Study Team

Tom Keyserling, MD, MPH – Principal Investigator

Dr. Keyserling is co-lead with Dr. Carmen Samuel-Hodge of the DELISH Study. He is a Professor of Medicine at the UNC School of Medicine and splits his time between practicing primary care medicine and doing research. He has helped to develop and evaluate a variety of lifestyle programs to improve health outcomes. Working with Dr. Carmen Samuel-Hodge and others, he helped to develop the intervention program to be tested in the DELISH Study. Outside of work and with his wife, Dr. Alice Ammerman who is also a nutrition researcher, he enjoys eating healthful foods and thinking about new ways to make healthful foods available to those in North Carolina and beyond. He also enjoys reading, being physically active, and keeping up with his adult children.

Carmen Samuel-Hodge, PhD, RD – Principal Investigator

Dr. Samuel-Hodge is the Co-Lead with Dr. Thomas Keyserling of the DELISH Study. She is an Associate Professor in the Department of Nutrition at the University of North Carolina, Gillings School of Global Public Health. She is also the Co-Lead of the Core Research Project and the Evaluation Core Director at the UNC Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention, which houses the DELISH study.  Dr. Samuel-Hodge first worked as a public health dietitian in the US Virgin Islands for 9 years before moving to North Carolina in 1992. As a researcher, she focuses on designing and testing programs that help adults with diabetes and other risk factors for heart disease change their day-to-day eating and physical activity habits, for healthier living. She was a part of the research team responsible for the developing and testing the program that was adapted for DELISH. When she is not working, you can find her engaged in some sort of craft, reading, visiting her grandkids, or taking photos of flowers.

Kiira Lyons, MA – Project Manager

Kiira has nearly 10 years of experience with research administration, project coordination, and participant recruitment, including both non-clinical and clinical studies. Her graduate coursework was in clinical psychology, with an emphasis on African-American populations. For the DELISH study, Kiira will be responsible for day-to-day management and administration. She will supervise research staff, manage the project budget, coordinate the design and production of intervention materials, oversee the development of survey instruments, coordinate regulatory submissions, and assist with report-writing. Kiira is a Durham, NC native and UNC alum. Her hobbies include reading, listening to podcasts, baking, and playing candy crush.

Caroline Nelson, MPH, RD, LDN – Health Counselor

Caroline is a Health Counselor for the DELISH study, working with participants in person and over the phone. She is a Registered Dietitian, licensed in the state of North Carolina. She received her Master of Public Health in Nutrition at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. Caroline is a Texas native and in her spare time she likes to try new recipes, hike on the beautiful North Carolina trails, read historical fiction, and foster cats.

Lauren Kruse, MPH, RD, LDN – Health Counselor

Lauren is a Health Counselor with the DELISH study. She works closely with the study participants to help them reach their health goals. She obtained her Master’s Degree (MPH) in Nutrition at UNC’s School of Public Health in 2003 and has been working as a Registered Dietitian ever since. In her free time, Lauren enjoys spending time with her husband and three kids.  She also loves running, reading, and traveling the world.

Candice Alick, PhD – Research Scholar/Fellow

Dr. Alick is a Research Scholar/Fellow at the UNC Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention, which houses the DELISH study.  Dr. Alick has over ten years of research experience designing, and testing programs focused on addressing nutrition and physical activity habits in underserved populations for chronic disease prevention and treatment. When not working, she enjoys traveling and experimenting in the kitchen with different herbs and spices.

Shannon Hales – Data Capture Specialist

Shannon Hales has been working with the Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention for 10 years. She has contributed to numerous research studies in the areas of data capture and administrative support. For the DELISH study, Shannon is the primary data capture form developer. She will also contribute to recruitment, enrollment, and data collection. In her free time, Shannon enjoys dancing, reading, hiking, and spending time with her family.

Mia Paranjpe – Phlebotomist/Research Assistant

Mia Paranjpe is a certified phlebotomist joining UNC Research following work in a hospital setting. She initially began working as a phlebotomist near the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic with hopes of decreasing the workload of frontline medical personnel. For the DELISH study, Mia will serve as a phlebotomist and research assistant. She is new to research, but welcomes novel challenges and opportunities. Her passion for health and fitness follows her everywhere, and she is currently working on her personal training certification in hopes to help people lead healthier lives. In her free time, she’s either at the gym or eating, so it balances out!