Teresa Ann Davis, Ph.D., D.F.A.S.N., F.A.S.A.S., serves as Director of the Texas A&M AgriLife Institute for Advancing Health Through Agriculture (IHA). This institute is the first of its kind to integrate precision nutrition, responsive agriculture, and behavioral research to address diet-related chronic disease while considering environmental and economic impacts. Supported by the USDA Agricultural Research Service and the State of Texas, IHA operates with an annual budget exceeding $30 million and includes an embedded USDA-ARS research unit.

Prior to this role, Davis spent over 30 years as a Professor of Pediatrics at the USDA-ARS Children’s Nutrition Research Center at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. She is internationally recognized for her research on how nutrition regulates protein and amino acid metabolism and influences growth in both humans and animals. Her work has significantly advanced understanding of amino acid and insulin signaling, as well as how nutrients, hormones, and growth factors affect muscle development.

Davis has received numerous honors, including the Research Mentor Award from Baylor College of Medicine, the Centennial Leader Award from the University of Tennessee, and the Stockstad Award from the American Society for Nutrition. She also earned the Animal Growth and Development Award and the Morrison Award from the American Society of Animal Science. A leader in her field, she has served as president of both major societies and is a Fellow of each. She was Editor-in-Chief of The Journal of Nutrition for a decade and now leads Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition. She also served on the 2020 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee and is a member of the National Academy of Medicine.