Dr. Smilowitz is the Associate Director of the Human Studies Research Program for the Foods for Health Institute at UC Davis. She holds a doctoral degree in Nutritional Biology with an emphasis in Endocrinology from the University of California Davis. Dr. Smilowitz has investigated the relationships between diet and the environment on breast milk and infant health. Her research is translational which means her focus is to bring discoveries from the lab bench to the kitchen table. Dr. Smilowitz is especially interested in the first 1000 days—from pregnancy through a child’s 2nd birthday—as it’s a critical period in life when diet and the environment largely influence long-lasting health. She has conducted numerous human studies to investigate ways to improve gut health using food-based solutions, including prebiotics and probiotics from newborns to adults.