Greetings from the Chair

Fall 2026

 

Greetings, fellow alumni and friends,

Homecoming is just around the corner and this year, we are doing something a little different. On Saturday, October 24, from 10 a.m. to noon, Health Sciences will join our colleagues from Biology, Chemistry, Psychological Sciences, Neuroscience, and Computational & Applied Mathematics and Statistics for an “Open House with the Sciences” in the Integrated Science Center. Our faculty will be there to reconnect with alumni, and the larger event will include food and drinks. So, if you are back in Williamsburg for Homecoming, please stop by and see us!

There is quite a bit to share about what has been happening in Health Sciences since my last update. Perhaps the biggest news came in July, when Prof. Zach Conrad received an R01 award from the National Institutes of Health for his project, “Impacts of Meteorological Changes on Nutrition-Related Cardiometabolic Disease.” This is the first NIH R01 awarded to a faculty member in our department and only one of a handful awarded at William & Mary during my time here. The project brings together William & Mary, the USDA, Harvard University, and food producers to examine the relationship between meteorological changes, nutrition, and cardiometabolic disease.

Zach was also recently named the John & Audrey Leslie Associate Professor of Health Sciences, a three-year term beginning with the 2026–27 academic year. Congratulations, Zach!

Prof. Stephanie Caligiuri has also had an outstanding summer, receiving funding for two clinical research projects. A USDA award will support her study of the effects of peanut intake on mental health, stress, sleep quality, and brain activity. More recently, she received an NIH R15 award for a randomized clinical trial examining the effects of dietary flaxseed on heart health and allostatic load in young adults.

Our faculty continue to be productive across a wide range of health sciences. A recent publication by Profs. Conrad and Caligiuri found that greater consumption of pulses—including beans, peas, lentils, and chickpeas—was associated with lower prevalence of cardiometabolic disease among U.S. adults. Prof. Scott also recently published work examining the molecular mechanics of myosin, which was selected as an Editor's Pick by the Journal of Biological Chemistry. Prof. Conrad has also continued to contribute to national discussions about nutrition policy through his recent perspective on whether sustainability should be incorporated into the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

Another area of continued growth and transition is the Ignite Global Health Research Lab  led by Profs. Carrie Dolan, Scott Ickes, and Julius Odhiambo.  Ignite was previously housed under the Global Research Institute but now falls under the umbrella of Health Sciences. The lab is currently bringing together 32 undergraduate researchers from across William & Mary as well as faculty and global partners working on projects involving vaccination, maternal and child health, pediatric surgery, reproductive health, mental health, and global health financing across Africa and South America. Recent awards and generous donations include funding to improve modeling for pediatric surgical access, strengthen research infrastructure in Kenya, and support tuberculosis research.

It is exciting to see the department continue to grow in both the breadth and impact of its research. As I have said before, although our name has changed from Kinesiology to Health Sciences, I think many of you would still recognize the spirit of the department which includes a welcoming faculty who care deeply about our students with whom we work collaboratively to focus on health from small molecules to global populations.

I hope you will come back to Williamsburg, stop by the Integrated Science Center, and let us know what you have been doing. One of the most rewarding aspects of our work is hearing from alumni and learning where your William & Mary education has taken you.

As always, you can also share your news through our Send Us Your News link. But even better, come see us in person!

Hope to see you October 24. Go Tribe!

Sincerely,
M. Brennan Harris, Ph.D. (B.S. Kinesiology ’93)
Professor & Chair
Department of Health Sciences
William & Mary