Page 36 - The Hormel Institute 2024 Annual Report

36 | THE HORMEL INSTITUTE
// UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA
My lab focuses on digital applications to guide nutrition approaches across the cancer care continuum.
Our group develops and tests dietary interven- tions to help the oncology population improve their health, extend their lives, and reduce recurrence risk. We also address the broader factors influencing health behaviors, such as food insecurity.
Three new members have joined us this year: postdoctoral associate Glen Morris, PhD, and research professionals, Jon Kurasch, JD and Olivia Solano, BS. We have also employed three undergraduate research assistants: Vivian Le, Madelyn Lynch, and Christopher Rizner.
Our research group has designed GutCheck, a mobile health app that pro- vides personalized prompts and feedback to guide the patient towards achievable
We will be testing the GutCheck app throughout Minnesota for colorectal cancer survivors. This project is supported by the Minnesota Cancer Clinical Trials Network Community Grant.
A tailored approach to app development may be more effective for the users. We are investi- gating how we can personalize the mobile app for different groups of users to meet their needs and preferences. This project is supported by the Masonic Cancer Center Driven to Discover State Fair grant. Findings from this study will inform the refinement of CrunchFeed, an app that tracks one’s diet and physical activity while considering other external factors that affect health. This project has been funded by the Early Innovation Fund from the University of Minnesota.
We also collaborate with researchers around the world to investigate whether artificial intelli- gence and augmented reality can improve nutrition care for users. These projects will lead to four conference presentations and two manuscripts this upcoming year.

GUTCHECK
and sustainable nutritional and exercise goals.
SURE intern Marta Bacon, Glen Morris, and Annie Lin