NIH Record - National Institutes of Health

Pasiakos Begins as ODS Director

Pasiakos smiling with American flag in background
Dr. Stefan Pasiakos

Dr. Stefan Pasiakos will begin his new role as director of NIH’s Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS) on July 16. A research physiologist, he currently serves as chief of the Military Performance Division at the United States Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine (USARIEM). He leads a diverse research program and scientific team developing evidence-based solutions to limit musculoskeletal injuries, accelerate return to duty and optimize physical and behavioral performance in military training and operational environments. 

Pasiakos will help lead NIH efforts in expanding the scientific knowledge base on dietary supplements, enhancing the dietary supplement research workforce, fostering development and dissemination of research resources and tools and translating dietary supplement research findings into useful information for consumers, health professionals, researchers and policymakers.

He received his Ph.D. in nutritional science in 2008 from the University of Connecticut and completed a postdoctoral fellowship in the Military Nutrition Division at USARIEM in 2012 as a U.S. Army Medical Service Corps officer. 

From 2012 to 2021, Pasiakos led an interdisciplinary research program to refine dietary protein requirements for soldiers and develop targeted dietary strategies that sustain muscle mass during strenuous operations, fields for which he is internationally recognized. His academic interests include diet and supplemental nutrition, muscle physiology, human performance and bioenergetics of exercise metabolism. He has published more than 150 articles.

Pasiakos is a member of the American Society for Nutrition, fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and associate editor for Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, ACSM’s flagship journal.

The NIH Record

The NIH Record, founded in 1949, is the biweekly newsletter for employees of the National Institutes of Health.

Published 25 times each year, it comes out on payday Fridays.

Assistant Editor: Eric Bock
Eric.Bock@nih.gov (link sends e-mail)

Staff Writer: Amber Snyder
Amber.Snyder@nih.gov (link sends e-mail)