Shavawn Forester is a Nutritional Biologist and Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and is the Chief Science Officer of The Nutrient Institute, a Nevada-based 501(c)(3) charity dedicated to sharing information, knowledge and tools so people can make informed food decisions. She received her B.A. and Ph.D. from the University of California Davis in 2007 and 2012 respectively. Her research interests include the characterization of all nutritional and environmental factors that constitute human metabolic health and the design of artificial intelligence that sheds light on the hidden nutrient information in food. She has developed a comprehensive approach for health, which converts the overly complex message of nutrition into simple nutrient focused recommendations that ALL people can access. A key aspect of her nutrient focused approach is that it can fit into any healthy lifestyle and can be applicable to any health or diet plan.

A community of scientists in nutrition, mathematics, economics, agronomy, climate, and more, with a shared vision of unlocking knowledge about food, nutrition and health science through data.

Nutrition 325: Food and Culture a course that highlight the determinants of food choices and the meaning of food in the context of various cultures, as they contribute to the establishment of a cultural identity. This course meets the universities diversity course requirement.

Provide nutrition therapy to patients with a variety of health conditions, provide dietary consultations to patients and their families, as well as confer with other health care professionals to review patients' medical charts and develop individual plans to meet nutritional requirements.

My research focused on the role of breakfast in promoting a healthy body weight, specifically as it relates to satiety, food intake, and metabolism. I served as the study coordinator for a cross-sectional study examining the metabolic, hormonal and behavioral factors associated with eating or skipping breakfast. I also examined the relationship between insulin sensitivity and breakfast eating in a large dataset of normal weight and overweight adults. In addition, I compared the satiating properties of low and high fiber breakfasts in a controlled feeding study with overweight women. All of these studies are represented in my dissertation which is entitled “The Hormonal Implications of Skipping Breakfast.”

Guest lecturer – “Central nervous system control of food intake” September 2009 – March 2012University of California at Davis, Gastrointestinal physiology NPB 10: Developed and delivered a lecture series describing the role of the CNS in food intake regulation. Power point, overhead projector, and chalk board were all utilized during the course of each lecture series. Teaching Assistant – University of California Davis September 2009 – March 2012Department: Neurophysiology and Behavior. Classes: Elementary Human Physiology, Drugs and Addiction, Systemic Physiology, and Gastro PhysiologyDepartment: Nutrition. Classes: Clinical Nutrition, Food Service Management, and Proseminar in NutritionRole and responsibilities: Collaborated on curriculum and exam development; met with students every week, during scheduled office hours as well as upon request; recorded and posted lectures; graded written work including final exams; and posted exams results and final scores. Community Nutrition Education – “Portion size, low fat dairy, and fruit juices” September 2008Women Infants and Children, Yolo County CA: Planned education topics and overall class structure for WIC participants. Provided education both verbally as well as visually using handouts and a white board. Undergraduate internship experience