2026 Personalized Nutrition Innovation Day – The Science of Eating: Variability, Behavior, and the Role of Personalized Nutrition
Our annual event will be held on September 28-30, 2026.
It kicks off with a Clinical Research Faculty Tour and Welcome Dinner for our External Partners, Advisors, and guests (invitation only) on Monday evening. On Tuesday, we have our 6th annual Innovation Day with oral and poster presentations, an External Advisory Committee meeting, and networking opportunities. The following day, we meet with our External Partners Program member organizations.
Call for Abstracts (due August 24)
Registration (closes September 7)
Agenda
| Monday, September 28, 2026 | |
| 5:00 – 6:00 PM | Clinical Research Facility Tour (Invitation only) Freer Hall |
| 6:00 – 7:30 PM | Welcome Dinner for External Advisory and External Partners (invitation only) SpiceBox, Bevier Hall |
| Tuesday, September 29, 2026 | |
| 8:00 – 10:30 AM | External Advisory Committee Meeting NCSA Conference Room 3000 and Live-Streamed |
| 10:30 – 11:00 AM | Badge Pickup – Illini Room Lobby |
| 11:00 AM – 7:30 PM | 2026 Personalized Nutrition Innovation Day – The Science of Eating: Variability, Behavior, and the Role of Personalized Nutrition Location: Illini Union (Illini Room A, B, and C) Presentations in Illini Room A and Live-Streamed |
| 11:00 – 11:10 AM | Welcome Sharon M. Donovan, PhD, RD, Director of the Personalized Nutrition Initiative and Professor and Melissa M. Noel Endowed Chair in Nutrition and Health, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign |
| 11:10 AM – Noon | Keynote The Complete Weight Journey in the GPL1 Era James O. Hill, PhD, Professor of Nutrition Sciences, University of Alabama Birmingham |
| Noon- 1:00 PM | Lunch and Networking- Illini Room C |
| 1:00 – 2:00 PM | Session 1: The Complexity of Diet: Matrices & Nutrients Moderator: Diego Hernández-Saavedra, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Health Kinesiology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Variability in Metabolic Responses to Sweet Exposure: Roles of Adiposity and Sex Personalized Responses to the Diet: The Role of Host-Microbe Interactions Personalizing Protein Nutrition: From Amino Acids to Whole Food Matrices for Muscle Health |
| 2:20-2:50 PM | Break and Refreshments – Illini Room C |
| 2:50 – 4:10 PM | Session 2: GLP-1, Diet, Response Variability and Behavior: Who Benefits & Why Moderator: Margarita Teran, MD, PhD, Director of Applied Health Professions, University of Illinois Extension Keynote: Precision Medicine for Obesity Based on Energy Balance Phenotypes From Weight Loss to Healthspan – How GLP’s are Shifting Industry Towards Health and Long-Term Support Precision Nutrition Meets Behaviour Change: How Personalised Is Personalised Nutrition? |
| 4:10-4:20 PM | Break and Refreshments – Illini Room C |
| 4:20 – 5:20 PM | Panel Discussion: Personalized Nutrition Ecosystem is Evolving, Where Are We Heading? Moderator: Sunnie Southern, MS, RD, LDN, Founder/CEO, Viable Synergy Panelists
|
| 5:20 – 5:30 PM | Wrap-up –Sharon M. Donovan, PhD, RD |
| 5:30 -7:30 PM | Reception with Hors d’oeuvres and Poster Presentations Illini Room C |
| Wednesday, September 30, 2026 | |
| 8:00 – 11:00 AM | External Partners Program Meeting (members only) NCSA Conference Room 3000 and Live-Streamed |
| 11:00 AM – Noon | Lunch |