معرفی
Christine C. Tangney, PhD, FACN, CNS is a Professor in the Department of Clinical Nutrition at Rush University's College of Health Sciences and in the Department of Preventive Medicine at Rush Medical College. She was formerly the associate dean for research in the College of Health Sciences and maintains active research and teaching roles across both institutions.
Dr. Tangney's research expertise spans nutritional epidemiology with a focus on dietary behaviors in relation to cardiovascular and cognitive health. Her work has evolved from early bench research on pulmonary disease to population-level studies, particularly developing short dietary screeners to monitor changes in key biomarkers. She focuses on vulnerable populations including young pre-hypertensive African-American women, middle-aged or older women with cardiovascular risk, individuals with Alzheimer's or Parkinson's disease, and breast cancer survivors. Understanding meaningful dietary changes versus dietary stability forms a critical component of her research framework.
Her recent publication record demonstrates a strong focus on cognitive health and dietary patterns, with numerous high-impact articles on the MIND diet, vitamin E and cognitive decline, and dietary interventions for preserving cognitive function in aging populations. She has been instrumental in major clinical trials including the US POINTER study and the MIND Diet trial, which examine lifestyle and dietary interventions for cognitive health preservation.
Dr. Tangney has mentored over 150 graduate students in clinical nutrition and doctoral candidates across Rush University and the University of North Carolina, and has served on more than 90 thesis or dissertation committees. She has hooded more than 10 graduating classes in the College of Health Sciences' Master's in Clinical Nutrition program, demonstrating her significant educational impact.
Her current research portfolio includes serving as site Principal Investigator for the US POINTER study (multi-site), co-Principal Investigator of a trial testing specific diet patterns to reduce cognitive decline, and nutrition co-investigator on Dr. Beth Lynch's trial examining medication and diet adherence in church congregants with uncontrolled blood pressure. This work reflects her commitment to community-based approaches addressing health disparities.
