Graduates
Summer 2018
Dr. Allison Hepworth, Dr. Faris Zuraikat, and Dr. Brittany James graduated in August 2018.
Spring 2018
Dr. Travis Masterson graduated May 2018.
The title of his dissertation was: The Impact Of Food Marketing On Brain Response And Food Intake In Children. His advisor was Dr. Kathleen L. Keller, Nutritional Sciences. Currently, he is a post-doctoral fellow funded by an NIH T32 grant which focuses on the science of co-occurring disorders housed in the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth under the mentorship of Diane Gilbert-Diamond. He is continuing to study the effects of food marketing on children’s eating behavior and weight gain over time.
Fall 2018
Dr. Alissa Smethers graduated in December 2018.
Fall 2017
Dr. Shana Adise graduated in December 2017.
The title of her dissertation was: Neural mechanisms of food and monetary rewards and their relation to overeating in children. Her advisor was Dr. Kathleen L. Keller, Nutritional Sciences. While at Penn State, Dr. Adise’s research focused on investigating how the brain response to rewards relates to overeating in children with and without obesity. Currently, she is a Tobacco Center on Regulatory Science (TCORS) Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Vermont under the mentorship of Dr. Hugh Garavan. Dr. Adise’s postdoctoral research will use fMRI to investigate decision-making in children with obesity and adults with substance abuse disorders
Fall 2016
Dr. Nicole Fearnbach successfully defended her doctoral dissertation on September 26, 2016. The title of her dissertation was: Impact of body composition and exercise on food intake regulation in children.
Dr. Nicole Fearnbach (center) with her advisor Dr. Kathleen Keller (left) and committee member Dr. David Thivel (right) the day after the defense
Summer 2016
Dr. Laural English successfully defended her doctoral dissertation on June 9, 2016. The title of her dissertation was: The brain and behavioral response to food portion size and energy density in children.
Dr. Laural English (left) and her advisor Dr. Kathlen Keller (right), at the defense
Dr. Samantha Kling successfully defended her doctoral dissertation on May 24, 2016. The title of her dissertation was: The effect of varying the portion size and energy density of foods and milk on preschool children’s intake.
Dr. Samantha Kling (right) with her advisor Dr. Barbara Rolls (center) and COPT graduate Dr. Katie Balantekin (Left)
Spring 2016
Dr. Kameron Moding successfully defended her doctoral dissertation on February 26, 2016.
Dr. Kameron Moding (left) with her advisor Dr. Cynthia Stifter (right)
Fall 2015
Dr. Chelsea Rose successfully defended her doctoral dissertation on September 15, 2015.
Dr. Chelsea Rose at her dissertation defense
Spring 2015
Dr. Katherine Balantekin successfully defended her doctoral dissertation on February 24, 2015.
Dr. Katie Balantekin (center) with her co-advisors Dr. Jen Savage Williams (left) and Dr. Leann Birch (right)