Established in 2006, the ICAN-THRIVE research lab focuses on the Infant component of ICAN (Infant Child Adolescent Nutrition). Our work supports families to provide optimal nutrition to their infants, regardless of the choice to breastfeed or provide infant formula (or some combination).
As of spring 2023, nearly 40 students have been contributing members of the ICAN-THRIVE lab. This has included undergraduates, masters students, and doctoral students.
Katie Kavanagh, PhD, RDN, LDN, CLC
Dr. Katie Kavanagh is an Associate Professor in Public Health Nutrition and director of the THRIVE component of the ICAN Lab at the University of Tennessee. Her research explores the behavioral aspects of infant feeding during the first year of life and the development of interventions to modify those behaviors that fall outside of current infant-feeding recommendations. Research projects focus on both breastfeeding and formula-feeding families. Dr. Kavanagh’s lab includes both graduate and undergraduate students.
Interested in previous work? Check out our
Interested in our Graduate Program? Potential MS or PhD students should review the entire website and get to know what current and former students have or are currently working on. In addition, you should review our Publications page, to get a sense of Dr. Kavanagh’s overall research agenda, and explore the Graduate Nutrition Program at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. If you are interested in what we are doing, be sure to reach out to Dr. Kavanagh to discuss our program in greater detail.