Lab Members

Our Staff

Dr. Jonathan Krakoff is the section chief of the Obesity and Diabetes Clinical Research Section, Phoenix Epidemiology and Clinical Research Branch and a board-certified endocrinologist and internist. His research investigates the etiology of type 2 diabetes and obesity, primarily by focusing on issues that affect energy balance, energy expenditure, and energy intake.
Photo of Douglas Chang.
Dr. Douglas Chang is Medical Director of the Clinical Research Unit in the Obesity and Diabetes Clinical Research Section of NIDDK Phoenix.  Dr. Chang is board certified in both Internal Medicine and Obesity Medicine.  Current research interests include understanding determinants of energy intake and expenditure with a special emphasis on examining the interaction between hydration and obesity which is characterized by prolonged energy imbalance. Additional research examines the role of insulin and glucose regulation in metabolism and investigates novel biomarkers of type 2 diabetes.
Marci Gluck.
Dr. Marci Gluck is Director of Behavioral Sciences in the Obesity and Diabetes Clinical Research section of the NIDDK. She is a trained clinical health psychologist, having completed her graduate training from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine from Yeshiva University, her predoctoral internship at Yale University School of Medicine, and her NIH postdoctoral fellowship at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. Dr. Gluck has over 20 years of experience conducting clinical studies in adults with obesity and disordered eating behaviors. Her research focuses on the integration of behavioral, neuropsychological and physiological mechanisms that influence appetitive behavior and body weight regulation.  In her spare time, Dr. Gluck enjoys hiking, spending time with her two dogs Ben & Jerry and complaining about the Arizona heat!
Susi Votruba headshot.
Dr. Votruba has a Ph.D. in Nutritional Sciences and is a Registered Dietitian. She is the only R.D./Ph.D. at NIDDK PECRB, and is responsible for the oversight of the metabolic kitchen and also functions as a PI on several studies. Her research interests include improving measurement of food intake and establishing determinants of weight loss and gain. Her broader research interests are in the metabolic determinants of obesity, obesity phenotypes, the measurement of food intake, the development of biomarkers of food intake, and the interaction of the microbiome with the physiology of metabolism.
Tommy Cabeza DeBaca headshot.
Tomás Cabeza de Baca, Ph.D., is a staff scientist for the Obesity and Diabetes Clinical Research Section in Phoenix, Arizona. He received his doctoral degree from the University of Arizona and completed his postdoctoral training at the University of California, San Francisco. His research interests include the examination of psychosocial, ecological, and physiological determinants of energy intake and expenditure and their underlying effects on cardiometabolic risk and physiological deterioration. In his spare time, Tommy enjoys shortening his telomeres with cheeseburgers and tequila.
Photo of Paolo Piaggi.
Paolo Piaggi, Ph.D. is interested in the physiological and genetic determinants of the energy balance equation (energy intake and expenditure) and the role these play in contributing to weight change and in predisposing individuals to obesity.
Emma Stinson headshot.
Emma J. Stinson, M.P.H.
Statistician
Emma J. Stinson, M.P.H. is a statistician for the Obesity and Diabetes Clinical Research Section in Phoenix, Arizona. She received her master’s degree in Biostatistics from Drexel University in March of 2020. Her research interests include the development and application of statistical methodology in the study of obesity and eating behaviors with an emphasis on the psychosocial and behavioral determinants of energy intake and energy expenditure.

Our Fellows

Photo of Beyza Aydin.
Beyza Aydin, M.D.
Visiting Fellow

Beyza Aydin, M.D. is a visiting fellow for the Obesity and Diabetes Clinical Research Section in Phoenix, Arizona. She received her M.D. from Istanbul University, Istanbul Faculty of Medicine, Turkey, in 2019. She practiced as a physician in an emergency department in Turkey for 20 months. Beyza's primary project focuses on the effects of seasonality on the measurement of spontaneous physical activity, 24-hour energy expenditure, and substrate oxidation in an indirect calorimetry metabolic chamber. She is also interested in studying t-DCS brain stimulation as a potential mediator of weight loss and its long-term effects on caloric intake.

Photo of Andres Trevino Alvarez
Andrés Marcelo Treviño Alvarez, M.D.
Visiting Fellow
Andrés received his medical degree and graduated as a psychiatrist from Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon, in Monterrey, Mexico. His research interests include eating behavior, mental health, emotional regulation, and prevention of obesity and psychiatric disorders. He moved to Phoenix with his wife and they love discovering the city and its surroundings.
Headshot of Yigit Unlu.
Yigit Unlu, M.D.
Visiting Fellow
Yigit Unlu, M.D. is a visiting fellow for the Obesity and Diabetes Clinical Research Section in Phoenix, Arizona. He received his doctoral degree from Acibadem University School of Medicine in Istanbul, Turkey and practiced medicine in an E.R. for 10 months before joining NIDDK. His research interests include the effects of Gut Hormones on Substrate Oxidation, Energy expenditure, different aspects of diet induced thermogenesis and clinical application of these findings.
Hannah Fry
Hannah Fry, B.S.
Post-Baccalaureate Intramural Research Training Award Fellow

Hannah is a post bac IRTA fellow working in the Obesity and Diabetes Clinical Research Section. She graduated with a degree in Biological Sciences and a certificate in Cross-Sector Leadership from Arizona State University in 2022. As an IRTA fellow, Hannah will combine her interests in nutrition, metabolic diseases, and social determinants of health. After completing her fellowship, Hannah is planning on pursuing medical school to become a primary care physician that works with underserved populations. In her free time Hannah loves to be outdoors and is an avid hiker.

Photo of Meeah Willig.
Meeah Willig, B.S.
Post-Baccalaureate Intramural Research Training Award Fellow

Meeah is a post bac IRTA working in the Obesity and Diabetes Clinical Research Section. She graduated with her B.S. in Biochemistry from Austin Peay State University in May 2022. Currently, she is working on a project looking at insulin action as a possible predictor of diabetic nephropathy. After completing her fellowship, she plans to attend medical school where her continued focus will be on addressing health disparities that exist in rural and underserved populations. In her free time, she loves to try new food and hike with her husband and two dogs.

Our Research Staff

Shellilene Bileen
Research Recruiter
Myra Francisco.
Myra Francisco, BSN, RN
Clinical Research Nurse
Rachel Lopez
Rachel Lopez
Research Recruiter
Barbie J. Morales, R.N.
Clinical Research Nurse
Adam Mullet.
Adam Mullet
Metabolic Kitchen Cook
Shannon Parrington.
Shannon Parrington
ODCRS Laboratory Supervisor
Photo of Terri Rodzevik.
Terri Rodzevik, D.N.P., F.N.P.-B.C., E.N.P.-C.
Supervisory Nurse Practitioner
Rodney Smith.
Rodney Smith
Metabolic Kitchen Cook
Dacia Sorrell, R.N., B.S.N.
Clinical Research Nurse
Eric Tsosie.
Eric Tsosie
Metabolic Kitchen Cook
Photo of Christian Young.
Christian Young
IT Specialist

Our Alumni

Photo of Martin Reinhardt.
Martin Reinhardt, M.D.
Visiting Fellow, 2013-2015
Photo of Alessio Basolo
Alessio Basolo, M.D., Ph.D.
Visiting Fellow, 2015-2020
Photo of Tim Hollstein
Tim Hollstein, M.D.
Visiting Fellow, 2018-2020
Photo of Cassie Mitchell.
Cassie M. Mitchell, Ph.D., R.D.
Post-doctoral Intramural Research Training Award Fellow, 2019-2022
Photo of Ethan Paddock.
Ethan Paddock, M.D.
Post-Baccalaureate Intramural Research Training Award Fellow, 2015-2017
Photo of Coley Andersen.
Coley Andersen, B.S.
Post-Baccalaureate Intramural Research Training Award Fellow, 2018-2021
Photo of Mujtaba Shah
Mujtaba Shah, B.S.
Post-Baccalaureate Intramural Research Training Award Fellow, 2018-2020
Photo of Alarmel Sira
Alarmel Sira, B.S.
Post-Baccalaureate Intramural Research Training Award Fellow, 2018-2019
Photo of Jetaun Booker.
Jetaun Booker, B.S.
Post-Baccalaureate Intramural Research Training Award Fellow, 2020-2022
Photo of Katherine Travis
Katherine Travis, B.S.
Post-Baccalaureate Intramural Research Training Award Fellow, 2020-2022
Photo of Mary Ahern
Mary Ahern, M.S., R.D.
Post-Baccalaureate Intramural Research Training Award Fellow, 2022-2023
Photo of Nicolas Guerithault.
Nicolas Guerithault, M.S.
Post-Baccalaureate Intramural Research Training Award Fellow, 2021-2023
Skyler Chauff
CDT Skyler Chauff
WestPoint Summer Student, Summer 2023

Group Photos

2023 metabolic kitchen staff.ODCRS Metabolic Kitchen Staff, 2023.
Obesity & Diabetes Clinical Research Section team members at Mary Ahern's farewell dinnerODCRS Mary farewell dinner, 2023.
 
Obesity & Diabetes Clinical Research Section and NIDDK Phoenix Epidemiology and Clinical Research Branch team members visit the White House in 2023PECRB/ODCRS Fellows visit the White House, 2023, Washington, DC.
 
 NIDDK Diversity Summer Research Program Fellow Brooke Betsuie presents her summer research NIDDK DSRTP Fellow, Brooke Betsuie, presents her summer research on environmental unpredictability in Bethesda, Maryland.
 
ODCRS Lab Group, 2023.

ODCRS group at the 2022 Obesity Week ConferenceODCRS group at the 2022 Obesity Week Conference in San Diego, California.

ODCRS Kate farewell potluck, 2022ODCRS Kate farewell potluck, 2022.
 ODCRS clinical research staff.ODCRS clinical research staff hard at work during the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Obesity week photo of ODCRS group. ODCRS group at the 2018 Obesity Week Conference in Nashville Tennessee.
Poster Presentation at The Obesity Week Conference.Statistician Emma Stinson presenting her research on Food Insecurity at The 2017 Obesity Week Conference in Washington, DC.
Last Reviewed November 2023