About Me

I am a Professor of Kinesiology and Public Health at the California Polytechnic State University where I serves as the director of the Center for Health Research and Healthy Kids Lab. I hold a Ph.D. and M.S. in Human Development and Family Studies and an M.S. in Nutritional Sciences from Pennsylvania State University. I earned my B.S. in Psychology with a concentration in Biology and a minor in Community Nutrition from the University of California, Davis. I also completed postdoctoral training as a NIH Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award fellow at the Monell Chemical Senses Center, a leading research institute in taste and smell. In addition, I am a trained Lactation Education Counselor (LEC), certified through the UC San Diego Extension program.