Curriculum Vitae

Aron M. Troen, DPhil

Associate Professor, Nutrition
Director, Nutrition and Brain Health Laboratory
Institute of Biochemistry, Food Science and Nutrition
Office address: Freiburg building, Room #102

November 2021

Education

2001-2003	Postdoctoral Research Associate; Vitamin Metabolism & Aging Laboratory, and Nutrition & Neurocognition Laboratory; Jean Mayer United Stated Department of Agriculture Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University (JM USDA HNRCA)
2000	DPhil Physiological Sciences, Oxford University, Oxford, UK.
1996	BSc Biology, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel

Professional Experience

2016 – present	Associate Professor (with tenure), Institute of Biochemistry, Food Science and Nutrition; The Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment
2010 –2016	Senior Lecturer (tenure-track), Institute of Biochemistry, Food Science and Nutrition; The Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment
2010 - 2018	Visiting Scientist, JM USDA HNRCA
2010 - 2015	Adjunct Assistant Professor, Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy (FSNSP), Tufts University
2009 - 2010	Scientist II; JM USDA HNRCA, Tufts University
2008 - 2010	Assistant Professor, FSNSP, Tufts University
2003 - 2009	Scientist III; JM USDA HNRCA, Tufts University
2006 - 2007	Adjunct Assistant Professor; FSNSP, Tufts University

Honors And Awards

2010	Golda Meir Fellow and Lecturer, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
2003	NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, Postdoctoral Travel Award
2002	The Alzheimer's Association Ronald and Nancy Reagan Research Institute New Investigator Research Grant Award
1996 - 1999	Oxford University Dept. of Pharmacology, Departmental Scholarship

Editorial Boards And Professional Activity

2021–present	Associate Editor, Frontiers in Nutrition and Brain Health
2020	Reviewer for Environmental Health Fund annual report
2019	Member, Myers JDC Brookdale Institute, Nutrition Labelling National Evaluation Survey scientific advisory committee
2017	Member AARP Global Council on Brain Health expert panel on nutrition and brain health
2016 –present	Editorial Board, Nutrition Reviews
2016 –present	Editorial Board, Food and Nutrition Bulletin
2015 –present	Member Israel Ministry of Health Committee for Food Fortification, continued consulting for MOH Nutrition Division on Food Policy, Fortification and Food Security
2014 –present	Member ad hoc Research Committee, National Nutritional Security Council (Government of Israel statutory advisory committee)
2012 –present	Representative of Israel to the Iodine Global Network (formerly ICCIDD, International Council for Combating Iodine Deficiency Disorders)
2012 - 2016	Founding editorial board member of Epigenetics of Neurodegenerative Diseases
2011- present	Associate Editor – Frontier in Nutrigenomics
2011 - 2012	Guest Editor Special issue of Journal of Nutrition and Metabolism on Folate Nutrition and Health
2011 - 2012	Guest Editor Special issue of Current Gerontology and Geriatrics Research on Nutrition and Dementia
2006 - 2007	Associate Editor, Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease

Peer review

for the following journals: JAMA Psychiatry, Annals of the New York Academy of Science, Neurobiology of Aging, Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, Neuroscience, Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience, Journal of Nutrition, British Journal of Nutrition, BMC Nutrition, Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry, Journal of Health Nutrition and Aging, American Journal of Physiology, Nutrients, Nutrition Reviews, Journal of Nutrition and Metabolism, Nutrition and Metabolism, European Journal of Nutrition, Food and Nutrition Research, Food and Nutrition Bulletin, International Journal for Vitamin and Nutrition Research, Dementia and Geriatric Cognitive Disorders, Journal of Vascular Research.

Grant review

for the following funding agencies: Israel Science Foundation (ISF); Israel Ministry of Education; The United States – Israel Binational Agricultural Research and Development Fund (BARD); The Alzheimer’s Association (International); South Africa Medical Research Council (SA MRC), Israel-USA Binational Science Foundation (BSF), COST (EU)

Membership in professional societies (past and present)

Association of Public Health Physicians in Israel
Israeli representative to the Iodine Global Network (IGN)
The American Society of Nutrition (ASN)
The Society for Neuroscience
Israel Society for Neuroscience
ISTAART (International Society to Advance Alzheimer's Research and Treatment)
The American Aging Association
Vas-Cog (The International Society for Vascular Cognitive and Behavioral Disorders)
The International Society for Cerebral Blood Flow & Metabolism

Conference organization

2022	Co-chair, Bathsheva de Rothschild Workshop, Avoiding the coming food security crisis: Novel solutions at the intersection of agriculture, environment and health (proposal pending for June 2022)
2022	Initiator and Steering Committee, Food Insecurity – The Continuing Pandemic: Towards Sustainable Food Systems for Israel; Israel Academy of Science and Humanities”. 25.01.2022 (pending)
2021	Convener and Chair, International Webinar on Food Security in the Days of Corona, Hosted by Hebrew University in collaboration with Tel Aviv University, Ben Gurion University, Haifa University and Ariel University, Featuring former USA Secretary of Agriculture, the Hon. Dan Glickman, Deputy Director, Trade and Markets Division, UN Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), Dr. Joseph Schmidhuber, and a round panel of Government of Israel senior civil servants and policymakers discussing the challenges and need for a holistic and integrated food policy for Israel in the wake of the pandemic. 2.3.2021
2020	Convener and Chair, COVID-19 Implications for Public Health Nutrition Priorities Round Table (Israel Association of Public Health Physicians and The Hebrew University Webinar) 26.4.2020
2019	Initiator and Steering Committee – Micronutrient Deficiencies and Food Fortification for Israel – Israel Ministry of Health, Israel Association of Public Health Physicians and Ashkelon Academic College. November 2019
2019	International advisory committee, 12^th International Conference on One-Carbon Metabolism, B Vitamins and Homocysteine; June 9-13, Reus, Spain
2013	Student and Young Investigator Awards Committee, 9^th International Conference on Homocysteine Metabolism and One-Carbon Metabolism; Sept. 8-12, Dublin, Ireland
2013	Initiator and Chair, Israel Iodine Initiative, Sept 2, 2013, Rehovot Israel; Roundtable meeting on Iodine Nutrition in Israel under auspices of School of Nutrition and Israel Ministry of Health, with participation of Prof. Michael Zimmerman, Executive Director of the International Council for Combating Iodine Deficiency Disorders (ICCIDD) and Zurich ETH.
2012	Scientific Steering Committee, Pears International Workshop Challenges in Global Nutrition; September 2-4 2012, Rehovot, Israel
2005	Initiated and organized an international conference on nutritional deficiencies and food security in Israel, the West Bank and Gaza, together with Irwin H. Rosenberg (Tufts University), Drora Fraser (Ben Gurion University) and Ziad Abdeen (AlQuds University). The conference was held in Beer-Sheva, Israel, on February 6-9, 2005 under the joint auspices of Tufts University, Ben Gurion University and AlQuds University.

Doctoral Dissertation Opponent

(Gard Frodahl Tveitevåg Svingen, Components of the choline oxidation pathway in relation to acute myocardial infarction, mortality, and type 2 diabetes); 6-8.04.2016, 2016 Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, The University of Bergen (UiB), Norway.

Advanced Training and Other activities

Graduate of 1^st annual UC Davis Food & Health Entrepreneurship Academy; Davis, California; Feb 22-28, 2009.
Advanced Course - 2^nd Annual Isotope Tracers in Metabolic Research: Principles and Practice of Kinetic Analysis; Little Rock, Arkansas; May 4-8, 2009.
FSNSP Admissions Committee; Finance and Fundraising Advisory Committee
HNRCA Strategic Planning Committee; Seminar Committee; Pilot Grant Review Study Section
HNRCA Speakers Bureau – community lectures on nutrition and cognitive function

Research Grants

Period	Title	Funding Organization	Total
2021-unrestricted	Food Security	Gitler Foundation	56,128 NIS
2021-2022	"In-sight" into consumer healthy-food decisions: An eye-tracking technology study of the real-world efficacy and mechanism of FOP food labels’ influence on consumer decisions	Israel National Institute for Health Policy Research	136,340 NIS
2017	Institutional Equipment Grant No. 2197/17; High Pressure/Perfomance Liquid Chromatograph – Inductively Coupled Plasma – Mass Spectrometer	Israel Science Foundation	798,746 NIS
2016 - 2017	Israel National Iodine Nutrition and Health Survey in Pregnant Women and Children	Israel Ministry of Health	150,000 NIS
2016	A study on the need for salt iodization in Israel	Medical Research and Development Fund for Health Services - Jerusalem	50,000 NIS
2015-2019	The effect of glycation-lowering dietary intervention on Mild Cognitive Impairment	Sagol Center for Brain Research at Sheba Medical Center	357,936 NIS
2015-2018	EUThyroid consortium	Horizons 2020	€8,000
2015 - 2016	The importance of Milk and Milk Products as a source of dietary iodine in humans for preservation of Thyroid Health	Israel Ministry of Health	100,000 NIS
2014-2016	Development of methods for assessing food insecurity	Leket Israel	101,512 NIS
2014-2015	NOFAR Award - Development of a novel strain of Passion Fruit for preservation of brain health	NOFAR Grant - Israel Ministry of Economy	463,770 NIS
2013 - 2014	The Liver-Brain Axis	Nutrigenomics Center Intramural Pilot Grant	$40,000
2011 - 2015	Microvascular and nutritional mechanisms of cognitive impairment	Israel Science Foundation	$250,312
2011 - 2015	NUVASCOG (NUtrition and microVAScular dynamics in COGnitive health	Marie Curie FP7-PEOPLE-2010-RG	€100,00
2010 - 2012	Renal Transplantation, Homocysteine Lowering & Cognition (Subcontract to Hebrew University)	United States National Institutes of Health (NIH NIDDK 5R01DK065114-05)	$88,579
2010	Baseline B-vitamin status and response to B-vitamin homocysteine-lowering therapy in The Women’s Antioxidant and Folic Acid Cardiovascular Study	San Francisco Coordinating Center, NIH Subcontract	$75,949
2008 – 2011	Animal models of cerebrovascular function – A Near Infra-Red Spectroscopy Study	Unilever N.V. – Tufts JM USDA HNRCA 4 Year Strategic Partnership: Cognition	$250,000
2008	Nutritionally-modifiable genetic risk for age related cognitive impairment”,	The Ross Aging Initiative – Seed Grant	$12,000
2007 – 2008	The Study of Osteoporotic Fractures (SOF) Ancillary Study: Gene-Nutrient Interactions and Age-Related Diseases	University of California at Los Angeles, NIH Subcontract	$41,494
2004 – 2005	Life Span Extension by Dietary Methionine Restriction in Drosophila Melanogaster	Jean Mayer USDA HNRCA Pilot Grant	$15,000
2003 – 2011	Renal Transplantation, Homocysteine Lowering and Cognition	United States National Institute of Health NIH-NIDDK/ODS (R01 DK65114-01)	$ 2,100,000
2002 – 2004	The Effect of Hyperhomocysteinemia on Cerebrovascular and Neurological Integrity in a Murine Model	The Alzheimer's Association, New Investigator Research Grant (NIRG-02-4119)	$ 90,000

Service To The Institution

2021-present	Chair, Faculty of Agriculture Food and Environment IACUC Committee
2019-present	Curriculum Committee, MSc program in Nutrition Science
2016 – 2017	Faculty Teaching and Academics Committee, Faculty of Agriculture
2016	Authority for Biological and Preclinical Models Development Committee
2013-present	Executive Committee, Hebrew University Authority for Biological and Preclinical Models
2013	Faculty of Agriculture Scholarship Committee
2012 – 2020	Faculty of Agriculture IACUC Committee
2011-present	Curriculum Committee, School of Nutritional Sciences
2011-2013	Seminar Coordinator, Institute of Biochemistry Food Science and Nutrition

Teaching

	Currently offered courses
65129	Introduction to Nutrition and Food Policy – An Israeli Perspective (2 credit, 3^rd year undergraduate elective, open to MSc students)
65313	Introduction to Epidemiology (4 credit, 2^nd year undergraduate)
71490	Nutrition in Neurodegenerative Diseases (2 credit MSc course)
73524	Nutritional Epidemiology and Public Health (2 credit MSc course, open to School of Nutrition, School of Public Health, Medical students and DVM-MPH students)

	MSc Students
2021-present	Vered Admoni – "Food Waste in School Lunch Programs –Israeli and International perspectives”
2020	Sama Qasem (International Nutrition MSc) – “Prenatal Choline Intake and Offspring Cognition – Implications in Palestine”
2016-2017	Ghada Baransi – “Factors affecting the composition of food baskets distributed by non-profit organizations to the food insecure population in Israel”
2015	Yared Ha Sherawade (International Nutrition MSc) - "Alleviating food security by establishing food banks for the needy in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia"
2015-2017	Lior Chatow - “The effect of folate deficiency on vasculature and methylation-dependent pathways in the aging brain”
2014-2017	Dana Philip - “Better quality food-aid is linked to better nutrition among food pantry users in the Leket Israel Food Bank collaborative
2014-2017	Yael Yellin - “Testing Passiflora's potential for prevention of neurocognitive aging”
2014–2017	Amir Bros - “Can consumption of a Passiflora extract protect the aging brain from microvascular damage?”
2013–2017	Emil Mahamid -”Do the angiodynamic effects of folate-deficient diets alter brain circulation?“ (DVM thesis)
2013	Tirhas Mebratu Gebretsadikan (International Nutrition MSc.) - "Prevalence of Iodine Deficiency Disorder in Mothers and Infants in Ethiopia"
2012-2014	Yael Tal -“The neuroprotective potential of a novel strain of passion fruit” (Co supervised with Oren Tirosh)
2011-2013	Shani Martsiano - “Folate deficiency impairs Notch signaling in rat brain”
2011-2013	Vered Vayman - “Non invasive detection of diet-induced brain microvascular changes by near infrared spectroscopy”
	PhD Students
2013-2021	Nur Abu Ahmad - “Methyl-donor deficiency and the Liver Brain Axis”
2015-2020	Ronnie Lotan - “A dietary intervention to reduce Advanced Glycation End-Product intake in Diabetics with Mild Cognitive Impairment” (Co supervised with Michal Beeri)
2013-2017	Yaniv Ovadia - “Determinants of Iodine Deficiency and Thyroid Health in Israel” (Co supervised with Dubi Gefel)
2013-2014	Zmira Binyamin (withdrew)
2006-2008	Renee Kalambach (Co supervised with Jacob Selhub and Paul Jaques at Tufts University)
2009-2013	Bertan Hallacoglu (Co supervised with Sergio Fantini at Tufts University)
	Postdoctoral Fellows
2020	Efrat Elimelech – Food Security during COVID
2019	Jannetta Azarieva - School Feeding Programs and Food Security
2011-2012	Yaarit Nahum Biala – B Vitamins and Neurodegenerative Disease
2008-2009	Denish Moorthy - Nutrigenomics
2009-2013	Merav Shaul – Nutrition and Cerebrovascular Function

	aron_troen_cv_-_november_9th_2021_-_public.pdf	202 KB

Biochemistry, Food Science and Nutrition

The Robert H Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment

Prof. Aron Troen

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