About

Sharon Donovan received her B.S. and Ph.D. in Nutrition from the University of California at Davis in 1983 and 1988, respectively. After completing a post-doctoral fellowship in Pediatric Endocrinology at Stanford University School of Medicine, she joined the faculty at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in February 1991 as an Assistant Professor of Nutrition. She was promoted to Associate Professor with indefinite tenure and to Full Professor in August 1997 and August 2001, respectively. Dr. Donovan served as Director of the Division of Nutritional Sciences from 1999 to 2009 and has held the position of Center for Advanced Study Professor since 2020. She is also the Melissa M. Noel Endowed Chair in Diet and Health in the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition. Her research focuses on pediatric nutrition, emphasizing the importance of proper nutrition for growth, development, cognition, and immune response during childhood. Her laboratory conducts basic and translational research aimed at optimizing intestinal and cognitive development of neonates, developing the gut microbiome, and preventing childhood obesity. Dr. Donovan has authored approximately 225 peer-reviewed publications and book chapters, and her work has been supported by major agencies including the NIH and USDA. She has been recognized with numerous awards and honors, including serving as President of the American Society for Nutrition and the International Society for Research on Human Milk and Lactation.

Research topics

• Medicine
• Pediatrics
• Psychology
• Biology
• Nursing
• Endocrinology
• Bioinformatics
• Pathology
• Environmental health
• Developmental psychology
• Family medicine
• Neuroscience
• Telecommunications
• Biochemistry
• Internal medicine
• Food science
• Physiology
• Immunology

Selected publications

• Infants: Complementary Feeding Guidelines

  Elsevier eBooks · 2026-01-01

  book-chapter1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• Charting a New Era to Modernize United States Infant Formula Regulation

  Advances in Nutrition · 2026-02-14

  articleOpen accessSenior author
  PublisherDOI

• Effects of Human Lactoferrin (effera ^® ) at Two Doses versus Bovine Lactoferrin on the Adult Gut Microbiome and Fecal Short-Chain Fatty Acids: A Randomized, Double-Blind Trial

  medRxiv · 2026-01-02

  articleOpen access

  Abstract Background/Objectives Human lactoferrin (hLF) is glycoprotein of commercial interest as a food ingredient for gut health. Here, we report an exploratory analysis evaluating the effects of Helaina hLF (effera ® ), produced by Komagataella phaffii , on the adult gut microbiome and fecal metabolites in comparison to bovine LF (bLF). Methods In a randomized, double-blind, parallel-arm, controlled trial, 66 healthy adults received either high-dose (HD) effera ® (3.4 g/day), low-dose (LD) effera ® (0.34 g/day), or bLF (3.4 g/day) supplementation for 28 days. Fecal samples were collected at baseline (Day 0), Day 28, Day 56, and Day 84 and analyzed for microbial diversity, taxonomic shifts, and volatile fatty acids (VFA). Results Alpha-diversity remained stable across all groups. Beta-diversity showed no main effect of treatment; however, bLF was associated with significant visit-related shifts, as assessed by weighted UniFrac. At the phylum level, significant changes associated with effera ® were observed, including decreases in Bacillota (LD) and Verrucomicrobiota (HD), and notable genera increases in Lachnospira , Paraprevotella , and Faecalibacterium (HD), while bLF was associated with an increase in Roseburia . Both effera ® and bLF were associated with decreases in Blautia and Dorea . VFA analysis revealed that bLF increased absolute total short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) and branched-chain fatty acids (BCFAs) concentrations, while both effera ® groups produced proportional changes in SCFAs, individual BCFAs, and acetate. Conclusions In healthy adults, effera ® supplementation promoted a proportional increase in acetate and supported potentially beneficial taxa while maintaining microbial diversity, without disrupting community structure. (clinicaltrials.gov: NCT06012669 ).

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Corrigendum to ‘Western, Healthful, and Low-Preparation Diet Patterns in Preschoolers of the STRONG Kids2 Program’ [Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior 56/4 (2024) 219-229]

  Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior · 2026-05-01

  articleOpen accessSenior authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• Human Milk Oligosaccharides Support Coordinated Microbiome and Immune Development and Function in Infancy

  Annals of Nutrition and Metabolism · 2026-04-01 · 1 citations

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  BACKGROUND: Human milk contains functional ingredients that shape the microbiome and immune development of infants. Human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) are among the largest and most diverse components of human milk. Their heterogeneity enables unique structure-function relationships that contribute to their physiological effects. This narrative review will focus on how HMOs directly and indirectly protect the infant from pathogens and educate the immune system. SUMMARY: Preclinical research, observational studies, and intervention trials demonstrate that HMOs provide multilayer modulation of host defense and immune development. HMOs are soluble glycans that are acetylated, sialylated, or fucosylated, which mediate their interactions with viruses and bacteria to reduce infectivity. Additionally, HMOs enhance pathogen exclusion by promoting intestinal cell maturation, mucin production, and barrier function. Moreover, HMOs directly interact with immune cells through binding to carbohydrate recognition domains. HMOs promote the growth of beneficial bacteria, particularly Bifidobacterium longum subspecies infantis, which is also immunomodulatory. Lastly, HMOs are fermented to short-chain fatty acids, which lower the pH of the intestinal lumen, providing further antimicrobial defense. KEY MESSAGES: Breastfed infants have a reduced risk of infectious disease compared to non-breastfed infants, attributable in part to the high concentration and structural diversity of HMOs. Clinical trials using formulas supplemented with synthetic human-identical milk oligosaccharides (HiMOs) have demonstrated benefits to adaptive and innate immunity, reduced infections, increased bifidobacteria, and reduced pathogenic bacteria. These benefits are amplified in formulas containing higher concentrations and greater varieties of HiMOs. However, the clinical benefit of routinely supplementing term infant formulae with HiMOs remains unsettled due to variability across existing clinical trials. Further research in healthy infants focused on short- and long-term immune outcomes is needed.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Correction: Experimentally induced colitis impacts myelin development and home-cage behavior in young pigs regardless of supplementation with oral gamma-cyclodextrin-encapsulated tributyrin

  Frontiers in Neuroscience · 2025-06-11

  erratumOpen access

  This submission is a correction, and only the title page (i.e., author line) is being corrected, so there is no text within the body of the manuscript to submit. Following is the correction template with instructions for what to change:In the published article, an author name was incorrectly written as Sharon D. Donovan. The correct spelling is Sharon M. Donovan. The authors apologize for this error and state that this does not change the scientific conclusions of the article in any way. The original article has been updated.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Diet Patterns Featuring Western-Style and Low-Preparation Foods Differentially Relate to Cognitive Function in Early Childhood From the STRONG Kids 2 Birth Cohort Study

  Current Developments in Nutrition · 2025-06-19

  articleOpen access

  <h2>Abstract</h2><h3>Background</h3> Dietary intake in early life is implicated in cognitive development. <h3>Objective</h3> The present study investigated how diet patterns derived at 2, 3 and 4 years-old relate to executive functions and early cognitive and academic skills using data from the longitudinal STRONG Kids2 cohort. <h3>Methods</h3> The Behavioral Inventory of Executive Functions Preschool caregiver survey was used to assess executive functions in 2 and 4 years-olds. A sub-sample of children completed a modified Eriksen flanker to measure attentional inhibition, a hearts and flowers switch task to assess cognitive flexibility and the Woodcock Johnson Early Cognitive and Academic Development tests to assess academic abilities during preschool ages (between 4 and 6 years-old). Block Food Frequency Questionnaire items were grouped into 23 food groups, and dietary patterns were derived using principal component and confirmatory factor analyses. Three diet patterns were derived at each age (2, 3, 4 years-old); children were not assigned to a specific diet pattern, but rather had three different diet pattern scores that were used for analyses. Diet pattern scores were used as predictors of executive functions at 2- (n=217) and 4 years-old (n=250-266), as well as attentional inhibition (n=53-56) and cognitive flexibility (n=50-59) tasks and cognitive (n=65-71) and academic (n=55-57) scores in preschooler sub-sample. <h3>Results</h3> Diets with higher intake of processed meats, sweets, and fried foods at 3-years-old was related to lower Woodcock Johnson scores (all β>-.351, FDR-adjusted <i>p</i>-value=0.028), while those with higher intakes of grains, nuts/seeds, and condiments at 2 years was related to greater incongruent Flanker accuracy (β=.380, ΛR²=.132, FDR-adjusted <i>p</i>-value=0.030). Diet patterns from 2 to 4 years-old were related to academic achievement and attentional inhibition; however, these associations were not independent of diet pattern at time of cognitive assessments. <h3>Conclusion</h3> This study emphasizes the potential value of exploring early diet interventions aimed at improving dietary patterns to support cognitive development.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Single-cell transcriptomics reveals that human milk feeding shapes neonatal immune cell interleukin signaling pathways in a nonrandomized clinical trial

  American Journal of Clinical Nutrition · 2025-04-26 · 6 citations

  articleOpen access

  BACKGROUND: Several studies have indicated the benefits of human milk feeding to infants however, mechanisms behind positive health outcomes have not been investigated. OBJECTIVES: The study aimed to characterize circulating immune cell subpopulation gene expression in human milk-fed (HMF) compared with cow milk formula-fed (FF) infants using single-cell transcriptomics. METHODS: Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were isolated from healthy HMF (n = 6), and FF (n = 3) infants who were 3-3.5 mo old and enrolled in a nonrandomized clinical trial. Single-cell RNA sequencing was used to generate a PBMC atlas and evaluate gene expression in immune cell subsets. Differential expression analysis was performed on each cell type independently after clustering the cells by similar marker gene expression using the scGEAToolbox. Differentially expressed genes were subjected to pathway analyses using an online functional enrichment analysis program. RESULTS: The relative abundance (%) of T and B lymphocytes, natural killer (NK) cells, and plasmacytoid dendritic cells were similar, whereas monocytes were higher in FF infants than in HMF infants (22.6 ± 10.7 compared with 8.3 ± 5.6; P = 0.0314). In addition, innate and adaptive immune cells from FF infants exhibited a higher activation state compared with HMF infants. We identified 16 distinct cell subsets from the major immune cell types: 3 monocyte subsets, 4 NK subsets, 2 B cell subsets, and 7 T cell subsets. Transcriptional profiles of each peripheral innate and adaptive immune cell subtype varied between HMF and FF infants. Pathway enrichment analysis of cell-specific transcriptional changes within subsets of major cell types revealed that the interleukin (IL)-4/IL-13 signaling pathways were upregulated in FF infants relative to HMF infants. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that human milk downregulates peripheral immune cell cytokine transcriptional signatures linked to allergic inflammation and infection relative to formula feeding.

  PublisherDOI

• Experimentally induced colitis impacts myelin development and home-cage behavior in young pigs regardless of supplementation with oral gamma-cyclodextrin-encapsulated tributyrin

  Frontiers in Neuroscience · 2025-03-31 · 2 citations

  articleOpen access

  Introduction: Colitis, a chronic intestinal disorder that causes inflammation of the colonic mucosa, has been linked with structural brain abnormalities. To combat intestinal inflammation, researchers have investigated how nutritional supplementation, such as butyric acid, may ameliorate untoward effects. By encapsulating and using conjugates of butyrate, such as butyrate glycerides (i.e., tributyrin), slower release to the lower portions of the gastrointestinal tract can be achieved. Additionally, butyrate supplementation has been linked with supporting brain function and regulating integrity. Methods: In the present study, a total of 24 intact male pigs were artificially reared and randomly assigned to 1 of 3 treatment conditions: (1) a control milk replacer (CON), (2) control plus oral dextran sodium sulfate (DSS) to induce colitis, or (3) control supplemented with 9.0 mM of gamma-cyclodextrin encapsulated tributyrin (TBCD) plus oral DSS (TBCD+DSS). Pigs were orally administered DSS treatments daily from postnatal day (PND) 14-18. Continuous video recording began on PND 3 and ceased on PND 27 or 28, with videos processed and analyzed for home-cage tracking behavior. On PND 26 or 27, pigs underwent neuroimaging procedures to assess overall brain anatomy (MPRAGE), microstructure (DTI), and myelin (MWF). Results and discussion: Home-cage spatial preference was not altered prior to DSS dosing or during the overall study period. However, TBCD+DSS pigs spent less (p < 0.05) time within quadrant 4 when compared with CON pigs. Across almost all 29 brain regions assessed, absolute volumes were observed to be smaller in the TBCD+DSS group compared with CON and DSS groups. However, once individual volumes were assessed relative to the whole brain, most treatment effects dissipated other than for gray matter volume (p = 0.041). Diffusivity was found to be altered in several regions across treatment groups, thereby indicating differences in fiber organization. In areas like the hippocampus and thalamus, when fractional anisotropy (FA) values were highest for a given treatment, in the other diffusion metrics (mean, radial, axial diffusivity) values were lowest for that same treatment, indicating more organized cellular structure. Several other diffusion trends and differences were observed across various regions. Lastly, myelin water fraction (MWF) values were lowest in DSS-treated groups compared with CON (p < 0.05) for the whole brain and left/right cortices. Conclusion: Overall, fiber organization and myelination were observed to be altered by experimentally induced colitis and contrary to expectations, tributyrin supplementation did not ameliorate these effects. Future work is warranted to investigate other protective nutritional mechanisms for colitis.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Psychosocial Influences on Breastfeeding Duration: Maternal, Paternal, and Infant Contributors

  Current Developments in Nutrition · 2025-08-26 · 1 citations

  reviewOpen access

  Breastfeeding provides significant health benefits for infants and mothers, yet many families face challenges leading to early cessation. The role of maternal psychosocial factors, paternal psychosocial support, and parental perceptions of infant characteristics on breastfeeding duration remains underexplored. This narrative review aimed to synthesize recent literature on the psychosocial influences of maternal, paternal, and infant-related factors on breastfeeding duration. A literature search was conducted in the PubMed database to extract peer-reviewed studies between 2014 and 2024. The search terms include those relate to parents (e.g., "mother," "father," "maternal," "paternal,"), infants (e.g., "infant," "baby"), psychosocial factors (e.g., "mental health," "self-efficacy," "depression," "anxiety"), and breastfeeding duration outcomes (e.g., "breastfeeding duration," "continuation") to identify relevant studies. A total of 447 articles were identified through the initial search, and 31 articles were included in the final qualitative analysis based on relevance to the inclusion criteria. The literature suggests that maternal mental well-being and lower self-efficacy are the most prominent predictors of breastfeeding duration and cessation. Additionally, fathers' active participation, such as providing emotional support, can have a positive impact on breastfeeding duration. Variations in infant temperament were found to be associated with maternal breastfeeding and caregiving styles, which in turn influence breastfeeding duration. In summary, maternal, paternal, and infant psychosocial factors all contribute to variations in breastfeeding duration; however, paternal psychological factors and infant temperament are underrepresented in research on breastfeeding. A more holistic perspective is needed to guide future research and interventions aimed at supporting breastfeeding persistence.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Recent grants

• NIH Grant T32DK059802

  NIH · $1.3M · 2014

• NIH Grant R01HD029264

  NIH · $516k · 1998

• NIH Grant R01HD061929

  NIH · $1.3M · 2015

• NIH Grant F32HD007226

  NIH · $38k

• Dietary and microbial predictors of childhood obesity risk

  NIH · $2.8M · 2017–2024

Frequent coauthors

• Marcia H. Monaco

  University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

  121 shared

• Ryan N. Dilger

  University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

  59 shared

• Elsie M. Taveras

  58 shared

• Ronald E. Kleinman

  Massachusetts General Hospital

  57 shared

• Mei Wang

  Naturalis Biodiversity Center

  57 shared

• Julie Obbagy

  Food and Nutrition Service

  55 shared

• Sarah S. Comstock

  Michigan State University

  54 shared

• Kathryn G. Dewey

  University of California, Davis

  53 shared

Labs

• Sharon Donovan's LabPI

Education

• PhD, Nutrition

  University of California Davis

  1988

• B.S., Nutrition

  University of California Davis

  1983

Awards & honors

• Member, Center of Advanced Study, University of Illinois, Ur…
• Elected member of the National Academy of Medicine of the Na…
• Lucille S. Hurley Distinguished Lecturer (Department of Nutr…
• Spitze Landgrant Professorial Career Excellence Award (Colle…
• Paul A. Funk Recognition Award (College of ACES) (2010)