Dr. Genevieve Newton
Assistant Professor
Email: newton@uoguelph.ca
Office: ANNU 371B
Ext: 56822
Profile | Education | Research | Publications | Teaching | Grad Students | Links |
Profile
I developed a keen interest in nutrition while in Chiropractic College, and decided to pursue an MSc in this field at the University of Guelph shortly after graduating. My thoughts were that I would use my newfound knowledge to integrate nutrition into my clinical practice. Instead, I ended up realizing that academia was a much better fit with my interests and aptitudes, and rather than returning to private practice, I continued on to do doctoral and post-doctoral training in nutrition. My MSc research was focused on the role of omega-3 fatty acids in adult Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, and my PhD research was focused on the role of niacin in the process of spatial learning, specifically as it relates to modulation of the intracellular calcium signaling molecule cyclic ADP-ribose. After completion of my PhD degree, I worked as a post-doctoral fellow at the University of Waterloo, where I investigated the intake of omega-3 fatty acids by elderly community living residents. Currently, my research interests lie in the area of pedagogy, or teaching research, specifically within the field of human health and nutrition.
Education
BSc (liberal) – Laurentian University
Doctor of Chiropractic – National University of Health Sciences
MSc – University of Guelph
PhD – University of Guelph
Research
While working as a post-doctoral fellow, I had the opportunity to teach Human Biochemistry in a second year undergraduate classroom in the Department of Kinesiology. I enjoyed the experience immensely, and after taking an early maternity leave from my fellowship, decided to focus my attention exclusively on teaching for a period of time. During my brief research hiatus, I was very interested in soliciting feedback from students to determine the effectiveness of the teaching strategies that I was using in the classroom. I realized that if structured correctly, I would acquire usable data that could translate into relevant pedagogical findings. This led to my decision to make pedagogy the focus of my research efforts, since it combines my passions for nutrition and teaching together.
My current research projects lie in three areas. First, I am investigating whether using nutrition and nutraceutical based learning modules can facilitate learning and integration of metabolic pathways in a second year Biochemistry course, as well as increase retention of material over the long-term. Second, I am investigating whether breakout groups can be used effectively as an active learning technique across different levels of undergraduate education. And third, I am investigating the use of lecture capture by undergraduate students and whether it can be used effectively to improve performance. My overall objective is to identify teaching strategies that can be used to improve learning and that will facilitate deep over surface learning approaches.
Selected Publications
Fratesi JA, Hogg RC, Young-Newton GS, Patterson AC, Charkhzarin P, Block Thomas K, Sharratt MT, Stark KD. Direct quantitation of omega-3 fatty acid intake of Canadian residents of a long-term care facility. Appl Physiol Nutr Metab. 2009; 34:1-9.
Young GS , Kirkland JB. The role of dietary niacin intake and the ADP-ribosyl cyclase enzyme CD38 in spatial learning ability: Is cADPR the link between diet and behavior? Nutr Res Rev. 2008; 21:42-55.
Young GS , Choleris E, Lund F, Kirkland JB. Like niacin deficient rats, Cd38-/- mice show improved water maze performance. Curr Topics Nutr Res. 2008; 5:111-120.
Young GS , Kirkland JB. Rat models of caloric intake and physical activity: relationships to animal physiology and human health. Appl Phys Nutr Metab. 2007; 32:161-76.
Thorn S, Young GS, Kirkland JB. The guinea pig is not a good animal model for studies of niacin deficiency. Br J Nutr. 2007; 29:1-8.
Young GS , Jacobson E, Kirkland JB. Water maze performance in young male Long-Evans rats is inversely affected by dietary intakes of niacin and may be linked to levels of the NAD + metabolite cADPR. J Nutr. 2007; 137:1050-7.
Young GS , Kirkland JB. Modifications to increase the efficiency of the fluorometric cycling assay for cyclic ADP-ribose. Comb Chem High Throughput Screen. 2006; 9:633-7.
Young GS , Choleris E, Lund F, Kirkland JB. Decreased cADPR and increased NAD + in the Cd38 -/-mouse. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2006; 346:188-92. *Manuscript accepted without revisions.
Young GS , Choleris E, Kirkland JB. Use of salient and non-salient visuospatial cues by rats in the Morris Water Maze. Physiol Behav. 2006; 87:793-99.
Young GS , Thomas R, Conquer JA. Effect of Supplementation with High Dose Fish Oil and Flax Oil on Serum Phospholipid Fatty Acid Levels in Adults with Attention Deficit Disorder. Reprod Nutr Dev. 2005; 45:549-58.
Conquer JA, Young GS. Omega-3 fatty acids and neuropsychiatric disorders. Reprod Nutr Dev. 2005; 45:1-28.
Young GS , Maharaj NJ, Conquer JA. Blood phospholipid fatty acid analysis of adults with and without Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. Lipids. 2004; 39:117-23.
Teaching
HHNS*6040 University of Guelph – Research Fronts in Nutrition & Nutraceutical Sciences
NUTR*3210 University of Guelph – Fundamentals of Nutrition
KIN*2070 University of Guelph Humber – Biochemistry & Metabolism II
Grad Students
Lindsay Delisle (MSc student - co-advised with J. Kirkland)
Verena Kulak (MSc student)
Elizabeth Martin (MSc student - co-advised with L. Jadeski)
Rahul Sharma (MSc student)