Chris Gentile was named head of the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition in 2022. His interest in nutrition and exercise physiology arose from his time playing soccer in college and learning more about how food can affect physical performance.

Gentile leads an NIH-funded research program, mentors graduate students, teaches several classes and is the graduate coordinator. He leads the Integrative Cardiovascular Physiology Laboratory, which focuses on identifying the mechanisms by which obesity causes dysfunction of the cardiovascular system. His lab examines how weight gain and certain dietary practices can increase the risk of chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease and type II diabetes.

In the last five years, his team has been working very closely with Associate Professor Tiffany Weir in the FSHN department to determine if changes to the gut microbiome play a role in those diseases, and if so, whether manipulation of the microbiome is a potential therapeutic target.

He holds a master’s degree in integrative physiology from CU Boulder. After receiving his Ph.D. at Virginia Tech, in 2007 he accepted a postdoctoral position working for former FSHN department head Mike Pagliassotti. He was offered a permanent faculty position in the department in 2010.