Kathleen (Katie) Hill Gallant, PhD, RD is an Associate Professor of Nutrition in the Department of Food Science and Nutrition at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. Prior to coming to the University of Minnesota in June 2020, she was an Assistant Professor at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. Dr. Hill Gallant holds a BS in Dietetics and an MS in Kinesiology from the University of North Dakota and earned her PhD in Nutrition from Purdue University. She has been a registered dietitian (RD) for 15 years. Dr. Hill Gallant leads a clinical and translational research program focused on mineral metabolism in chronic kidney disease. The Hill Gallant lab uses classic metabolic balance studies (controlled feeding) and isotopic tracer methods to study mineral absorption, kinetics, and whole-body balance in both human clinical studies and rat models of chronic kidney disease.
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a major chronic disease, affecting approximately 37 million American adults. Patients with CKD develop bone and mineral disorders that lead to increased morbidity and mortality from cardiovascular events and bone fragility fractures. Disordered phosphorus metabolism is central to the development of these bone and mineral problems, and patients are often prescribed phosphate binder medications or low phosphorus diets in an attempt to limit absorbed phosphorus load. However, traditional dietary phosphorus restrictions have largely ignored the large variation in bioavailability among different sources of phosphorus. There is fast-growing interest in the use of plant proteins for kidney disease patients due to a variety of proposed potential benefits – including reduced phosphorus bioavailability. Dr. Hill Gallant is interested in studying phosphorus bioavailability of novel plant proteins and the effects of plant proteins and plant-based diets on mineral metabolism in patients with chronic kidney disease as a potential diet therapy option in these patients.
