Ann Anderson Berry Lab

• Melissa Thoene PhD, RD, LMNT – Assistant Professor
• Anum Akbar – PhD Student
• Taija Hahka – PhD Student
• Rebecca Slotkowski – MD/PhD Student, NIH Fellow
• Matt VanOrmer, PhD - Lab Manager

• Maternal-Fetal-Neonatal Nutrition
• Perinatal Outcomes Research
• Placental Function and Nutrient Transfer
• Vitamins A, E, & D
• Omega-3 Fatty Acids, Specialized Pro-Resolving Mediators
• Placental Mitochondria Function
• Neonatal Opioid Exposure

• Slotkowski R, Van Ormer M, Akbar A, Paetz O, Hahka T, Thompson M, Freeman A, Hergenrader A, Sweeney S, Korade Z, Genaro-Mattos T, Hanson C, Anderson-Berry A, Thoene M. Retinol and Pro-Vitamin A Carotenoid Nutritional Status during Pregnancy Is Associated with Newborn Hearing Screen Results. Nutrients. 2023 Feb 4;15(4):800. doi: 10.3390/nu15040800. PMID: 36839158; PMCID: PMC9967333.
• Thompson M, Ulu A, Mukherjee M, Yuil-Valdes AG, Thoene M, Van Ormer M, Slotkowski R, Mauch T, Anderson-Berry A, Hanson CK, Nordgren TM, Natarajan SK. Something Smells Fishy: How Lipid Mediators Impact the Maternal-Fetal Interface and Neonatal Development. Biomedicines. 2023 Jan 10;11(1):171. doi: 10.3390/biomedicines11010171. PMID: 36672679; PMCID: PMC9855822.
• Hanson C, Samson K, Anderson-Berry AL, Slotkowski RA, Su D. Racial disparities in caesarean delivery among nulliparous women that delivered at term: cross-sectional decomposition analysis of Nebraska birth records from 2005-2014. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. 2022 Apr 15;22(1):329. doi: 10.1186/s12884-022-04666-3. PMID: 35428241; PMCID: PMC9013155.
• Thompson M, Ulu A, Yuil-Valdes AG, Mukherjee M, Thoene M, Van Ormer M, Slotkowski R, Lyden E, Anderson Berry A, Hanson CK, Nordgren TM, Natarajan SK. Omega-6 and Omega-3 Fatty Acid-Derived Oxylipins from the Lipoxygenase Pathway in Maternal and Umbilical Cord Plasma at Delivery and Their Relationship with Infant Growth. Int J Mol Sci. 2022 Jan 9;23(2):708. doi: 10.3390/ijms23020708. PMID: 35054892; PMCID: PMC8775763.
• Thoene M, Van Ormer M, Yuil-Valdes A, Bruett T, Natarajan SK, Mukherjee M, Thompson M, Nordgren TM, Van Lippevelde W, Overby NC, Adu-Bonsaffoh K, Anderson-Berry A, Hanson C. Fat-soluble nutrients and Omega-3 fatty acids as modifiable factors influencing preterm birth risk. Placenta. 2020 Sep 1;98:38-42. doi: 10.1016/j.placenta.2019.12.002. Epub 2019 Dec 5. PMID: 33039030; PMCID: PMC7548396.
• Ulu A, Sahoo PK, Yuil-Valdes AG, Mukherjee M, Van Ormer M, Muthuraj PG, Thompson M, Anderson Berry A, Hanson CK, Natarajan SK, Nordgren TM. Omega-3 Fatty Acid-Derived Resolvin D2 Regulates Human Placental Vascular Smooth Muscle and Extravillous Trophoblast Activities. Int J Mol Sci. 2019 Sep 7;20(18):4402. doi: 10.3390/ijms20184402. PMID: 31500240; PMCID: PMC6770915.
• Thoene M, Anderson-Berry A, Van Ormer M, Furtado J, Soliman GA, Goldner W, Hanson C. Quantification of Lutein + Zeaxanthin Presence in Human Placenta and Correlations with Blood Levels and Maternal Dietary Intake. Nutrients. 2019 Jan 10;11(1):134. doi: 10.3390/nu11010134. PMID: 30634589; PMCID: PMC6356265.

• Six abstracts from our team were accepted to present at Nutrition 2023 in Boston, MA in July of 2023.
• Eight abstracts from our team were accepted and presented in April of 2023 at the Pediatric Academic Societies in Washington, DC.
• Matt VanOrmer successfully defended his dissertation titled “Evaluating the Impact of Routine Enteral Iron Fortification on Gastrointestinal Dysbiosis in Premature Infants.”
• Taija Hahka was awarded a CHRI Mini Grant totaling $15,000 towards her PhD research.
• Rebecca Slotkowski named a UNMC Graduate Student of Distinction in recognition of her successful Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award NIH F30 Fellowship application.

Matt VanOrmer, PhD
Lab Manager
Email
402-559-6709

• NU Collaboration Initiative
• Great Plains IDeA-CTR, Health Research Institute
• Hobel Foundation
• University of Nebraska Foundation