Education & Training:
University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, 2005, B.S. in Chemistry
Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 2009, M.D.
Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 2013, Residency in Pediatrics
University of Texas Health & Science Center, Houston, TX, 2016, Clinical Fellowship in Neonatology
Research Interests:
I have a long-standing interest in contributing to the field of neonatal nutrition by investigating how human milk promotes optimal outcomes. My research goal is to develop a human milk-based research program using advanced gastrointestinal models. As an Assistant Professor at the Medical University of South Carolina, under the dual mentorship of pioneering Vitamin D expert Dr. Carol Wagner and surfactant A protein expert Dr. John Baatz, I am studying the release of free fatty acid in stored human milk and subsequent formation of cytotoxic lipid-protein complexes, namely HAMLET, or human alpha-lactalbumin made lethal to tumors. The current hypothesis is that HAMLET and/or excess FFA has negative effects toward preterm gastrointestinal epithelium. To test this hypothesis, we are investigating how HAMLET affects in vitro models of preterm intestinal tissue. Using myriad approaches, we are studying the role of HAMLET in preterm diets on the digestive tract. As a SCTR KL2 scholar, my research team is developing a high impact human milk bioactivity research program at the Medical University of South Carolina, within the Division of Neonatology and the Darby Children’s Research Institute.
Highlight Publications:
1. Chetta KE, Forconi M, Newton DA, Wagner CL, and Baatz JE. HAMLET in human milk is resistant to digestion and carries essential free long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids and oleic acid. Food Chemistry 2023 Nov 30:427:136752. PMC10527475
2. Boone N, Bohara B, Rohrer A, Gros M, Gregoski M, Lee K, Wagner C, and Chetta KE. Multi-prong quality improvement approach for increasing mother’s milk use for very low birth weight infants. Journal of Perinatology. December 20, 2023.
3. Newton DA, Baatz JE, Chetta KE, Walker PW, Washington RO, Shary JR, and Wagner CL, (2022), Maternal Vitamin D Status Correlates to Leukocyte Antigenic Responses in Breastfeeding Infants. Nutrients, 14(6):1266.
4. Chetta KE, Newton DA, Wagner CL, Baatz JE. Free fatty acid and α-lactalbumin-oleic acid complexes in preterm human milk are cytotoxic to fetal intestinal cells in vitro. Frontiers in Nutrition. July 5, 2022. PMC9294382. PMID: 35866080