This is a message from Vice Chancellor for Research Penny Gordon-Larsen.
Dear Colleagues,
Today I am sharing the news that Stephen Hursting will be stepping down as director of the UNC Nutrition Research Institute in Kannapolis, NC, effective April 1, 2024. On that date, Deborah Tate will assume interim directorship of the institute.
Tate holds a faculty appointment at NRI, is a professor in the nutrition department, is co-principal investigator of the NIH’s Nutrition for Precision Health UNC Clinical Center (co-located in Chapel Hill and at the NRI), and directs the Communication for Health Applications and Interventions Core. She is an internationally recognized behavioral scientist who studies precision nutrition, obesity, diabetes prevention, and digital health interventions.
Hursting will remain a faculty member in the joint Department of Nutrition at the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health and School of Medicine, leading his lab in Chapel Hil making advances in research on the mechanisms of certain cancers. His research is making significant advances in understanding the effects of obesity on cancer as they are strengthening work in precision nutrition.
The NRI acts as a significant economic catalyst for Kannapolis. Its presence on the North Carolina Research Campus fosters job creation, with estimates suggesting close to 1,000 positions stemming from campus activity. This has demonstrably revitalized Kannapolis’s economy following a period of industrial decline. As a global leader in precision nutrition research, NRI investigators study the role of nutrients in preventing disease, diet-related health behaviors, risk factors for disease, the effect of the environment and genes on disease outcomes, and the impact of gene-nutrient interactions.
The mission of the NRI is of critical value to the University and to our state. It provides invaluable community engagement, conducts field-leading research, and contributes to the economic development of the region. As such, I would like to thank Steve for his leadership over the last three years, and I look forward to working with Deb through this transition.