Gut Check: Alumna Studies the Human Microbiome
Eva Keohane ‘21 knows that you can’t compare apples to oranges. She recently discovered something else. You can’t compare apples to apples either. A native of Brewerton, N.Y., Keohane is pursuing a doctorate in agricultural chemistry at Colorado State University in Fort Collins. That means she spends a great deal of time in the lab conducting chemical analyses of different kinds of food. She’s found that, depending on how and where they are grown, two fruits of the same variety can have “incredibly different” molecular compositions, bioactive compounds and nutrients. That, of course, can have a range of implications for human health, particularly what is known as the gut microbiome. It remains an up-and-coming field, with scientists like Keohane carefully studying the trillions of microorganisms that live inside the human body, and the ways in which those microorganisms impact everything from cognition to the regulation of the immune system.
The link between nutrition and wellness is something that has long fascinated Keohane. Both her father and mother’s families owned farms, raising dairy cows and growing corn respectively. That influenced Keohane in ways that she didn’t fully appreciate when she was a child. However, by the time she was in high school she realized that the hours she spent on her family’s land had spurred her interest in science. That led her to Le Moyne, where she studied chemistry, and to the work she is now doing. One day Keohane may be analyzing urine or plasma samples for a nutritional study housed in Colorado State’s Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition. Another day she may be working on a paper about plant compounds known as polyphenols, which are found in foods like fruits, vegetables, tea and even dark chocolate. She uses tools like mass spectrometry to better understand the foods that nourish and sustain us, so that she can share what she has learned with others.
Keohane was recently selected for the Future Leaders for Food and Agricultural Research Fellowship program, which provides funding and career training for doctoral students studying food and agriculture. There are 30 participants in the Le Moyne alumna’s cohort. They conduct research in incredibly different fields, but share a common goal of progressing the fields of food and agriculture. It’s a “close-knit group,” Keohane says. They meet twice a year in person and weekly via Zoom to focus on developing skills that are not usually part of a traditional doctoral program. For example, how to present their research to a lay audience, work as part of a team, and communicate effectively.
Education is especially important to Keohane. While most people know what a calorie or a macronutrient is, they have only a vague understanding of the role the composition of their food plays in their overall health. Keohane would like to change that. In the future, she hopes to work for a startup or industrial company, using her analytical and laboratory skills to continue to investigate the human microbiome so that nutrition can be personalized for every body. It comes down to this, she says: “If you fuel yourself adequately and well, you can perform incredibly well and if you don’t it can really diminish your quality of life.”
You may read about Keohane’s experience as a Clare Boothe Luce Reseach Scholar during her time at Le Moyne here.
