Eating for Your Genes

Dr. Deborah J. Good obtained her PhD in Molecular and Cellular Biology from Northwestern University in Evanston, IL. During her graduate work, she characterized and patented the action of a tumor-suppressor controlled inhibitor of angiogenesis. During her postdoctoral fellowship at the National Institutes of Health, she developed three different knockout mouse models and characterized the role of two basic helix–loop–helix transcription factors in the developing nervous system. After accepting a tenure-track position in the Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, her research program focused on the genetic control of obesity and fertility. In 2006, Dr. Good was recruited to the Department of Human Nutrition, Foods, and Exercise at Virginia Tech to join a growing number of transdisciplinary obesity researchers. It was in Blacksburg, Virginia where she and Daniel Miglia, the co-author of this text, met, and married. To date, Dr. Good has secured close to 4 million dollars in external awards and published more than 60 journal articles and book chapters on the genetics of body weight regulation. She has authored two other textbooks for Kendall-Hunt Publishers and has multiple papers and presentations on teaching pedagogy. She is currently a co-principal investigator on a Howard Hughes Medical Institute grant to promote inclusive excellence training for departments at Virginia Tech. Her passion for promoting research for undergraduates and minority students is evidenced by her development of the “Scholars program” 12 years ago. This program was originally funded by a USDA Higher Education Challenge grant, and most recently as an R25 from NIH with Dr. Samantha Harden. Overall, the Translational Obesity Undergraduate Research “TOUR” Scholars in its various iterations has sponsored more than 100 students for summer undergraduate research at Virginia Tech. Her current research program focuses on a mouse with a genetic deletion of the basic helix–loop–helix transcription factor Nhlh2. The mouse model has led her laboratory to uncover molecular mechanisms implicated in human obesity, sedentary behavior, hypogonadism, infertility, and the human genetic condition, Prader–Willi Syndrome. Dr. Good lives in Dublin, Virginia on Claytor Lake, with her husband Daniel, and her cat Graycie. Her daughter Claire is an undergraduate biology student and helped to edit each chapter of this book.

Mr. Daniel J. Miglia is a Culinary Institute of America-trained chef with more than 40 years of experience in the Food Service Industry, including Hilton, Hyatt, Holiday Inn, colleges, hospitals, and assisted living facilities. He also helped to open five regional Cook-Out Restaurants and, as a trained barista, started their “Coffee-Out” program. In 1992, Mr. Miglia received the “Courtesy is Contagious” award from the International Food Service Executives Association. He has catered hundreds of weddings and other private and public events, and ran a local food truck for several years. His business, Hickry Ridge Management is the umbrella for several of his current projects, including restaurant consulting. For this book, Mr. Miglia’s expansive culinary expertise was put to use in recipe development, testing, plating, and photography. In his personal life, Mr. Miglia served for 20 years as a youth director to 6th through 12th grade children through the United Methodist Church, and spent 14 years as a licensed therapeutic foster parent, fostering Angela, Adrianna, Ashley, Andrew, William, Samuel, and Wendy. With these children, his three biological children—Daniel, Rachael, and Benjamin, and stepchild Claire, he has had the experience of feeding multiple critics in any given day, learning the culinary definition of the word “yucky.” Like many of you, Mr. Miglia is learning more about genetics and is a student of science. He is very interested in the genetic conditions that might affect the absorption rates of vitamins and minerals, as well as exploring healthy food combinations, and preparation techniques. Mr. Miglia lives on Claytor Lake in Dubin, VA, with his wife Dr. Deborah Good. In his free time, he enjoys craft wood, fishing, boating, and preparing delicious and nutritious meals for family and friends.