Sabrina Noel Feldeisen is an Assistant Professor, Director for Community Engagement, Center for Population Health, UMOVE Center Researcher in the Biomedical and Nutritional Sciences, Center for Population Health, UMOVE Departments at UMass Lowell.

Sabrina E. Noel, Ph.D., RD

Associate Professor, Director for Community Engagement, Center for Population Health, Director of the Health Assessment Laboratory

College
Zuckerberg College of Health Sciences
Department
Biomedical & Nutritional Sciences
Phone
978-934-6459
Office
Dugan Hall - 110R

Expertise

Nutritional Epidemiology, Dietary Assessment, Musculoskeletal Aging, and Health Disparities

Research Interests

Determining the role of dietary quality on development of age-related chronic conditions, such as osteoporosis and cardiometabolic disease in diverse and underrepresented populations; Designing, implementing, and evaluating effective community-based dietary behavior change interventions and ; Understanding social determinants that impact health aging to inform policies and interventions in local area communities.

Education

  • Postdoc, (2011), Boston University School of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, BMC - Boston, MA
  • Ph D: Doctoral Program in Nutritional Epidemiology, (2009), Tufts University - Boston, MA
  • MS: Health Promotion Sciences, (2004), University of Connecticut - Storrs, CT
  • BS: Coordinated Program in Dietetics, (2002), University of Connecticut - Storrs, CT

Biosketch

Sabrina Noel, Ph.D, R.D., is an Associate Professor in the Department of Biomedical and Nutritional Sciences and Associate Director for Community Engagement for the Center for Population Health at UMass Lowell. She also Director of the Health Assessment Laboratory in the Zuckerberg College of Health Sciences at UMass Lowell. Her research focuses on studying the role of dietary quality on age-related chronic diseases, such as cardiometabolic disease and osteoporosis and on health disparities in diverse and understudied populations. She works with community partners to develop theory-based behavior change interventions for prevention and management of osteoporosis among racial and ethnic minority populations. Lastly, she partners with surrounding communities to understand the multiple factors that influence healthy aging and quality of life to inform local programs, policies, and infrastructure.

Selected Awards and Honors

  • Faculty Honors Award for Faculty Mentoring Graduate Students (2021) – University of Massachusetts Lowell
  • Dr. Martin Luther King Distinguished Service Award (2020) – University of Massachusetts Lowell
  • Certified Reframing Aging Facilitator (2020) - Tufts Health Plan Foundation
  • Dr. Martin Luther King Distinguished Service Award (2020) - University of Massachusetts Lowell
  • Department of Biomedical and Nutritional Sciences Teaching Excellence Award (2018) - University of Massachusetts Lowell
  • Loan Repayment Program Award (2018) - National Institutes of Health

Selected Publications

  • Bigornia SJ, Noel SE, Porter C, Zhang X, Talegawker SA, Carithers T, Correa A, Tucker KL. Red Meat Consumption, Incident CVD and the Influence of Dietary Quality in the Jackson Heart Study. Public Health Nutr. 2022 Jun 23:1-10. doi: 10.1017/S1368980022001434. Online ahead of print. PMID: 35733368.
  • Duong CN, Akinlawon OJ, Gung J, Noel SE, Bigornia S, Flanagan K, Pourafshar S, Lin PH, Davenport CA, Pendergast J, Scialla JJ, Tucker KL. Bioavailability of phosphorus and kidney function in the Jackson Heart Study. Am J Clin Nutr. 2022 Aug 4;116(2):541-550. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/nqac116. PMID: 35511217.
  • Mangano KM, Noel SE, Zhang X, Tucker KL. Serum and dietary vitamin C are associated with better bone health among older adults: results from the Boston Puerto Rican Osteoporosis Study. J Nutr. 2021 Dec 3;151(12):3764-3772. doi: 10.1093/jn/nxab291.
  • Karazurna NA, Porter CM, Aytur S, Scott T, Mattei J, Noel SE, Gonzalez HM, Mossavar-Rahmani Y, Sotres-Alvarez D, Gallo LC, Daviglus ML, Van Horn L, Elfassy T, Gellman MD, Moncrieft AE, Tucker KL, Kaplan RC, Bigornia SJ. Associations between dietary fatty acid patterns and cognitive function in the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos. Br J Nutr. 2021. Aug 26:1-35. doi: 10.1017/S0007114521003275. Online ahead of print. PMID: 34433507
  • Noel SE, Santos MP, Wright NC. Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Bone Health and Outcomes in the United States. J Bone Miner Res. 2021 Aug 2. doi: 10.1002/jbmr.4417. Online ahead of print.
  • Akinlawon OJ†, Lai CQ, Noel SE, Flanagan KD†, Tucker KT. Risk Factors Associated with Vitamin D Status among Older Puerto Rican Adults. J Nutr. 2021;151(4):999-1007. doi: 10.1093/jn/nxaa426. PMID: 33693857.
  • Noel SE, Cornell DJ, Zhang X, Mirochnick JC†, Mattei J, Falcón LM, Tucker KL. Patterns of change in cardiovascular risk assessments and ankle brachial index among Puerto Rican adults. PLoS One. 2021;16(1):e0245236. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0245236. PMID: 33471871.
  • Cornell DJ, Noel SE, Zhang X, Ebersole KT. Influence of body composition on post-exercise parasympathetic reactivation of firefighter recruits. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021;18(1):339. doi: 10.3390/ijerph18010339. PMID: 33466351.
  • Ebersole, K.T., Cornell, D.J., Flees, R.J., Shemelya, C.M., Noel, S.E. (2020). Contributions of the autonomic nervous system to recovery in firefighters. Journal of Athletic Training, 55(9) 1001-1008.
  • Noel, S.E., Mangano, K., Mattei, J., Griffith, J.L., Dawson-Hughes, B., Bigornia, S., Tucker, K.L. (2020). Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, Mediterranean, and Alternative Healthy Eating indices are associated with bone health among Puerto Rican adults from the Boston Puerto Rican Osteoporosis Study. The American journal of clinical nutrition, 111(6) 1267-1277.
  • Zhou, B., Ichikawa, R., Parnell, L.D., Noel, S.E., Zhang, X., Bhupathiraju, S.N., Smith, C.E., Tucker, K.L., Ordovas, J.M., Lai, C. (2020). Metabolomic Links between Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Intake and Obesity (2020: pp. 1-10). Journal of Obesity
  • Mattei, J., Tamez, M., Bigornia, S.J., Noel, S.E., Xiao, R.S., Ríos-Bedoya, C.F., Rodríguez-Orengo, J.F., Tucker, K.L. (2019). Dietary Intake and Its Determinants Among Adults Living in the Metropolitan Area of Puerto Rico. Nutrients, 11(7).
  • Noel, S.E., Arevalo, S.P., Mena, N.Z., Mangano, K., Velez, M., Dawson-Hughes, B., Tucker, K.L. (2019). Knowledge, Attitudes, Beliefs, and Health Behaviors of Bone Health among Caribbean Hispanic/Latino Adults. Archives of osteoporosis, 14(1) 14.
  • Mangano, K., Noel, S.E., Sahni, S., Tucker, K.L. (2019). Higher Dairy Intakes Are Associated with Higher Bone Mineral Density among Adults with Sufficient Vitamin D Status: Results from the Boston Puerto Rican Osteoporosis Study. The Journal of nutrition, 149(1) 139-148.
  • Mattei, J., McClain, A.C., Falcon, L.M., Noel, S.E., Tucker, K.L. (2018). Dietary Acculturation among Puerto Rican Adults Varies by Acculturation Construct and Dietary Measure. The Journal of nutrition, 148(11) 1804-1813.
  • Noel, S.E., Mangano, K., Griffith, J.L., Wright, N.C., Dawson-Hughes, B., Tucker, K.L. (2017). Prevalence of osteoporosis and low bone mass among Puerto Rican older adults. Journal of bone and mineral research : the official journal of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research.
  • Mattei, J., Sotos-Prieto, M., Bigornia, S.J., Noel, S.E., Tucker, K.L. (2017). The Mediterranean Diet Score Is More Strongly Associated with Favorable Cardiometabolic Risk Factors over 2 Years Than Other Diet Quality Indexes in Puerto Rican Adults. The Journal of nutrition, 147(4) 661-669.
  • Noel, S.E., Arevalo, S., Smith, C.E., Lai, C., Dawson-Hughes, B., Ordovas, J.M., Tucker, K.L. (2016). Genetic admixture and body composition in Puerto Rican adults from the Boston Puerto Rican Osteoporosis Study. Journal of Bone and Mineral Metabolism, doi:10.1007/s00774-016-0775-6.
  • Hohl, S.D., Thompson, B., Krok-Schoen, J.L., Weier, R.C., Martin, M., Bone, L., McCarthy, W.J., Noel, S.E., Garcia, B., Calderón, N.E., Paskett, E.D. (2016). Characterizing Community Health Workers on Research Teams: Results From the Centers for Population Health and Health Disparities. American journal of public health, 106(4) 664-70.
  • Zheng, J., Lai, C., Parnell, L.D., Lee, Y., Shen, J., Smith, C.E., Casas-Agustench, P., Richardson, K., Li, D., Noel, S.E. (2014). Genome-wide interaction of genotype by erythrocyte n-3 fatty acids contributes to phenotypic variance of diabetes-related traits. BMC genomics, 15(1) 1.
  • Xiao, R., Reeves, K.W., Bertone-Johnson, E., Noel, S.E., Tucker, K.L. (2013). Acid-lowering Agent Use and Vitamin B12 Status Among Puerto Rican Adults. The FASEB Journal, 27(1 Supplement) 847.22-847.22.
  • Smith, C.E., Tucker, K.L., Arnett, D.K., Noel, S.E., Corella, D., Borecki, I.B., Feitosa, M.E., Aslibekyan, S., Parnell, L.D., Lai, C., Lee, Y., Ordovas, J.M. (2013). Apolipoprotein A2 polymorphism interacts with intakes of dairy foods to influence body weight in 2 U.S. populations. The Journal of Nutrition, (12) 1865.
  • Newby, P., Noel, S.E., Grant, R., Judd, S., Shikany, J.M., Ard, J. (2012). Race and region have independent and synergistic effects on dietary intakes in black and white women. Nutrition journal, 11(1) 1.
  • Mattei, J., Noel, S.E., Tucker, K.L. (2011). Research: A Meat, Processed Meat, and French Fries Dietary Pattern Is Associated with High Allostatic Load in Puerto Rican Older Adults. Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 111 1498 - 1506.
  • Noel, S.E., Newby, P., Ordovas, J.M., Tucker, K.L. (2010). Adherence to an (n-3) fatty acid/fish intake pattern is inversely associated with metabolic syndrome among Puerto Rican adults in the Greater Boston area. The Journal of nutrition, 140(10) 1846-1854.
  • Noel, S.E., Newby, P., Ordovas, J., Tucker, K.L. (2010). Empirically derived dietary fatty acid patterns and metabolic syndrome risk factors: the Boston Puerto Rican Health Study. Journal of Nutrition, 140(10) 1846-1854.
  • Castaneda-Sceppa, C., Price, L.L., Noel, S.E., Midle, J.B., Falcón, L., Tucker, K.L. (2010). Physical function and health status in aging Puerto Rican adults: The Boston Puerto Rican health study. Journal of Aging and Health, 22(5) 653 - 672.
  • Tucker, K.L., Mattei, J., Noel, S.E., Collado, B., Mendez, J., Nelson, J., Griffith, J., Ordovas, J.M., Luis, M. (2010). The Boston Puerto Rican Health Study, a longitudinal cohort study on health disparities in Puerto Rican adults: Challenges and opportunities. BMC Public Health, 10 107-107.
  • Emmett, P., Mattocks, C., Noel, S.E. (2010). Use of accelerometer data in prediction equations for capturing implausible dietary intakes in adolescents.
  • Noel, S.E., Lai, C., Mattei, J., Parnell, L.D., Ordovas, J.M., Tucker, K.L. (2010). Variants of the CD36 gene and metabolic syndrome in Boston Puerto Rican adults. Atherosclerosis, 211(1) 210-215.
  • Noel, S.E., Newby, P., Ordovas, J.M., Tucker, K.L. (2009). A traditional rice and beans pattern is associated with metabolic syndrome in Puerto Rican older adults. The Journal of nutrition, 139(7) 1360-1367.

Selected Presentations

  • Bone Health Disparities among Hispanic/Latino Adults of Caribbean Origin: Is dietary quality an important risk factor for this population - Friedman School of Nutrition Tufts University, 2021
  • Assessing Patient Calcium and Vitamin D Levels and Dietary Intake – National Osteoporosis Foundation, 2021
  • Beyond Calcium and Vitamin D – American Bone Health, 2021
  • Differences in Bone Health Across Populations: A focus on Hispanic/Latino Adults of Caribbean Origin and Dietary Quality- Women’s Health Innovation Forum on Bone Health, 2021
  • Spotlight on Clinical Trial Diversity - Health Equity Summit, Amgen, 2020
  • Gaps in Knowledge, Attitudes, and Beliefs of Osteoporosis among Caribbean Origin Hispanic Adults - Federal Working Group on Bone Disease Meeting, May 2020
  • Influence of aerobic fitness on heart rate recovery among active-duty firefighters - American College of Sports Medicine Annual Meeting, May 2020 - San Francisco, CA
  • Metabolomic Links Between Sweetened Beverage Intake and Obesity - Nutrition 2019 Annual Meeting, June 2019 - Baltimore, MD
  • Musculoskeletal Health Influenced by Diet in Older Adults - Nutrition 2019 Annual Meeting, June 2019 - Baltimore, MD
  • Preliminary Findings of Age-Friendly Lawrence and Current Status of Age-Friendly Lowell - 5th Annual Healthy Aging and Living Well Forum, April 2019 - Lowell, MA
  • Dietary Quality among Cambodian Americans: A Community Engaged Project - Community Engagement and Research Symposium, March 2019 - Worcester, MA
  • Metabolomic signatures of high fruit and vegetable intake and reduced prevalence of osteoporosis: The Boston Puerto Rican Osteoporosis Study - American Society for Bone and Mineral Research Annual Meeting, October 2018 - Montreal, CA
  • Associations of Meat Consumption with Insulin Resistance in African American Adults without Diabetes - Nutrition 2018 Annual Meeting, June 2018 - Boston, MA
  • Dietary Quality Indices are Related to Bone Health among Puerto Rican Adults. - Nutrition 2018 Annual Meeting, June 2018 - Boston, MA

Selected Contracts, Fellowships, Grants and Sponsored Research

  •  Building an Inclusive and Effective Community Health Improvement Plan (2022-2026), Grant- Massachusetts Community Health and Healthy Aging Funds
    Noel, S.E. (Co-Investigator), Miller, E. (Co-Investigator), Toof, R. (Co-Investigator), Velez, M. (Co-Investigator), Giannetti, M. (Co-Investigator)
  • Development and Evaluation of a Culturally Adapted Online Nutrition Education Program Targeting Fish Consumption among Hispanic Adults (2022-2024), Grant – New Hampshire Sea
    Noel, S.E. (Co-Investigator), Bigornia, S.B. (Principal), Hollar, A. (Co-Investigator)
  • Age-Friendly Lowell (2020-2023), Grant- Tufts Health Plan Foundation
    Noel, S.E. (Principal), D’Entremont, K. (Co-Investigator), Toof, R. (Co-Investigator), Devereaux Melillo, K. (Co-Investigator), Hostetler, A. (Co-Investigator), Prendergast, N. (Co-Investigator), Munson, N (Co-Investigator)
  • Bone Microarchitecture, Diabetes and Change in Bone Mineral Density in Puerto Rican Adults (2018-2023), Grant - NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH
    Noel, S.E. (Co-Investigator), Tucker, K.L. (Principal), Mangano, K.M. (Co-Investigator)
  • Age-Friendly Lawrence (2018-2021), Grant - Tufts Health Plan Foundation
    Noel, S.E., Velez, M., McMann, H., Melendez, L., Miller, E., Martinez-Dominguez, V.
  • Dietary Quality and Acculturation among 1.5 and 2nd Generation Cambodian Immigrants living in the Greater Lowell Area (2017), Grant -
    Noel, S.E. (Principal), Bigornia, S.J. (Co-Investigator), Ho, I.K (Co-Investigator).
  • Identifying mechanisms underpinning the impact of daily yogurt supplementation on the gut microbiome; inflammation and bone biomarker (2017), Grant - International Osteoporosis Foundation, American Society for Nutrition, Dannone
    Noel, S.E. (Co-Investigator), Mangano, K.M. (Principal), Maldonado-Contreras, A (Co-Investigator).
  • Diet and Health Behavior Change to Improve Bone Health (2015-2020), Grant - NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH- NIAMS
    Noel, S.E. (Principal), Tucker, K.L. (Co-Investigator), Dawson-Hughes, B. (Co-Investigator), Griffith, J. (Co-Investigator), Rosal, M. (Co-Investigator)
  • The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on psychosocial health and other social factors in a longitudinal cohort of Puerto Rican adults living on the US mainland (2020), Grant -
    Mangano, K.M., Noel, SE, Rajabiun, S., Falcón, L.M., Tucker, K.L.
  • Aging from the inside out (2016), Grant - University of Massachusetts, Lowell Internal Seed Grant
    Noel, S.E. (Co-Principal), Mangano, K. (Principal)