Rate My Professor Bryant Keirns

Bryant Keirns serves as Assistant Professor of Nutrition and Dietetics and Graduate Program Director of Nutrition and Dietetics in the Department of Nutrition and Health Science at Ball State University. He earned his PhD in Nutritional Sciences and MS in Nutritional Sciences from Oklahoma State University, along with a BS in Biology from Oklahoma Christian University. During his doctoral training, Dr. Keirns was supported by an American Heart Association predoctoral fellowship and an American Society for Nutrition Mars Predoctoral Fellowship, with his research funded through the NIH/NIGMS Centers for Biomedical Research Excellence (CoBRE). At Oklahoma State University, he received the OSU Foundation Distinguished Graduate Fellowship, Winterfeldt Graduate Research Fellowship, Gordon Carlson Endowed Graduate Scholarship in Nutritional Sciences, Esther Winterfeldt Summer Research Fellowship, 2020 Catlett-Hageman Endowed Graduate Fellowship in Nutritional Sciences, College of Education & Human Sciences Outstanding Research by a Graduate Student Award, and Nutritional Sciences Outstanding Research by a Graduate Student Award. His teaching excellence was honored with the Nutritional Sciences Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistant Award, and his mentoring was recognized by the Human Sciences Excellence in Mentoring Undergraduate Research Award.

Dr. Keirns' research investigates cardiovascular disease risk factors associated with novel obesity phenotypes, including normal-weight obesity and metabolically healthy obesity, and examines how poor gut health influences cardiovascular outcomes. His studies explore the interplay of diet, lifestyle factors, gut permeability, postprandial metabolism, and chronic inflammation in relation to cardiometabolic health. With 14 peer-reviewed papers published, notable works include "Fasting, non-fasting and postprandial triglycerides for screening cardiometabolic risk" (Journal of Nutritional Science, 2021), "Postprandial triglycerides across the aging spectrum: Associations with cardiometabolic risk factors" (Nutrition Research, 2024), and "Acute effects of a reformulated plant-based meat alternative on postprandial lipid and glycemic responses" (Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism, 2025). At Ball State University, he leads the NACHO (Nutrition And Cardiometabolic Health/Obesity) Lab, mentors students through the Teacher-Scholar Program with a focus on cardiovascular disease prevention and real-world nutrition, and teaches courses such as Research in Dietetics (NUTR 499). His contributions advance understanding of dietary interventions for gut and vascular health in obesity phenotypes.