The director of the Institute for One Health Innovation at Texas Tech and expert in obesity began her one-year term as president June 18.
Naïma Moustaïd-Moussa, the director of the Institute for One Health Innovation (IOHI) in the Texas Tech University System and the founder of the Center of Excellence in Obesity & Cardiometabolic Research (COCR) at Texas Tech University, has been named the president of the American Society for Nutrition (ASN), the organization announced.
Moustaïd-Moussa, a Horn Distinguished Professor of Nutritional Sciences in the College of Health & Human Sciences, began her term as the 2025-2026 president of the ASN on June 18.
“I am very humbled and deeply honored to serve as ASN president at such an important time for nutrition science, as our field plays an increasingly critical role in shaping global health,” Moustaïd-Moussa said. “I look forward to inclusively guiding our community forward and building on the incredible progress led by past president Sarah Booth. Her leadership has strengthened our society and its partnerships with federal and private agencies, and I look forward to continuing that momentum in collaboration with our dedicated members.”
As president of the ASN, Moustaïd-Moussa’s focus will be on broadening the scope of nutrition through One Health. That includes expanding and strengthening the ASN’s global partnerships and collaborations to advance nutrition science; organizing regional conferences and workshops on specific fundamental topics related to nutrition; and expanding ASN’s leadership role in advocacy, policy and education both in the U.S. and globally.
Moustaïd-Moussa, who has been with Texas Tech since 2012, also previously served as an associate vice president in the Office of Research & Innovation at Texas Tech. She has a proven track record of building interdisciplinary teams through her work with the COCR, formerly the Obesity Research Institute.
“As a first-generation student, I am most grateful to my parents who supported my education when they did not have an opportunity to get any formal education or schooling,” Moustaïd-Moussa said. “This honor would not have been possible without the support from my husband and our children and the dedication and hard work of my lab members across the years, from the University of Tennessee and Texas Tech, who really advanced our research program and discoveries. I am very grateful for their contribution. I am very thankful to the Institute for One Health Innovation staff and to my current institutions, Texas Tech, Texas Tech Health University Sciences Center and the Texas Tech System, for providing the support, resources and the time to take on this significant leadership role.”
As head of the IOHI, she leads the collaborative approach to research that examines the interface between human and animal health, human and plant health, or any combination of the three to improve the health of all species, taking into consideration both lifestyle and environmental influences. The ultimate goal of the IOHI is to identify innovative solutions for health and health care challenges in rural West Texas by training scientists and health care professionals in leading transdisciplinary research.
“We are excited to welcome Dr. Moustaïd-Moussa as the 2025-2026 ASN President,” said John Courtney, ASN’s Chief Executive Officer. “Her proven leadership and passion for nutrition will help drive innovation and meaningful progress for both our society and the field.”
A native of Morocco, Moustaïd-Moussa earned her doctorate from Sorbonne University (formerly the University of Paris VI, Pierre & Marie Curie) and did her postdoctoral training in molecular nutrition at the Harvard University School of Public Health. She was on the faculty at the University of Tennessee (UT) at Knoxville and the UT Institute of Agriculture from 1993 to 2012 prior to joining the faculty at Texas Tech.