supportive Care Advisory Board.  She is also a member of Children's Oncology Group's steering committee for complementary/alternative medicine. Ms. Ladas has numerous publications on the topics of nutrition and CAM and has lectured internationally on the topics of nutrition, CAM, and pediatrics. Ms. Ladas is an adjunct professor at Touro College and lectures at the Institute of Human Nutrition, Columbia University. Her research interests lie in evaluating the safety of efficacy of nutrition and CAM therapies as supportive care agents.

Anthony LoPresti, M.S., D.D.S.

Anthony LoPresti, M.S., D.D.S.  has been on staff at the hospital in the Oral, Facial and Head Pain Clinic since 1984. He decided to get his MS in Nutrition to further his ability to help this difficult group of patients. The TMJ (temporomandibular joint) is a susceptible joint to breakdown and significant pain. Dr. LoPresti’s Master’s Thesis focused on the correlation that nutrition, specifically VitC, Vit E and Selenium, has on the health of the joint. Today joint replacements are performed much too quickly. Dr. LoPresti’s thought was that proper nutrition leading to sufficient anti-oxidant concentrations in the joint fluid can decrease the free radical damage that can lead to cartilage and bone damage. His thesis established that a concentration gradient does exist in TM joints as compared to the plasma confirming its protective effect.

Moneek Madra, M.S.

After the completion of the M.S. program, Moneek Madra, M.S. began working as a technician in the same laboratory that she conducted her Master’s thesis research.  Though her research projects began as an offshoot of her thesis they have expanded into many different areas.  Throughout the past few years Ms. Madra has been able to amass a great basic science skill set, present talks and posters, and attend scientific meetings.  As an employee at Columbia she has also been able to take classes while working and is currently taking some courses towards her Ph.D. which will be her next endeavor.

Mary Matsui, Ph.D.

Mary Matsui, Ph.D. is currently the Executive Director of External Research at the Estee Lauder Companies. She functions as an academic/industry liaison, designing and supervising research, developing in vitro model systems for screening new materials, and collaborating with company and academic researchers to discover novel treatment approaches for various aspects of skin biology.  Dr. Matsui has extensive expertise in the effects of sunlight on the skin such as UV-induced immune suppression, DNA damage, and skin cancer. She is particularly fascinated by the use of botanical extracts to counteract the process of photoaging.  Dr. Matsui is also interested in disorders of pigmentation. She initiated and currently directs the DNA repair and pigmentation research at the Kobe Skin Research Institute in Kobe, Japan through collaboration with Doshisha University.  This group is working on several novel concepts and treatment options for hyperpigmentation.  She often gives invited talks to diverse groups including the Japanese Society for Photoaging, The Chinese Academy of Dermatology, The American Academy of Dermatology, The International Pigment Cell Society, and the Society of Cosmetic Chemists.

Johannah McLean, M.S.

Johannah McLean, M.S. earned her Master’s in Nutrition from the IHN in 2008 and shortly after took a position as Director of Research at Joy Bauer Nutrition in New York City.  Ms. McLean’s main responsibilities include pitching and writing segments and articles for the NBC Today Show and other national television and print media and producing content for Joy Bauer's subscription website.  In addition, she reviews and summarizes nutrition research to keep the company's staff abreast of new developments in the field.

Ranadeb Mukherjee, M.S.

In 2005, after completing his M.S. in Nutrition, Ranadeb Mukherjee, M.S.  worked as a paralegal at a law firm in Washington, D.C.  His goal at that time was to learn more about the legal profession in order to determine whether law school offered a desirable future.  He was fortunate to get good substantive experience:  he attended two civil trials and had the opportunity to work on several legal briefs and political advocacy papers.  In 2007 he enrolled at NYU School of Law, where he is currently in his second year.  He serves on the board of the Health Law Society, as well as other student organizations.  This summer he will intern for the D.C.-based firm of Covington & Burling.  He is interested in administrative and regulatory law, as well as criminal law, and hopes to find meaningful opportunities for public service throughout his career.

Amy Roberts, M.S.

Since graduating from the M.S. program, Amy Roberts, M.S. has worked in Marie-Pierre St-Onge's lab at St Luke's- Roosevelt Hospital Center.  She is the research coordinator for Sleep Deprivation and Energy Balance Study.  This study examines the effect of short sleep times on factors affecting appetite and energy balance.   Ms. Roberts has also assisted with Dr.St-Onge's Kraft weight loss, and her Capsinoid weight loss studies.  Ms. Roberts is currently in the process of applying to nutrition Ph.D. programs. 

Kelly Ruggles, M.S.

After graduating from the IHN M.S. program, Kelly Ruggles, M.S. continued her education in the Institute and began the Ph.D. program in Nutritional and Metabolic Biology.  Currently, she is a third year student working in the laboratory of Dr. Stephen Sturley studying the genetics of lipotoxicity and pancreatic beta cell failure in Type 2 Diabetes.

Sue Shapses, Ph.D.

Sue Shapses, Ph.D. is a Professor in Nutritional Sciences at Rutgers University and the Director of the New Jersey Obesity Group. She received her M.S. from the IHN in 1982, and Ph.D. in 1988 from the Columbia University, followed by three years of postdoctoral training in Medicine at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and in the Orthopedic lab at Columbia University in New York. Her research focuses on how bone is regulated in obese women and during caloric restriction. A goal is to determine optimal diet regimens to minimize bone loss by examining nutrient absorption, body composition and the hormonal regulation of bone metabolism and quality.  Her work involves a collaborative effort from basic scientists and clinicians using a translational approach to study the causes, prevention and treatment of qbesity and osteoporosis.

Fatima Oliveira Tsiouris, M.S., C.N.S.

Fatima Oliveira Tsiouris, M.S., C.N.S. clinical nutritionist by training, serves as the Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV/AIDS (pMTCT) Associate Program Director and Nutrition Advisor for several International Centers for AIDS Care and Treatment Programs (ICAP) host countries. Under the University Technical Assistance Program (UTAP), Ms. Tsiouris has been supporting the development and implementation of two model pMTCT centers in Mozambique.  She also serves as a Clinical Nutritionist in the Division of Infectious Diseases at Harlem Hospital where she mainly provides nutritional assessments, counseling and supplementation interventions for sero-positive individuals.  Before joining ICAP, Ms. Tsiouris served as a consultant for MCAP Mozambique and joined the team full-time in September of 2004. She also worked as a community liaison and research assistant with the Center for Urban Epidemiologic Studies (CUES) at the New York Academy of Medicine.  Ms. Tsiouris’ interests include the double burden of HIV/AIDS and malnutrition as well as the profound influence nutrition has on the immune system.  She holds an M.S. degree in Human Nutrition from the Institute of Human Nutrition at Columbia University and a bachelors degree in Religious Studies from New York University.