Texas Children’s is happy to announce David B. Allison, Ph.D., as the new Chief of Nutrition and Director of the Children’s Nutrition Research Center. Dr. Allison comes to us from Indiana University–Bloomington School of Public Health where he was Dean for eight years.
Dr, Allison has had an illustrious career, with continuous NIH funding as a PI for over 25 years and authoring or co-authoring more than 700 scientific publications.
In 2023, he was elected and inducted into the Academy for Health and Lifespan Research, the first global non-profit group focused on accelerating breakthroughs in the expansion of the human health span.
Last year, Dr. Allison was chosen to be Sigma Xi’s incoming president elect (2025-28). Selected for the National Academy of Medicine in 2012, he also serves as co-chair of the National Academy of Sciences’ Strategic Council on Research Excellence, Integrity and Trust. Dr. Allison is a staunch advocate for rigor in research methods and the uncompromisingly truthful communication of research findings.
He has received many awards including the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Mentoring, which was established by the White House to identify outstanding mentoring efforts to enhance participation of groups underrepresented in science, mathematics and engineering. This is the nation’s highest award for mentoring, given to no more than 10 individuals each year.
“I am absolutely delighted to officially welcome Dr. David Allison to our Department of Pediatrics leadership team as the new Director of the Children’s Nutrition Research Center (CNRC),” shared Dr. Lara Shekerdemian, Pediatrician-in-Chief and Chair, Department of Pediatrics. ”David brings with him an extraordinary track record of scientific excellence with more than 700 peer-reviewed publications, continuous federal funding for more than 30 years, and numerous national honors and awards. We are incredibly fortunate to have a visionary leader of his caliber joining us.”
Congratulations, Dr. Allison. Welcome to Texas Children’s!