Alexis Wood

Alexis Wood, Ph.D, F.A.H.A.

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Alexis Wood, Ph.D, F.A.H.A.

Associate Professor

Email

alexis.wood@bcm.edu

Positions

Associate Professor: Pediatrics-Nutrition
Baylor College of Medicine
Houston, TX US

Addresses

Children's Nutrition Research Center (Office)
: Room: CNRC-2036
Houston, TX 77030
United States
Phone: (713) 798-7055

Education

BS from University of Warwick: 06/2002 - Coventry, United Kingdom; Psychology and Philosophy

MS from Kings College London: 10/2006 - London; Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry

PhD from Kings College London: 10/2009 - London; Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry

Post-Doctoral Fellowship at University of Alabama at Birmingham: 06/2012 - Birmingham, Alabama; Statistical Genetics, Epidemiology

Honors & Awards

Conference Award Finalist: MD Anderson Energy Balance Retreat (02/2014)

Scott Grundy Award for Excellence in Metabolism Research: American Heart Association (03/2013)

2nd place: UAB Annual Postdoctoral Research Day (02/2012)

1st Place: NORC “Creativity is Decision" (06/2011)

1st Place: Center for Cardiovascular Disease Biology Annual Retreat (05/2011)

2nd place: Center for Cardiovascular Disease Biology Annual Retreat (05/2011)

1st Place: SOPH 3rd Annual Public Health Research day (04/2011)

Young Investigator Award Finalist: American Heart Association EPI/NPAM conference (03/2011)

Young Investigator Award: 2nd Annual International Congress on ADHD (05/2009)

Best paper winner: Our paper "Cognitive performance and BMI: shared genetics between BMI and reaction time, but not response inhibition, across childhood" was selected as one of 6 winning entries to the society's annual conference and featured in a special symposium.; The Obesity Society (11/2014)

Associate Faculty Member F1000 Prime: Appointed an Associate Faculty Member of the Faculty of 1000 http://f1000.com/; F1000 Prime (09/2014)

Mark Bieber Award for Excellence in Nutrition Research: American Heart Association (03/2015)

Fellow of The American Heart Association: 09/2017

Young Investigator Award: Baylor College of Medicine -- Department of Pediatrics (12/2020)

Top abstract: CVRI annual conference (04/2017)

Professional Statement

My research focuses on analyzing complex biological data such as genome, epigenome, transcriptome, metabolome, and proteome to explore how environmental and behavioral factors influence chronic diseases. I am particularly interested in cognitive development and decline, including Alzheimer's Disease and related dementias (ADRD), as well as type 2 diabetes (T2D). My overarching aim is to advance Precision Medicine by improving disease prevention, diagnosis, and treatment strategies.

Websites

Feeding children during the COVID-19 pandemic

Healthy Habits: Boxing, weightlifting and family time keep Dr. Alexis Wood active

AHA News: Healthy Food for At-Home Students Starts With This

NCBI Publications List

Alexis (Lekki) Wood Lab

Selected Publications

"The need for greater rigor in childhood nutrition and obesity research." JAMA Peds. 2019;173(4):311-2.
Djonlagic I, Mariani S, Fitzpatrick AL, Van Der Klei VMGTH, Johnson DA, Wood AC, et al "Macro and micro sleep architecture and cognitive performance in older adults." Nat Hum Behav. 2021;5(1) Pubmed PMID: 33199858
Wood AC, Blissett JM, Brunstrom JM, Carnell S, Faith MS, Fisher JO, Hayman LL, Khalsa AS, Hughes SO, Miller AL, Momin SR, Welsh JA, Woo JG, Haycraft E "Caregiver influences on eating behaviors in young children: A scientific statement from the American Heart Association." J Am Heart Assoc. 2020;9(10) Pubmed PMID: 32389066
Wood, A. C., Graca, G., Gadgil, M., Senn, M. K., Allison, M. A., Tzoulaki, I., ... & Herrington, D. (2023). "Untargeted metabolomic analysis investigating links between unprocessed red meat intake and markers of inflammation." AJCN. 2023;13(3):989-999. Pubmed PMID: 37660929

Wood, A. C., Goodarzi, M. O., Senn, M. K., Gadgil, M. D., Graca, G., Allison, M. A., ... & Rotter, J. I. "Associations between Metabolomic Biomarkers of Avocado Intake and Glycemia in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis." Jnl Nutr.;153(10):2797-2807. Pubmed PMID: 37562669
Xiao, S., Li, V. L., Lyu, X., Chen, X., Wei, W., Abbasi, F., ... & Long, J. Z. (2024) "Lac-Phe mediates the effects of metformin on food intake and body weight." Nat Metab. 2024;64(4):659-669. Pubmed PMID: 38499766
Marrero, N., Jha, K., Hughes, T. M., Razavi, A. C., Grant, J. K., Boakye, E., ... & Whelton, S. P. "Association of aortic valve calcium with dementia and stroke: The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis." Atherosclerosis. 2024; Pubmed PMID: 38890039

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Memberships

American Heart Association

American Society of Nutrition

Funding

Impact of the gut microbiome and diet on change in insulin homeostasis and cardiometabolic risk - #Tf R01Actf DK109588: ( 04/01/2017 - 03/31/2024 ); Role: Subcontract PI

Eating Patterns and Obesity Prevention in Children: ( 08/01/2018 - 07/31/2023 ); Role: Subproject PI.

Longitudinal associations of preschoolers’ technology and digital media (TDM) use and executive functioning: a mechanism linking TDM with young children’s weight status - #NIH P01 HD109876: ( 09/09/2022 - 09/08/2027 ); Role: MPI (Wood, Hughes & Bridgett).

Refining metrics of food behavior in Smith-Magenis Syndrome - #NIH R21 HD106345-01A1: ( 08/26/2022 - 08/25/2024 ); Role: Co-investigator

Molecular Markers of Beef Intake: A Personalized Nutrition Approach to Understanding the Relationship of Red Meat to Health - #70348-I: ( 10/01/2023 - 09/30/2025 ); Role: PI

Subclinical Vascular Contributions to Alzheimer's Disease: The Multi Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) Multisite Study of AD - #R01 AG058969: ( 07/01/2024 - 06/30/2029 ); Role: Site PI

Longitudinal Omics-Based Trajectories of Type 2 Diabetes Subtypes: The T2D Heterogeneity Consortium - #U01 DK058969: ( 07/01/2024 - 06/30/2029 ); Role: MPI (Manning, Wood, Qi, Rotter).

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