Our Research Lab

Dr. Amber Kleckner is a nutrition scientist who is working to solve pressing problems in supportive care in cancer.

Dr. Kleckner designs and tests nutritional programs that modulate the quantity, quality, and timing of food to understand how nutrition can help treat cancer and cancer treatment-related symptoms. She also studies the metabolic and mitochondrial mechanisms underlying cancer-related fatigue to help understand its mechanistic underpinnings and tailors nutritional programs accordingly.

The Team

Meet the members of the Kleckner METRICCS Lab.

Amber Kleckner, PhD

Principal Investigator & Lab Director

I am a nutrition scientist who is working to solve pressing problems in supportive care in cancer. Patients with cancer experience debilitating symptoms of the cancer and side effects of treatment that can, unfortunately, persist long into survivorship. For example, cancer-related fatigue can be so severe that it prevents people from returning to their work and their hobbies. I design and test nutritional programs that modulate the quantity, quality, and timing of food to understand how nutrition can help treat these symptoms. I also study the metabolic and mitochondrial mechanisms underlying cancer-related fatigue to help understand its mechanistic underpinnings and tailor nutritional programs accordingly.

amber.kleckner@umaryland.edu

Shari Youngblood, DCN, CNS, LDN

Clinical Research Nutritionist

I am a board certified and licensed doctor of clinical nutrition. My areas of expertise include the nutritional care of patients with chronic illness, nutrition assessment, medical nutrition therapy, integrative & functional nutrition, the design and implementation of nutritional interventions in clinical research, and culinary medicine. In addition to a diverse array of nutrition-related work experiences, I have 24+ years of experience living in the Mediterranean Basin, which has instilled in me a passion for Mediterranean food culture. At The METRICCS Lab, I help design and implement clinical trial nutrition interventions for cancer supportive care with a focus on time-restricted eating and Mediterranean diet and lifestyle programs.

syoungblood@umaryland.edu

Carin Clingan

Senior Clinical Research Assistant

I received my B.S in Exercise Science and my M.S in Clinical Nutrition. I have been working in the field of Exercise for 23 years and the field of Nutrition for 5 years. I believe that food is medicine and we can use it to help us heal our bodies from the inside out. My areas of expertise are in women's health, nutrition assessments, nutrition coaching. I have an interest in doing more with gut health.

carin.clingan@umaryland.edu