Dr. Swain is Professor and Director of the Didactic Program in Dietetics (DPD). He is Past-President of the Greater Cleveland Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (GCAND), Past-Chair of the Research Dietetics Practice Group (R-DPG) of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND), and Past-Chair of the Vitamin and Mineral Research Interest Section (VM-RIS) of the American Society for Nutrition (ASN). He has also served on the FDA's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN) Advisory Committee and is a Past-Chair of the national Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND) Board. Dr. Swain currently serves as a global council member of the International Society for Trace Element Research in Humans (ISTERH), and leads initiatives aimed at advancing understanding of iron status in relation to infectious diseases, including malaria.
Teaching Information
Teaching Interests
- Global food systems sustainability
- Clinical nutrition/medical nutrition therapy
- Food science/chemistry
- Advanced human nutrition
- Research development
Courses Taught
Office Hours
By appointment
Research Information
Research Interests
My research investigates how iron status and iron interventions influence hematologic function, host responses to infection, and malaria severity. By integrating epidemiologic, clinical, and translational approaches, I seek to elucidate the mechanisms linking iron metabolism, erythropoiesis, anemia, and malaria pathogenesis. The long-term goal of this work is to generate evidence that informs safe and effective iron supplementation strategies in malaria-endemic populations and improves maternal and child health outcomes.
Research Projects
- Investigate how iron status shapes hematologic and immunologic responses during malaria infection.
- Examine the effects of iron supplementation on malaria susceptibility, disease progression, and clinical severity.
- Identify hematologic biomarkers and mechanisms associated with severe malaria and adverse outcomes.
- Study interactions among iron metabolism, erythropoiesis, anemia, and malaria pathogenesis.
- Generate evidence to inform safe and effective iron supplementation strategies in malaria-endemic populations.
- Apply epidemiologic, clinical, and translational approaches to understand host factors that influence malaria outcomes.
Awards and Honors
Publications
Key recent research publications are:
- Minisola S, Swain JH. Mineral Nutrition and Human Health and Disease. Nutrients. 2026 Jan 23;18(3):370. doi: 10.3390/nu18030370. PMID: 41683194; PMCID: PMC12899257.
- Swain JH, Glosser LD. A Porcine-Derived Heme Iron Powder Restores Hemoglobin in Anemic Rats. Nutrients. 2024 Nov 25;16(23):4029. doi: 10.3390/nu16234029. PMID: 39683423; PMCID: PMC11643988.
- Swain JH, Glosser LD, Jang CJ, Nemeth RC, Bethi AR, Zheng EL, Boron ER, Fox HM. An Electrolytic Elemental Iron Powder Effectively Regenerates Hemoglobin in Anemic Rats and Is Relatively Well Absorbed When Compared to Ferrous Sulfate Monohydrate. Nutrients. 2024 Aug 24;16(17):2833. doi: 10.3390/nu16172833. PMID: 39275151; PMCID: PMC11397326.
- Swain JH, Nemeth RC, Bethi AR, Jang CJ, Zheng EL. Hemoglobin Regeneration Efficiency and Relative Iron Bioavailability of Four Elemental Iron Powders in Rats. Nutrients. 2024 Jul 13;16(14):2258. doi: 10.3390/nu16142258. PMID: 39064701; PMCID: PMC11279874.