Full Name
Genelle Lunken
Job Title
Assistant Professor and Dietitian
Company/Institution/ Organization
IBD Centre of BC and University of British Columbia
Speaker Bio
Dr. Genelle Lunken is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine at the University of British Columbia (UBC). She is also a registered dietitian and the translational research lead at the IBD Centre of BC (https://ibdcentrebc.ca/lunkenlab/). She has over ten years of dietetic experience specializing in the care of patients with surgical and gastrointestinal conditions.
Dr. Lunken completed her doctoral studies in Nutritional Science at Massey University in New Zealand, where her research primarily focused on investigating the impact of habitual dietary fibre intake on the response of gut microbiota to a prebiotic (fibre) intervention. In 2017, she relocated to Vancouver, Canada, to begin a postdoctoral fellowship under the mentorship of Drs. Bruce Vallance and Kevan Jacobson at UBC. During this time, her research interests expanded to explore the interplay between fibre, gut microbiota, and inflammation using mouse models of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
In 2023, Dr. Lunken established her own research laboratory at UBC. Her lab focuses on expanding our understanding of host-immune-microbe interactions, with a particular emphasis on identifying host (e.g., diet) and microbial factors that contribute to variable responses to medical and dietary therapies in IBD patients. An emerging area of focus in her lab is the impact of Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) in the IBD population. Dr. Lunken’s team is interested in examining how dietary and psychological interventions may reduce ARFID and its consequences, such as anxiety, depression, malnutrition, and potential disruptions to the gut microbiome.
A significant component of her research also aims to explore the role of fungi in IBD, including how fungal communities influence response to therapy, their spatial location in the gut, and how dietary factors modulate fungal populations. To investigate the mechanistic interactions between bacteria, fungi, and diet – and to better understand inter-individual responses to dietary interventions – she has established an in vitro fermentation system (mini bioreactor array) in her lab.
Through this work, she aims to uncover the microbial and nutritional drivers of individualized treatment responses, ultimately advancing precision-based therapeutic strategies to improve outcomes for individuals living with IBD.
Dr. Lunken completed her doctoral studies in Nutritional Science at Massey University in New Zealand, where her research primarily focused on investigating the impact of habitual dietary fibre intake on the response of gut microbiota to a prebiotic (fibre) intervention. In 2017, she relocated to Vancouver, Canada, to begin a postdoctoral fellowship under the mentorship of Drs. Bruce Vallance and Kevan Jacobson at UBC. During this time, her research interests expanded to explore the interplay between fibre, gut microbiota, and inflammation using mouse models of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
In 2023, Dr. Lunken established her own research laboratory at UBC. Her lab focuses on expanding our understanding of host-immune-microbe interactions, with a particular emphasis on identifying host (e.g., diet) and microbial factors that contribute to variable responses to medical and dietary therapies in IBD patients. An emerging area of focus in her lab is the impact of Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) in the IBD population. Dr. Lunken’s team is interested in examining how dietary and psychological interventions may reduce ARFID and its consequences, such as anxiety, depression, malnutrition, and potential disruptions to the gut microbiome.
A significant component of her research also aims to explore the role of fungi in IBD, including how fungal communities influence response to therapy, their spatial location in the gut, and how dietary factors modulate fungal populations. To investigate the mechanistic interactions between bacteria, fungi, and diet – and to better understand inter-individual responses to dietary interventions – she has established an in vitro fermentation system (mini bioreactor array) in her lab.
Through this work, she aims to uncover the microbial and nutritional drivers of individualized treatment responses, ultimately advancing precision-based therapeutic strategies to improve outcomes for individuals living with IBD.
Speaking At
