Maura Walker, MS, PhD

Research Interests

Dr. Walker’s research focuses on the role of diet as a modifiable factor in shaping and amending the trajectory of cardiovascular metabolic diseases with the application of epidemiological and data science approaches. She has conducted preclinical, clinical, and epidemiologic research examining the influence of diet on various biological systems (transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics, and gut microbiota). Areas of interest include:

• Nutritional and cardiovascular epidemiology
• Precision nutrition
• Quantitative methods in nutrition research
• Biological markers of dietary intake

Courses Taught

SAR HS 251/551: Human Nutrition Science

Selected Publications

• Walker ME, Matthan NR, Solano-Aguilar G, Jang S, Lakshman S, Molokin A, Faits T, Urban JF, Johnson WE, Lamon-Fava S, Lichtenstein AH. A Western Dietary Pattern and Atorvastatin Induce Epicardial Adipose Tissue Interferon Signaling in the Ossabaw Pig. J Nutr Biochem. 2019; 10.1016/j.jnutbio.2019.02.003
• Walker ME, Matthan NR, Solano-Aguilar G, Jang S, Lakshman S, Molokin A, Faits T, Urban JF, Johnson WE, Lamon-Fava S, Lichtenstein AH. A Western-type Dietary Pattern Induces an Atherogenic Gene Expression Profile in the Coronary Arteries of the Ossabaw Pig. Curr Dev Nutr. 2019;10.1093/cdn/nzz023/5423878
• Walker ME, Matthan NR, Solano-Aguilar G, Meng H, Goldbaum A, Jang S, Lakshman S, Molokin A, Urban JF, Lamon-Fava S, Lichtenstein AH. Dietary Patterns Influence Epicardial Adipose Tissue Fatty Acid Composition and Inflammatory Gene Expression in the Ossabaw Pig. J Nutr Biochem. 2019; 10.1016/j.jnutbio.2019.04.013
• Walker ME, Xanthakis V, Moore LL, Vasan RS, Jacques PF. Cumulative sugar-sweetened beverage consumption is associated with higher concentrations of circulating ceramides in the Framingham Offspring Cohort. Am J Clin Nutr. December 2019. doi:10.1093/ajcn/nqz257
• Lee J, Walker ME, Matthews KA, Kuller LH, Ranjit N, Gabriel KP. Associations of physical activity and sleep with cardiometabolic risk in older women. Prev Med Rep. 2020;18:101071.
• Walker ME*, Song RJ, Xu X, Gerszten RE, Ngo D, Clish CB, Corlin L, Ma J, Xanthakis V, Jacques PF, et al. Proteomic and Metabolomic Correlates of Healthy Dietary Patterns: The Framingham Heart Study. Nutrients. 2020;12:1476. *Corresponding author.
• Ma J, Rebholz CM, Braun KVE, Reynolds LM, Aslibekyan S, Xia R, Biligowda NG,  Huan T,  Liu C, Mendelson MM, Joehanes R, Hu E, Vitolins MZ, Wood AC, Lohman K, Rosales CO, van Meurs J, Andre Uitterlinden, Yongmei Liu, Rory Wilson, Elhadad M. Ahmed, Melanie Waldenberger, Peters A, Colicino E, Whitsel E, Baldassari A, Gahrib S, Sotoodehnia N, Brody J, Sitlani C, Toshiko T, Marioni R, Hill D, Deary IJ, Hermann B, Yan Z, Walker ME, Ye S , Nguyen S, Pankow J, Demerath EW, Liang L, Lichtenstein AH, Hu FB, Voortman T, Fornage M, Levy D. Whole Blood DNA Methylation Signatures of Diet Are Associated with Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors and All-cause Mortality. Circ Genom Precis Med. 2020
• Lee J, Walker ME, Pettee Gabriel K, Ramachandran VS, Xanthakis V. Associations of Objectively Measured Physical Activity and Sedentary Time with Chronic Kidney Disease: The Framingham Heart Study. PLoS ONE. 2020;15:e0234825.
• Faits T*, Walker ME*, Rodriguez-Morato J, Meng H, Gervis JE, Galluccio JM, Lichtenstein AH, Johnson WE, Matthan NR. Exploring changes in the human gut microbiota and microbial-derived metabolites in response to diets enriched in simple, refined, or unrefined carbohydrate-containing foods: a post hoc analysis of a randomized clinical trial. Am J Clin Nutr. September 2020. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/nqaa254/5906568. *Equal contribution
• Walker ME*, Xanthakis V, Ma J, Quatromoni PA, Moore LL, Vasan RS, Jacques PF. Dietary Patterns, Ceramide Ratios, and Risk of All-Cause and Cause-Specific Mortality: The Framingham Offspring Study. J Nutr September 2020. doi/10.1093/jn/nxaa269 /5906635 *Corresponding author.
• Lee J, Walker ME, Bourdillon MT, Spartano N, Roger GT, Jacques PF, Vasan RS, Xanthakis V. Conjoint Associations of Adherence to Physical Activity and Dietary Guidelines With Cardiometabolic Health: The Framingham Heart Study. J Am Heart Assoc 2021;10:e019800.
• Walker ME, O’Donnell A, Himali JJ, Rajendran I, Melo van Lent D, Xanthakis V, Jacques PF, Beiser A, Seshadri S, Vasan RS. Associations of the Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay Diet with cardiac remodeling in the community: The Framingham Heart Study. Br J Nutr 2021;1–28.

Awards/Honors

• American Heart Association Career Development Award (2020)
• Boston University: First Place Clinical Oral Presentation, Evans Department of Medicine Research Days (2019)
• NHLBI: T32 Multidisciplinary Training Program in Cardiovascular Epidemiology (2018-2019)
• Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University: Gerald Cassidy Student Innovation Award (2017)
• Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University: Drs. Joan and Peter Cohn and Family Student Award (2016)
• NHLBI: T32 Nutrition and Cardiometabolic Disorders Pre-doctoral Research Training Grant (2015-2017)
• University of Maine: Presidential Scholar Award (2011)
• University of Maine: Academic Achievement Award (2010)
• University of Maine: College of Natural Sciences, Forestry & Agriculture Undergraduate Award (2009)