Elizabeth Metallinos-Katsaras

Associate Professor of Nutrition

Questioning the numbers

Growing up in a farming community in the heart of northern California's Sonoma Valley and being immersed in a family-run produce market, Elizabeth Metallinos-Katsaras grew up with a love of food and a firmly rooted belief that nutrition is essential to good health. "It took me a while to realize how much my early life experiences affected my choice of career," says Metallinos-Katsaras of her decision to major in nutrition science at the University of California, Davis, in the late 1970s. "Food is an integral part of my [Greek] culture, and I grew up eating well because my parents were interested in good nutrition, even before it was vogue!"

That foundation in good nutrition is what led Metallinos-Katsaras to pursue her doctorate in nutrition and to establish her career as a professor and researcher. As an assistant professor of nutrition at Simmons, Metallinos-Katsaras teaches graduate students how to critically evaluate nutrition research and to determine what current research indicates about the nutrition-related causes of chronic diseases.

Much of Metallinos-Katsaras's own research has involved working with mothers and children, investigating the functional effects of under nutrition as well as potential risk factors for the development of obesity. "We know that good nutritional habits begin very early in life, a time when parents can be very influential," she explains. "We've seen an epidemic increase in childhood obesity over the last 10 years, and there is a need for research to better delineate the causes and to develop effective public-health strategies to prevent obesity.

"It's so important when teaching nutrition to offer the most current information and data available," says Metallinos-Katsaras. "My research experience enables me to help my students better understand the published research, but even more importantly, to help them question it and determine for themselves the validity of what they are reading. This skill will ultimately make them better nutrition experts who will be viewed as leaders in their profession."