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Tracy L. Nelson, Ph.D., M.P.H.

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Research Interests

• The influence of gene, environment and gene-environment interactions on development of obesity, cardiovascular disease and diabetes.
• Influence of dietary fat type on emerging cardiovascular risk factors (e.g. inflammatory and endothelial factors).
• The impact of neuroendocrine and metabolic factors on chronic disease.
• Ethnic differences in disease risk.

Education

• 1991, B.S., Exercise and Sports Science/Sports Medicine, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO
• 1993, M.P.H., Community Health Education, University of Northern Colorado, Greeley, CO
• 1998, Ph.D., Biobehavioral Health, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA

Related Education Training

• 1995, Graduate Summer Program in Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD
• 1996, Workshop for Methodology on Twin and Family Studies, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO
• 2000, Modern Genetic Epidemiology, New England Epidemiologic Research Institute, Boston, MA

Professional Experience

• 1994-1997, Research Assistant, Department of Biobehavioral Health, The Pennsylvania State University.
• 1997, Teaching Assistant, Department of Biobehavioral Health, The Pennsylvania State University.
• 1998-1999, NHLBI Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Epidemiology, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
• 2001-2007, Assistant Professor Adjunct, Preventive Medicine and Biometrics, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center
• 1999-2005, Assistant Professor, Department of Health and Exercise Science, Colorado State University.
• 2007-present, Associate Professor Adjunct, Preventive Medicine and Biometrics, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center.
• 2005-present, Associate Professor, Department of Health and Exercise Science, Colorado State University.

Awards and Fellowships

• 1995-1998, National Research Service Award, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, NIH
• 1998-1999, National Research Service Award, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, NIH
• 2000, Inducted into Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society – Faculty Initiate, Colorado State University
• 2003, “Excellence in Education Award” Teaching award presented by the CSU Athletic Department
• 2004, Tenure Track Faculty Scholarly Excellence Award, Research award presented by the College of Applied Human Sciences, CSU

Current Classes Taught

• EX 145 Health and Wellness
• EX 345 Population Health and Disease Prevention
• EX 645 Epidemiology of Chronic Disease

Selected Recent Publications

• Nelson, TL, Hunt K., Rosamond, W., & Ammerman, A. (2002). Obesity and Associated CVD Risk Factors in a Population of Low-Income Women: The North Carolina WISEWOMAN Project. Preventive Medicine, Preventive Medicine, 35(1), 1-6.
• Nelson, TL, Hickey MS. (2004). Acute Changes in Dietary Omega 3 Fatty Acids Lower Soluble Interleukin 6 Receptor in Healthy Adult Normal Weight and Overweight Males. Cytokine, 26, 191-201.
• Nelson, TL, Brandon, DT, Wiggins, SA and Whitfield, KE (2006). Genetic and environmental influences on body fat and blood pressure in African-American adult twins. International Journal of Obesity 30(2), 243-250
• Nelson, TL, Fingerlin, TE, Moss, L, Barmada, MM, Ferrell, RE, Norris, JM (2007). Association of the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ gene (PPAR-γ) with type 2 diabetes varies by physical activity among Non-Hispanic Whites from Colorado. Metabolism 56, 388-393.
• Nelson, TL, James R. Stevens & Matthew S. Hickey. (2007). Adiponectin levels are reduced, independent of polymorphisms in the adiponectin gene, after supplementation with α-linolenic acid among healthy adults. Metabolism, 56(9):1209-15.
• Nelson, TL, Daniel H Bessesen and Julie A. Marshall. (2008). Relationship of abdominal obesity measured by DXA and waist circumference with insulin sensitivity in Hispanic and non-Hispanic White individuals: The San Luis Valley Diabetes Study. Diabetes Metabolism Research and Reviews, 24(1):33-40.