Nancy E. Moran

Nancy E. Moran, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine and a member of the USDA/ARS Children's Nutrition Research Center and the Dan L. Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center. Her research focuses on dietary carotenoids and their role in human health, particularly in infants, toddlers, and during pregnancy and lactation.

She earned her BS in Molecular and Cellular Biology and Chemistry from the University of Illinois in 2005, followed by a PhD in Nutritional Sciences in 2010. She completed a postdoctoral fellowship in Nutritional Biochemistry at The Ohio State University in 2016.

Dr. Moran’s research program investigates the absorption, distribution, metabolism, and health effects of carotenoids. She uses translational approaches, combining in vitro and animal models with human studies. Her lab is particularly interested in developing and validating non-invasive biomarkers—such as skin carotenoid measurements via reflection spectroscopy—as tools to assess fruit and vegetable intake in diverse populations.

Her recent publications show a strong trend in validating skin carotenoid measurements across age groups—from infants to adults—and exploring the genetic determinants of carotenoid metabolism. Her work bridges nutritional biochemistry, public health, and cancer prevention, with a focus on health disparities and diverse populations.

Her scientific contributions are supported by multiple grants from the NIH and USDA. She mentors postdoctoral associates and medical trainees and is actively involved in advancing nutritional science through her research and collaborations.

• American Society for Nutrition (Member since 2005)
• International Carotenoid Society (Member since 2016)
• Editorial Review Board, Nutrition Research Journal (since 2016)
• Dan L Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center (Member since 2016)

Dr. Moran advises several trainees and postdoctoral researchers in her lab. Her funded projects include studies on carotenoid biomarkers in infants and toddlers (NICHD), genetic determinants of skin carotenoid responses (NHLBI), and the effects of carotenoids during pregnancy and lactation (USDA/ARS). Her lab also collaborates on multi-site trials assessing dietary intake in diverse adult populations.

The Carotenoids and Nutrition Laboratory is equipped to conduct human clinical studies, biochemical analyses, and cell culture experiments. The lab is part of the larger Children's Nutrition Research Center, which provides advanced research infrastructure including metabolic kitchens and observation labs.