I've been a Public Health and Clinical Nutritionist/Dietitian since 1992 and have had the opportunity to work in a variety of food and nutrition related settings, many of which have been cross-cultural.
Nutritional science is ultimately concerned with how nutrients interact with the physical body, but that's only a part of the story. Food has many other significances for human life including how the production of that food impacts the environment, other people, and the welfare of other living creatures. Understanding these systemic impacts of our dietary choices provides the nutrition professional with a more complete picture of the interplay between food and wellbeing. This perspective shapes my approach to teaching and learning about food and nutrition.
Through my career, in both public health/clinical and academic settings, my interests in food and nutrition have spanned a continuum of nutrient-based to food systems based work. Most recently, I have focused my scholarship in the area of the New York regional food system (specifically, the story of dairy and cheese production in the state) and the influencing role of social and political processes.
Sample of courses taught:
- Food and Society (HLTH 20100)
- Ithaca Seminar - "We are what we've eaten"
- Human Nutrition (HLTH 20200)
- Disease and Lifestyle (HLTH 22900)
- Nutritional Care and Therapeutics (HLTH 31100)
- Nutrition Proseminar (HLTH 40100)
- Health Counseling (HLTH 30600)