MIRECC / CoE
Rocky Mountain MIRECC for VA Suicide Prevention - Diana P. Brostow, PhD, MPH, RDN
Updated: 14 May 2019
Biography
Diana P. Brostow, PhD, MPH, RDN- Title: Research Nutritionist
Contact:
720-723-4871
diana.brostow@va.gov - Biography: Dr. Diana P. Brostow obtained a PhD in Human Nutrition from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities in 2014, where she was awarded an NIH pre-doctoral training fellowship from the Minnesota Obesity Prevention Center. Prior to her doctorate, she earned her Master of Public Health in Epidemiology in 2009, with a special focus on nutritional epidemiology, also at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. As of 2013, she is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, with a clinical sub-focus in eating disorders. Dr. Brostow recently completed a post-doctoral fellowship in Health Services Research at the Denver-Seattle Center of Innovation for Veteran-Centered and Value-Driven Care in Aurora, Colorado. During this fellowship, she was the Dietitian for the Rocky Mountain Regional VA Domiciliary for Homeless Veterans, known as Valor Point. Upon completion of the fellowship in 2018, Dr. Brostow joined the staff of the Rocky Mountain MIRECC as a Research Nutritionist.
- Clinical and Research Interests: Dr. Brostow’s primary research interests include food insecurity in relation to mental health and polytraumatic injury rehabilitation. Specifically, she is interested in the biological, psychosocial, environmental, and economic factors that comprise “nutritional functioning”, and shape how combat Veterans access and use food. In addition, Dr. Brostow is interested in the human microbiota, and its interactions with dietary habits, mental health and cognitive function. Prior to joining the Rocky Mountain MIRECC, she was the Principal Investigator for two studies of economic food insecurity in elderly populations, as well as a study of the influence of psychiatric illness on cardiovascular outcomes in Veterans with obesity. She continues as the Principal Investigator on a pilot study of OEF/OIF/OND Veterans engaged in vocational horticulture programs, evaluating the therapeutic effects of horticulture on Veterans’ mental health and psychological functioning.
- Since joining the MIRECC, Dr. Brostow has developed a study of the microbiota in Veterans experiencing homelessness. Additionally, she is a Co-Investigator on funded studies investigating longitudinal microbiota changes in Veterans, and the use of smartphone applications to identify and prevent suicidal behaviors in Active Duty military populations.
Recent Publications
Brostow DP, Gunzburger E, Abbate LM, Brenner LA, Thomas KS. Mental Illness, Not Obesity Status, is Associated with Food Insecurity Among the Elderly in the Health and Retirement Study. J Nutr Gerontol Geriatr. 2019 Feb 22:1-24. doi: 10.1080/21551197.2019.1565901. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 30794096.
Brostow, D.P., Gunzburger, E., Thomas, K.S. “Food insecurity among Veterans: Findings from the Health and Retirement Study.” Journal of Nutrition, Health & Aging. 2017 March; 2017; 21(10):1358-1364. DOI: 10.1007/s12603-017-0910-7. PMID: 29188901.
Brostow, D.P., Petrik, M.L., Starosta, A.J., Waldo, S.W. “Depression in peripheral arterial disease (PAD): A systematic review.” Eur J Cardiovasc Nurs. 2017 Mar; 16(3):181-193. DOI: 10.1177/1474515116687222. PMID: 28051339.
Brostow, D.P., Hirsch, A.T., Pereira, M.A., Bliss, R.L., Kurzer, M.S. “Nutritional status and body composition in patients with peripheral arterial disease: a cross-sectional examination of disease severity and quality of life.” Ecol Food Nutr. 2016 Jan-Feb; 55(1):87-109. DOI: 10.1080/03670244.2015.1072817. PMID: 26654593.
Brostow, D.P., Hirsch, A.T., Kurzer, M.S. “Recruiting older patients with peripheral arterial disease: evaluating challenges and strategies.” Patient Prefer Adherence. 2015 Aug 6; 9:1121-8. DOI: 10.2147/PPA.S83306. PMID: 26273200.
Brostow, D.P., Hirsch, A.T., Collins, T.C., Kurzer, M.S. “The role of nutrition and body composition in peripheral arterial disease.” Nat Rev Cardiol. 2012 Nov; 9(11):634-43. DOI: 10.1038/nrcardio.2012.117. PMID: 22922595.
Brostow, D.P., Odegaard, A.O., Koh, W.P., et al. “Omega-3 fatty acids and incident type 2 diabetes: the Singapore Chinese Health Study.” Am J Clin Nutr. 2011 Aug; 94(2):520-6. DOI: 10.3945/ajcn.110.009357. PMID: 21593505.
Media
Podcast: Food insecurity as “nutritional functioning” with Dr. Diana Brostow- 15 May 2019 - This week, Adam interviews Dr. Diana Brostow, a Research Nutritionist at the Rocky Mountain MIRECC, about her work in food insecurity. She shares how our understanding of food insecurity is changing: It cannot be seen as strictly a poverty issue, i.e. “no money = no food = hunger”, but instead is a complex problem, shaped by social, psychological, cultural, and environmental forces. Diana shares her research findings on nutrition and mental health, explains how she is reframing food insecurity as “nutritional functioning”, and outlines future directions for this line of investigation.
Listen to Food insecurity as “nutritional functioning”
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Food Insecurity and Mental Health: Contextualizing Nutrition in Psychosocial Functioning
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