Research Overview 

Dr. Kerstetter's primary academic appointment and teaching responsibilities are at the University of Connecticut Department of Allied Health Sciences.  Her research is conducted at the General Clinical Research Centers (GCRCs) at Yale University and the University of Connecticut Health Center (UCHC).  In both GCRCs, she leads research teams (students, nurses, dietitians, physicians, pharmacists) that have garnered external funding to understand how dietary protein affects bone health. In collaboration with investigators at Yale University and Cornell over the past 15 years, the research team has discovered that dietary protein is a major regulator of intestinal calcium absorption. Most recently, the research team of Drs. Jane Kerstetter, Anne Kenny (UCHC), and Karl Insogna (Yale), is currently conducting a large NIH-funded clinical trial to determine if a protein supplement is beneficial to skeletal health.  This is a multi center intervention trial involving Yale University, University of Connecticut at Storrs and the Health Center at Farmington. 

Education

 
University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT (1983-1988). Doctor of Philosophy in the Department of Nutritional Sciences, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources. Dissertation title: Insulin as a regulator of protein-induced hypercalciuria. 

Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University, Blacksburg, VA (1979-1981). Master of Science in the Department of Human Nutrition and Foods. Thesis title: Methionine sulfoxide absorption, plasma amino acid ratios and nitrogen balance in young men consuming soy- and milk-based formulas. 

Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN (1978-1979). Dietetic Internship. 

Mercyhurst College, Erie, PA (1974-1978). Bachelor of Art in Foods and Nutrition in the Department of Home Ecology. Magna Cum Laude. 

Featured Publications

 
Wright MJ, Proctor DD, Insogna KL, Kerstetter JE. Proton pump inhibiting drugs, calcium homeostasis and bone health, Nutrition Reviews, 2008;66:103-108. 

Goss SL, Lemons KA, Kerstetter JE, Bogner RH. Determination of calcium salt solubility with changes in pH and PCO2, simulating varying gastrointestinal environments. Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacology, 2007;59:1485-1492. 

Kerstetter JE, Gaffney ED, O’Brien KO, Caseria DM, Insogna KL.  Dietary protein increases intestinal calcium absorption and improves bone balance: An hypothesis.  International Congress Series, 2007;1297:204-216.  

Kerstetter JE, Wall DE, O’Brien KO, Caseria CM, Insogna KL. Meat and soy protein affect calcium homeostasis in healthy women.  J Nutrition, 2006;136:1890-1895. 

Busque SM, Kerstetter JE, Geibel JP, Insogna K. L-Type amino acids stimulate gastric acid secretion by activation of the calcium-sensing receptor in parietal cells. Am J Physiol Gastrointest Liver Physiol. 2005 Oct;289(4):G664-9. 

Kerstetter JE, O’Brien KO, Caseria DM, Wall, DE, Insogna KL. The impact of dietary protein on calcium absorption and kinetic measures of bone turnover in women. J Clin Endo Metab, 2005;90:26-31. 

Affenito S, Lambert-Lagace, L, Kerstetter JE, Denmark-Wahnefried W.  Position of the American Dietetic Association: Nutrition and Women’s Health. J Am Diet Assoc. 2004;104:984-1001. 

Kerstetter JE, O’Brien KO, Insogna KL. High protein diets, calcium economy, and bone health. Top Clin Nutr 2004; 19:56-66. 

Kerstetter JE, O’Brien KO, Insogna KL. Dietary protein, calcium metabolism and skeletal homeostasis revisited.  Am J Clin Nutr, 2003;584S-592S. 

Kerstetter JE, O’Brien KO, Insogna KL. Low protein intake: the impact on calcium and bone homeostasis in humans.  J Nutr. 2003;133:855S-861S.