Kordas elected Fellow of the American Society for Nutrition

Katarzyna Kordas, associate professor in Department of Epidemiology and Environmental Health, School of Public Health and Health Professions, has been named a Fellow of the American Society for Nutrition (FASN), one of the highest honors bestowed by the organization.

Kordas is among 69 nutrition professionals selected as part of the American Society for Nutrition’s 2026 Excellence in Nutrition Fellows program. The designation recognizes distinguished ASN members who have made sustained contributions to nutrition science and practice while demonstrating long-term service and leadership within the nutrition community.

The FASN designation recognizes Kordas’ research examining how nutrition, diet and environmental contaminants interact to influence human health, particularly among children and other vulnerable populations. Her work focuses on understanding the role of nutrients, nutritional status and dietary patterns in heavy metal exposure and toxicity, an area of growing importance as researchers and policymakers seek to address food safety and environmental health challenges.

Since 2011, Kordas has co-led the Salud Ambiental Montevideo cohort study in Uruguay, an interdisciplinary research initiative investigating how environmental exposures, nutrition and social conditions affect children’s health and development. Supported by multiple National Institutes of Health grants, the project has generated important insights into the relationships among diet, toxic metal exposure, cognitive development, cardiovascular health and other health outcomes.

Kordas’ research has helped shape risk assessments and guidance developed by organizations including the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry and the European Food Safety Authority. Her studies have advanced understanding of how foods can simultaneously provide essential nutrients while serving as potential sources of contaminants such as lead, arsenic and cadmium.

Beyond research, Kordas has demonstrated a longstanding commitment to mentoring the next generation of public health and nutrition scientists. She has mentored 15 Master of Public Health students, 12 master’s students, three doctoral students and a postdoctoral fellow, while also collaborating with trainees and researchers across the United States, Latin America and Europe.

An ASN member since 1999, Kordas has held numerous leadership roles within the organization, including serving on the Nutritional Epidemiology Research Interest Group Advisory Board and the executive council of the Society for International Nutrition Research. She has organized scientific symposia, reviewed student research competitions and served on the editorial board of The Journal of Nutrition from 2010 to 2018.

Kordas also has become an expert source on issues related to lead exposure, food contamination and nutrition, sharing her expertise through professional conferences, national webinars and media outlets including NPR, The Washington Post, WebMD and The Conversation.

Announcing the 2026 fellows, ASN President Naïma Moustaïd-Moussa said the honorees represent “a remarkable group of leaders whose contributions to research, clinical care, education, policy and mentorship continue to strengthen and advance the field of nutrition.”

The fellowship reflects Kordas’ more than two decades of research, mentorship and service dedicated to improving understanding of how nutrition and environmental exposures shape health across the lifespan.