The Arkansas Children’s Research Institute (ACRI) has named Colin Kay director of the Arkansas Children’s Nutrition Center (ACNC), a partnership between Arkansas Children’s and the USDA-Agricultural Research Service.
ACNC is one of six National Human Nutrition Centers funded by the USDA-ARS, and one of just two focused on pediatric and maternal nutrition and metabolic health in the United States.
Kay, who took on the job this summer, previously served as director of Precision Health Research at ACRI and as the scientific director of the Metabolomics and Analytical Chemistry Research Core within ACNC.
He joined the faculty at UAMS in 2023 as a professor of developmental nutrition in the Department of Pediatrics. Before coming to Arkansas, Kay served as a distinguished professor in the Plants for Human Health Institute at North Carolina State University.
In his role as director of ACNS, Kay leads initiatives to create cloud-based knowledge databases and data visualization dashboards that integrate dietary composition, biochemical pathways and disease data. These efforts are designed to support precision health initiatives, aiming to enhance research capabilities across a range of pediatric health challenges.
“Dr. Kay’s expertise in metabolomics, data science and precision nutrition will significantly enhance our research capabilities across a range of pediatric health initiatives,” Dr. Pete Mourani, senior vice president and chief research officer for Arkansas Children’s and president of ACRI, said in a press release. “We are excited to have his leadership as we continue to address the critical health challenges facing children.”
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