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Campus News - April 9, 2001 |
Spotlight
Kriehn takes nutrition science to new heights at HSC
By Veronica Valencia
By
the looks of her, its hard to believe Joanna Kriehn is an avid rock climber
who likes nothing better than to dangle hundreds of feet above the earth,
relying on her body movements, strength and agility to get her to the top.
The petite 27-year-old said she likes the calculated risk of the sport. She
also enjoys just the right mix of science and art for her position as a research
bionutritionist at the UNM Health Sciences Centers General Clinical Research
Center.
Nutrition has enough science to keep it interesting, with just enough
art to motivate people, and help them reach their goals in a positive way,
she said.
With a perfect view of the Sandia Mountains, the General Clinical Research
Center sits on the 5th floor of UNM Hospital, where Kriehn, a registered dietitian,
and other bionutritionists are conducting national nutrition research on hantavirus,
a mysterious disease that still has scientists perplexed.
One aspect of the Hantavirus Survivor Study, funded by the National Institute
of Health (NIH), assesses the diet of a hantavirus survivor. The NIH contacts
patients within six months after contracting the disease, and participants come
to UNM annually for five years. The study began in 1996.
Not enough is known about hantavirus, and we want to see what is happening
with survivors years after theyve had the disease, Kriehn said.
My unit specifically looks at intake and body composition changes.
Kriehn works with hantavirus survivor patients in filling out a food frequency
questionnaire. This helps her find trends and routines in their diet, which
will help researchers gain some knowledge on how the disease may have changed
their lives in terms of their nutrition, their ability to exercise and their
energy levels.
She also works on a plethora of other studies taking place at the clinic, including
finding the effects of white and purple grape juice on platelet aggregation.
With this study, researchers hope to learn if grapes contain a chemical that
could thin blood, therefore reducing the risk of heart attack and stroke.
Joanna is particularly talented in helping researchers design the nutrition
component of their research protocols, said Darlene Gray, her supervisor.
She is very resourceful in finding the most current information, either
in the literature or within her professional network.
A graduate of Northern Arizona University, Kriehn said her interest in health
promotion was sparked in high school. During college she became more interested
in nutrition research, and is currently working on her masters in nutrition
science at UNM.
Its evident that health and fitness is a big part of her life. Even though she indulges in the occasional slice of pizza and peanut butter, she rides her bike to work, enjoys a long run to unleash the days stress, and in her spare time, shell travel to Utah, Colorado or her hometown of Phoenix to head for the rocks.
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