Finally we can tell the world how hard we all work for Dr. Abrams. From dietitians to lab technicians, we are the people who make up the working parts of Dr. Abrams’ research laboratory. Within the Children’s Nutrition Research Center, you can find us in the technical laboratory analyzing samples or in the GCRC seeing study participants and preparing the take-home kits for the participants. We are all really happy to be a part of such interesting and socially relevant research – we just wish sometimes that we could work a few less Saturdays so early in the morning!

Pediatric Dietitian -- Keli Hawthorne

BS, Coordinated Dietetics, Texas Christian University
Neonatal Nutrition Fellow, Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Children’s Hospita
MS, Nutrition, Texas Woman’s University

After working as a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit dietitian, I moved to Houston and began to work with Dr. Abrams in July 2001. Currently, I manage the dietary components of our local and international studies. I have also had the opportunity to travel to Central and South American countries to give lectures and hands-on education to physicians, nurses, and nutritionists on the nutritional management of premature babies.

I am President of the Houston Area Dietetic Association (HADA). With almost 400 members, this is the largest district association in the state of Texas. I am also proud to serve as the Texas Dietetic Association (TDA) Legislative and Public Policy Chair for Federal Issues. In this role, I educate dietitians and our legislators in Washington, DC on the importance of proper nutrition and the expertise of Registered and Licensed Dietitians.

Publications:

Jay Morris, Keli M. Hawthorne, Tim Hotze, Steven A. Abrams, and Kendal D. Hirschi. Nutritional impact of elevated calcium transport activity in carrots. PNAS 2007.

Hawthorne KM, Moreland K, Griffin IJ, Abrams SA. An educational program enhances food label understanding of young adolescents. J Am Diet Assoc 2006; 106:913-916.

Hawthorne KM, Griffin IJ, Lynch MF, Abrams SA. Parents significantly overestimate nutrient intakes in young children. J Am Diet Assoc 2006, abstract.

Etcheverry P, Carstens GE, Brown E, Hawthorne KM, Chen Z, Griffin IJ. Production of stable-isotope-labeled bovine heme and its use to measure heme-iron absorption in children. Am J Clin Nutr 2007;85:452-9.

Lynch MF, Griffin IJ, Hawthorne KM, Chen Z, Hamzo MG, Abrams SA. Calcium balance in 1-4-y-old children. Am J Clin Nutr 2007;85:750-4.

Lynch MF, Griffin IJ, Hawthorne KM, Chen Z, Hamzo MG, Abrams SA. Iron absorption is more closely related to iron status than to daily iron intake in 12- to 48-mo-old children. J Nutr 2007;137:88-92.

Griffin IJ, Lynch MF, Hawthorne KM, Chen Z, Hamzo MG, Abrams SA. Zinc homeostasis in 1-4 year olds consuming diets typical of US children. Brit J Nutr 2007;98:358-63.

Hawthorne KM, Abrams SA, Weird WC. Docosahexanoic acid improves plasma phospholipid DHA content in children. Society for Pediatric Research 2007, abstract.

Hawthorne KM, Abrams SA, Weird WC. Plasma phospholipid levels in children improve with supplementation of DHA to orange juice. J Am Diet Assoc 2007;107:8,A-56.

Abrams SA, Griffin IJ, Hawthorne KM, Ellis KJ. Effect of prebiotic supplementation and calcium intake on body mass index. J Pediatr 2007;151:293-8.

Abrams SA, Hawthorne KM, Aliu O, Hicks PD, Chen Z, Griffin IJ. An inulin-type fructan enhances calcium absorption primarily via an effect on colonic absorption in humans. J Nutr 2007;137:2208-12.

Hawthorne KM and Abrams SA. Safety and efficacy of human milk fortification for very-low-birth-weight infants. Nutrition Reviews Dec 2004;62(12):482-485.

Hawthorne KM, Griffin IJ, Abrams SA. Current issues in nutritional management of very low birth weight infants. Minerva Pediatrica 2004 Aug; 56(4): 359-72.

Hawthorne KM, Griffin IJ, Ellis KJ, Abrams SA.  Soft drink intake is not related to phosphorus intake or bone density. Journal of the American Dietetic Association, August 2004, Suppl 2 – Abstracts; Vol 104, Number 8, A-50.

Abrams SA, Weaver CM, McCabe GP, Griffin IJ, Hilmers DC, Hawthorne KM, Martin BR, McCabe LD, Ellis KJ. Calcium absorption is related to growth during puberty. Pediatr Res 2004;55:181A.

Etcheverry P, Hawthorne KM, Abrams SA, Griffin IJ. Beef protein increases iron and zinc absorption compared to soy protein. Pediatr Res 2004;55:180A.

Avalos Mishaan AM, Zavaleta N, Griffin IJ, Hilmers DC, Hawthorne KM, Abrams SA.  Bioavailability of iron and zinc from a multiple micronutrient-fortified beverage. Journal of Pediatrics 2004 Jul;145(1):26-31.

B.S. Food Science, Cornell University, 1996
M.S. Food Science, North Carolina State University, 1998
Ph.D. Food Science, Cornell University, 2003

Started in Dr. Abrams’ lab: March 2003

Originally from Buenos Aires, Argentina, I’ve been living in the U.S. for quite some time. I received my Ph.D. from Cornell University, in the lab of Dr. Dennis Miller and Dr. Ray Glahn, working on the mineral bioavailability from human milk fortifier for low birth weight infants using an in vitro digestion/Caco-2 cell model system.

During my last semester at Cornell, I also became quite interested in studying the ‘milk factor’ or Fe-enhancing component in human milk that presumably is responsible for the high fractional iron availability observed in infants.

In mid March 2003, I started working at the CNRC under the guidance of Dr. Steve Abrams and Dr. Ian Griffin. My ongoing projects consist of studying the Fe and Zn absorption from beef in children and assessing the effect that heme-Fe has on Zn absorption.

Publications
Paz Etcheverry, Dennis D. Miller and Raymond P. Glahn. 2003. Human millk fractionation and its effect on iron uptake by Caco-2 cells. The FASEB Journal 17: LB365.

Paz Etcheverry, John C. Wallingford, Dennis D. Miller and Raymond P. Glahn. 2002. Simultaneous determination of 45Calcium and 65Zinc uptake by Caco-2 cells. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 50: 6287-6294.

Paz Etcheverry, John C. Wallingford, Dennis D. Miller and Raymond P. Glahn. 2002.
Bioavailability of calcium, zinc and iron from a commercial human milk fortifier using
an in vitro digestion/Caco-2 cell culture model. The FASEB Journal 16 (4): A273.

Jesús M. Porres, Paz Etcheverry, Dennis D. Miller and Xin Gen Lei. 2001. Phytase and citric acid supplementation in whole-wheat bread improves phytate-phosphorus release and iron dialyzability. Journal of Food Science 66 (4): 614-619.