In 2004 I completed my Doctorate in Nutrition from Columbia University. I subsequently completed a Postdoctoral Research Fellowship there in the spring of 2006. Both my graduate and post-doctoral training focused on neurobiological bases of feeding, in an attempt to understand the pathogenesis of obesity and eating disorders.
However, after much reading, debate, and dialogue with mentors, including Dr. Marion Nestle, my long-term view on the subject changed dramatically. It became increasingly clear to me as a scientist that the essential feature propelling our nation's rate of obesity, and the most critical contribution to its persistence, was our nation's food industry and how they market to consumers.
Since that time, my goal has been to use my research, grant-success, and analytic statistical skills procured during my training to demonstrate, in a scientific manner, the mechanisms by which our nation's food- and related industries promote excessive consumption in our population.