Nutrition Stars Spotlight

I graduated from Penn State in 2015 with a PhD in Nutritional Sciences. I completed a one-year postdoc with Laura Murray-Kolb focusing on cognitive testing quality in the MAL-ED study. I joined the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) in October 2016 and have been based in India as a Research Fellow in the Poverty Health and Nutrition Division since then.

I spent nine years at Penn State (four undergraduate + five graduate)! The opportunities for international exposure stand out to me; I studied in New Zealand and Italy as an undergraduate, conducted research in India and Rwanda and presented at conferences in other countries during my PhD, and traveled to eight countries during my postdoc. These experiences literally allowed me to see the relative importance of various aspects of nutrition in different populations and led to my current research focus on building high-quality evidence for stronger health/nutrition policies in South Asia.

I graduated from Penn State with a PhD in Nutritional Sciences in 2012. I am currently an Associate Professor at the Indiana University of Pennsylvania. I teach classes in introductory nutrition, medical nutrition therapy, nutrition and aging, public health nutrition, and advanced metabolism. In addition to teaching, I am also the program coordinator for our online master's degree program and the faculty advisor for our student nutrition organization, the Student Association for Nutrition and Dietetics (SAND).

In my 4 years at Penn State, I loved that I had the opportunity to attend and present research at professional conferences like the International Conference on Diet and Activity Methods (ICDAM), the Experimental Biology meeting and the Food and Nutrition Conference and Expo (FNCE). Attending these meetings gave me the opportunity to meet and interact with well-known nutrition scientists. it also allowed me to find volunteer leadership opportunities, which has helped to keep me connected.

I also loved being involved in the Nutrition Student Graduate Association, which was the grad student organization of the department. I was part of the group of students who initiated the efforts to raise money for the State College Food Bank through founding and organizing the Iron Chef competition. Being a part of this group helped me to value the connections with my peers, which we affectionately coined as "lateral networking". As the faculty advisor for my department's nutrition organization, I am constantly telling my students the importance of not only networking with those of "influence", but also among their peers. I truly valued the connections and relationships that I built with my fellow students while at Penn State and keep in touch most of them to this day.

I graduated from Penn State in 2015 with a PhD in Nutritional Sciences with a minor in Human Development and Family Studies. After graduation, I completed my postdoctoral fellowship at Washington University School of Medicine. I am now a Clinical Assistant Professor at University at Buffalo.

I am so grateful that I got to train on the Childhood Obesity Prevention Training Grant. As part of the training, I got to train under and meet with some of our country’s leading experts in childhood obesity prevention and treatment. Becoming colleagues (and friends!) with some of our leading nutrition and Ingestive Behavior experts is something that I wouldn’t trade for anything.

After graduating from Penn State, I moved to Baltimore to complete the Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center dietetic internship. I stayed on after graduating from the internship as a registered dietitian. I quickly realized my love for nutrition support, earning my Certified Nutrition Support Clinician (CNSC). I spent a couple years back in Happy Valley (not just my alma mater but also my home town) working at Mount Nittany Medical Center in the ICU. During this time I worked in acute care and also was project manager for a diet office software build and transition. Three years ago, I accepted a position at Mayo Clinic in Florida. I specialize in enteral and parenteral nutrition support in the intensive care unit and love what I do. In addition, I have provided malnutrition in-services to physicians and advanced practice providers, precept dietetic interns and have residents and fellows rotate through a nutrition rotation.

Penn State provided an amazing educational foundation. I am fortunate to have learned from and worked with brilliant instructors and researchers in the field of nutrition during my time as a student. The support from nutrition faculty as well as my fellow students throughout my college experience was so important. This strong foundation has allowed me to continue to apply the knowledge learned as I continue to build strong clinical skills and provide the best patient care.

It is difficult to pick my most memorable moment during my time as a Penn State student. I had the opportunity to study abroad twice during my undergraduate career; in Ireland and in Italy with the International Program in Nutrition. These experiences were so valuable and I am very grateful to have had the opportunities. I recommend study abroad to every undergraduate student.

After graduating from Penn State in 2003, I completed a 2-year NIMH Postdoctoral Fellowship in Psychology and Human Development. I then accepted a tenure-track faculty position at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health where I worked in the Department of International Health until I returned to Penn State in 2009. I am currently an Associate Professor and Professor-in-Charge of the Graduate Program in the Department of Nutritional Sciences.

I wouldn’t trade my Penn State education for any other! There are so many things that make Penn State a special place but two that stand out in particular are the ability to conduct research at any stage (I started as an undergrad, working in a lab which was studying the effects of aging by using a Drosophila model) and the quality of the faculty. When I started my MS, my plan was to learn about nutrition and then go to medical school. However, my advisor’s enthusiasm for research was so contagious that before I knew it, I was immersed in and fascinated by the field of nutritional sciences research and knew that I wanted to pursue that as a career. I was challenged and stretched by so many opportunities during graduate school and the faculty consistently went above and beyond to help me become a leader in the scientific community. I am forever grateful for their dedication!

Melissa Froehlich graduated from Penn State in 2010 with a B. S. in Nutritional Sciences. Since graduation, she has worked in school food service, starting as an Assistant Food Service Director for the Upper Dublin School District. She currently serves as the School Nutrition Coordinator for North Penn School District in Lansdale, PA where she manages 150 employees and serves 14,000 students every day. North Penn participates in school breakfast, school lunch, the Afterschool Snack Program, summer meals, and also delivers meals to local daycares through the Child and Adult Care Food Program. In the 2017/18 school year Melissa served as President of the School Nutrition Association of Pennsylvania, the youngest person to ever hold that office.

Melissa credits an experience she had at Penn State, working as a Student Nutrition Assistant with the dining commons, with impacting her career choice. She said that the experience “opened my eyes to how my nutrition degree could be used in a school setting and how I could influence the eating habits of students today, to live healthier futures.”

Molly Michelman graduated from Penn State in 1998 with a M. S. in Nutrition. After serving on faculty at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas for 17 years Molly left that position to work as a community dietitian. She currently works for a company called “Healthy Interactions” where she provides nutrition education for the older adult population. Molly says, “Each time I see one of my former professors or former fellow students in a journal, presenting at a conference or quoted, I feel extremely proud to be an alum. As a student, I recall thinking that I was part of a department that was powerful and influential in the world of nutrition science. My advisor, Claudia Probart, helped me to find and use my individual strengths. I borrowed her ability to find the unique talent in each of my students when I was a faculty member myself, and know that her creative approach to nutrition influenced the way that I educate others.”

After graduating from Penn State with a B.S. in Kinesiology: Movement Science in 2013, I started a small online fitness business in New York City that focused on overall wellbeing and exercise. I am currently in the process of transitioning that project into a corporate wellness business tailored to the health of executives and their employees in Asia.

It was imperative for me to find a program that supports my entrepreneurial goals, and to utilize the program in a way that caters to my unique professional development. I currently live in Hong Kong and love that Penn State World Campus has allowed me the opportunity to network and connect with friends and colleagues around the world including Hong Kong, Los Angeles, and New York City.

Major: Nutritional Science, BS, 2009 and Nutritional Science, PhD, 2014 both at Penn State
After graduation I worked at Glanbia in Scientific Affairs until 2015 and then Coca-Cola in Nutrition Strategy until now
Shout Out: The Penn State Nutrition Department was a wonderful and inspiring place to start my professional career!

I went to Graduate School (at Rutgers) and fell in love with Nutrition Science. I earned my Masters and Doctorate in '63 and '66 respectively, and then did a Post Doc. I began my career in science and have loved every minute.

My Penn State Experience - It was a great four years! I took a lot of science courses. I really loved biochemistry. I then took an advanced nutrition course that really set me on fire. I suspect that this course was a pivotal factor in my desire to attend graduate school in Nutrition.

One of the things I have really appreciated is the fact that I graduated from an unaccredited high school.  It was a very small school from which few went to college. Penn State took a chance on me and I am eternally grateful!

After graduating from Penn State, I pursued a combined Master of Science (MS) and Dietetic Internship (DI) program at Boston University. During my MS in Nutrition Science program, I completed a practicum at the Center for Metabolic Bariatric Surgery, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, where I had the opportunity to deliver education to patients at various timelines from surgery, several times in individual and group settings. Upon my completion of the MS degree program, I interned at Boston Medical Center, where I participated in a variety of nutrition practice and thereafter became a registered dietitian (RD).

I decided to settle down and work in Kuwait, my hometown, after spending six years of studying abroad. I started working as a foodservice dietitian at Ahmadi Hospital, affiliated to Kuwait Oil Company, where I was able to creatively set a healthy lunch box menu targeting the employees of the company. In addition, I participated in multiple health awareness campaigns as a lead dietitian. I wanted to taste the clinical dietetic aspect in Kuwait and decided to apply at Dasman Diabetes Institute, where I am currently working as a senior dietitian.

Penn State gave me a solid dietetics foundation that allowed me to excel in both my academic and professional life. Specifically, the research class in my senior year allowed me to understand the fundamental elements of nutrition epidemiology. Moreover, I honor the hands on experience I had at Hershey Medical Center as it evolved in building my nutrition expertise and implied the deep meaning of teamwork that is essential in every environment. Overall, the experience and knowledge from Penn State continues to inspire me to prosper in the nutrition field.