Sherman Bigornia, PhD
Assistant Professor - Lab Director
Sherman is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Agriculture, Nutrition, and Food Systems at the University of New Hampshire. He uses epidemiological approaches to identify potential nutritional targets to inform therapies and prevention strategies to modify metabolic risk factors and reduce the burden of chronic disease. Areas of interest include dietary risk factors of overweight and obesity, the roles of inflammation and insulin resistance in vascular dysfunction, dietary fat quality in brain related health, and health disparities.
Yobanna Taylor, B.S.
Project Coordinator - Nutrition Educator
Yobanna is a bilingual project coordinator and nutrition educator at the Bigornia Lab. She graduated with a Bachelor of Science and has additional studies in Environmental Engineering. Yobanna coordinates the NHSG research project in our Lab. She is a trained Medical Interpreter who has been working with the NH community since 2019. She joins the Bigornia Lab with experience with cultural diversity and inclusion. With her work at UNH, Yobanna hopes to contribute to decreasing the food insecurity levels and promote healthy eating habits to improve the diet quality of the Hispanic residents of NH.
Anne Bodenrader, B.S.
Graduate Research Assistant
Anne earned her first Bachelor of Arts in English from Dartmouth College in 1995 but it was not until later as a parent that she discovered her passion for nutrition. She returned to the academic world to pursue an education in nutrition science at the University of New Hampshire and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Nutrition: Didactic Program in Dietetics in May 2022. Anne is continuing her education at UNH, pursuing a doctorate in nutritional sciences. She works as a research assistant in Dr. Sherman Bigornia's lab, investigating the impact of different nutrients on vascular disease, cognitive function and brain volume, focusing on the Hispanic/Latino community. Anne hopes to continue pursuing and contributing to research and education fields in nutritional sciences for many years to come.
Alexandra Old, B.S.
Graduate Research Assistant
Alexandra recently graduated from the University of New Hampshire with a Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Science. She joined the Bigornia Lab as a graduate research assistant and will be working towards her master’s degree in Nutritional Sciences. Her interests include chronic disease, nutritional epidemiology, and improving nutrition access. She has future aspirations of applying to medical school and becoming a physician.