Robert Chapkin

Undergraduate Education

BSc. in Nutrition and Biochemistry, University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada, 1981

Graduate Education

MSc. in Nutrition, University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada, 1983
Ph.D. in Nutrition and Physiological Chemistry, University of California, Davis, California, 1986
Post-doc, Cell Biology, University of California – Davis, 1986-1988

Courses Taught

NUTR 203: Scientific Principles of Nutrition
NUTR 642: Nutritional Biochemistry II

Awards

2016-2023 – NCI Outstanding Investigator Awardee (R35)
2017- Texas A&M University Association of Former Students, Distinguished Achievement Award in Graduate Mentoring
2015-2016 – President Sigma Xi (Texas A&M Chapter)
2014 – Texas A&M University System Distinguished Professor
2013 – American Society for Nutrition (ASN) Osborne and Mendel Award
2011 – Texas A&M University Association of Former Students Distinguished Achievement Award in Research
2010-Present – Texas A&M University System Regents Professor
2009 – Vegetable & Fruit Improvement Center, Texas AgriLife Research Director’s Award
2008 – NASA Space Act Award
2007 – Senior Faculty Fellow, Texas A&M University
2006 – Sigma Xi Distinguished Scientist Award, Texas A&M University Chapter
2001-Present – Texas A&M University Faculty Fellow
2000 – Texas Agricultural Experimentation Station (TAES) Faculty Fellow
1996 – American Society for Nutrition (ASN) Bio Serv Award in Experimental Animal Nutrition
1995 – American Oil Chemists’ Society, Outstanding Paper Presentation
1991-1992 – PEW National Nutrition Program Faculty Scholar
1989-1994 – National Institutes of Health “First Award”

http://chapkinlab.tamu.edu/

http://ctehrgenomics.tamu.edu

Google Scholar

Post-Doctoral 

Transparency, honesty and fairness are central tenets of his training and mentoring philosophy. Dr. Chapkin embraces both scientific rigor and transparency in accordance with NIH ethics guidelines. For example, all his trainees are counseled in the four areas deemed important for enhancing rigor and transparency that applies to the full spectrum of research, basic to clinical. Specifically:

1. The scientific premise forming the basis of the proposed research.
2. Rigorous experimental design and reporting of unbiased scientific results.
3. Consideration of relevant biological variables.
4. Authentication of key biological and chemical resources.

It is emphasized repeatedly that Dr. Chapkin expects all trainees will achieve robust and unbiased results. All his trainees participate in program-sponsored seminars and an ethics class offered by several of the Departments with interest in Cancer Prevention. In addition, since he is a member of an NCI-funded T32 post-doctoral training program (T32-CA090301, formerly R25-CA090301) in Nutrition, Biostatistics & Bioinformatics (http://www.stat.tamu.edu/train/), his lab members have the opportunity to interact with statistically oriented trainees (Biostatisticians, Statisticians, Engineers, Mathematicians, Computer Scientists, etc.) who are developing new statistical and computational methods that are tailored to the biology of Nutrition and Cancer.

Research in the Chapkin lab focuses on dietary/microbial modulators related to the prevention of cancer and chronic inflammatory diseases. Our central goal is to (1) understand cancer chemoprevention at a fundamental level, and (2) to test pharmaceutical agents in combination with dietary/microbial (countermeasures to the Western diet) to more effectively improve gut health and reduce systemic chronic inflammation.  Since diet influences gut microbiota composition and metabolite production, to unravel the interrelationships among gut health and the structure of the gut microbial ecosystem, we are in the process of evaluating (using transgenic mouse, Drosophila models and humans) how the gut microbiome modulates intestinal cells, innate immune cells and tumors.

Biochemical Mechanisms of Marine and Plant Species-Derived Bioactive Agents:  Role in Immune Modulation and Chemoprevention.

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