Originally from Sonoma, California, I was a faculty member of the Nutrition Department, about 25 years. I grew up on a farm in Sonoma, and am a first generation college graduate; my parents were of Greek descent, my Dad being a Greek immigrant. Food and good nutrition was always emphasized in my family, which was likely the inspiration for becoming a nutrition professional.
I completed my doctorate and dietetic internship at University of California, Davis and then came to Boston. I gained valuable public health experience by working at the Massachusetts Department of Public Health as a nutrition project manager. There I oversaw data management, research and evaluation activities for a variety of nutrition programs, such as WIC, The Growth and Nutrition Program, Food Stamp Outreach, and the Pregnancy and Pediatric Nutrition Surveillance Systems. My work there became the foundation of my future research agenda which centered on health of low income women and children.
My teaching philosophy has evolved into a pedagogy that emphasizes not only knowledge acquisition but application of learned principles and generalizations to new problems and situations, synthesis and integration of new information and ideas and application of this synthesized information to the solution of public health problems. I firmly believe in the power of good communication, both written and oral and have sought to emphasize these in my courses.
I have received several grants for my research from USDA and CDC. Most recently I was awarded the President’s Fund for Faculty Excellence grant, in which I am examining factors that affect gestational weight gain in a diverse sample of low income women. For about 14 years, I was the Director of Simmons Didactic Program in Dietetics and then became the Ruby Winslow Linn Endowed Chair of the Nutrition Department. I have loved working with my wonderful colleagues and students and am happy that even though I am now retired, I can continue to be involved in my Department as a Professor Emerita.
What I Teach
- NUTR 489 – Nutrition Proposal Development
- NUTR 490 – Nutrition Research Project
Research/Creative Activities
Risk Factors for Excessive Gestational Weight Gain
This project is a collaboration between Simmons University and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health and includes nine years of longitudinal data representing a large proportion of low income women giving birth in Massachusetts. It aims to leverage prior research to ascertain what factors affect excessive gestational weight gain (EGWG) during pregnancy.
Learn more about Risk Factors for Excessive Gestational Weight Gain