Melissa M. Noel Endowed Chair in Nutrition in Health
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Urbana, Illinois, United States
Professor Sharon Donovan is the Melissa M. Noel Endowed Chair in Nutrition and Health at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. She received her Ph.D. in Nutrition at the University of California at Davis and completed a post-doctoral fellowship in Pediatric Endocrinology at the Stanford University School of Medicine. Research in her laboratory focuses on the coordinated development of the gut microbiome, immune system, and neurocognition in early life. Currently, she studies how human milk components influence microbiome composition and immune function in neonates. She served as President of ASN from 2011-2012 and was made a Distinguished Fellow of the American Society for Nutrition in 2025. She served on the Scientific Advisory Committee for the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Lastly, she was elected to the National Academy of Medicine in 2017.
Monday, July 27, 2026
7:00 AM - 8:00 AM ET
Disclosure(s): Abbott Nutrition Health Institute: Speaker/Speaker's Bureau (Terminated, June 30, 2025)
ByHeart: Advisory Committee/Board Member (Ongoing)
Danone North America: Advisory Committee/Board Member (Ongoing)
DSM: Speaker/Speaker's Bureau (Terminated, March 30, 2024)
Helaina: Grant/Research Support (Terminated, December 31, 2025)
National Dairy Council: Advisory Committee/Board Member (Ongoing)
Nestle Nutrition: Grant/Research Support (Ongoing)
Perrigo Nutrition: Grant/Research Support (Ongoing)
Soy Nutrition Institute Global: Grant/Research Support (Ongoing)
(OR15-02-26) Skin Carotenoids and Vascular Biomarkers Among School-Aged Children
Monday, July 27, 2026
8:42 AM - 8:54 AM ET
Disclosure(s): Abbott Nutrition Health Institute: Speaker/Speaker's Bureau (Terminated, June 30, 2025)
ByHeart: Advisory Committee/Board Member (Ongoing)
Danone North America: Advisory Committee/Board Member (Ongoing)
DSM: Speaker/Speaker's Bureau (Terminated, March 30, 2024)
Helaina: Grant/Research Support (Terminated, December 31, 2025)
National Dairy Council: Advisory Committee/Board Member (Ongoing)
Nestle Nutrition: Grant/Research Support (Ongoing)
Perrigo Nutrition: Grant/Research Support (Ongoing)
Soy Nutrition Institute Global: Grant/Research Support (Ongoing)