College of Agriculture & Natural Resources Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition

Degrees

PhD, University of California, Davis, 2008
BS, University of Chicago, 2000

More information: Lab Webpage

Research Interests

Influence of nutrition on immune development of the neonate; Influence of maternal obesity on child growth and intestinal health; role of lipids in child health and development; Maternal & child health; gastrointestinal microbiota; food allergy

I have been interested in the impact of nutrition on health and disease since I was a high school student. I am particularly interested in the mechanisms by which early nutrition affects immune system development in the gut as this may be the key to understanding food intolerances. The ultimate objective of my research program is to identify immune and/or microbial targets which can form the basis for nutritional intervention strategies to reduce the incidence of gastrointestinal disease and promote gastrointestinal health.

Research support is provided by Michigan State University, the National Institutes of Health, ECHO (Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes) Program (NIH UG3 OD023285).

Instructional Activities

Current

HNF 310 – Nutrition in Medicine for Pre-Health Professionals
HNF 892 – Nutrition Seminar, two sections

Guest lectures

HNF 101 – Personal Nutrition and Health; topic: "Food Allergies & Intolerances"
HNF 464/450 – Nutrition in the Prevention and Treatment of Disease; topic: "Nutrition and the Microbiome"
HNF 471 – Medical Nutrition Therapy I; topic: "Immunology"
HNF 823 – Research Methods in Human Nutrition; topic: "Assessing the Gut Microbiota"

Past

HNF 820 – Advanced Nutritional Biochemistry
HNF 825 – Nutritional Immunology

Outreach focus

Maternal & child nutrition for health 

Recent publications

Please search PubMed <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed> or Web of Science <http://apps.webofknowledge.com/> for “Comstock SS" as "author” to find a complete listing of Dr. Comstock’s publications.