Professor, Allied Health Sciences (Principal Investigator)

Valerie B. Duffy (PhD, RDN) and her team have two complimentary research interests. First, we attempt to understand variation in chemosensory perception in humans and how this variation influences food flavor, food preference and food intake. Our ultimate goal is to understand how chemosensory variation influences our ability to follow a healthy diet for the prevention of chronic disease and obesity. Second, we collaborate with community agencies across the state to promote healthy diets and healthy weights of children and their, particularly those of economic disadvantage. Through involvement of undergraduate and graduate student research, we are investigating the effectiveness of community-based interventions to improve vegetable intake and level of physical activity of children. Dr. Duffy and her students have numerous publications and presentations at national and international meetings. She has received several awards for excellence in teaching, research and service. Students who have trained with Dr. Duffy are advancing nutrition and health through research, practice or public health leadership.

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Extension Educator

Tina Dugdale is an Extension Educator at the University of Connecticut in the Department of Allied Health Sciences. Implementing curricula that she developed, she manages and mentors dietetic undergraduates, dietetic interns, and Masters students through practicum courses that include the opportunity to deliver tailored and culturally sensitive nutrition education to the income-challenged and food insecure in the state of Connecticut. She has been funded by USDA SNAP Education for 20 years. Tina has served as both the President of the CT Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and Delegate. She is currently serving as the Secretary. Tina is married with three children, has two granddaughters, and in her spare time enjoys cooking, gardening and hiking.

SNAP-Ed Nutrition Educator

Donna joined the UConn School & Family SNAP-Ed nutrition team in 2009 with a broad background in food service management, health promotion, and marketing communications. She currently oversees dietetics undergraduates, interns, and Masters students during their community nutrition rotation within the Allied Health Sciences Dietetics Coordinated Program and Internship. She also oversees SNAP-Ed program reporting for the UConn School & Family SNAP-Ed project. Donna is committed to helping others make healthy dietary and lifestyle changes to enjoy the benefits of eating well and feeling great.

Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN)

Amy is a registered dietitian, graduate assistant, and second year master's student studying Health Promotion Sciences at the University of Connecticut. She graduated from UConn's undergraduate Dietetics Coordinated Program in May 2022 with a bachelor's degree in Dietetics. In summer 2021, Amy interned with the Healthy Family Connecticut team to promote healthy eating and physical activity to SNAP-eligible CT residents. Her interests include health equity, women’s and children’s health, and evidence-based practice.

Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN)

Daniela is a Graduate Student, Research Assistant studying Health Promotion Sciences at the University of Connecticut. Daniela is an international student from Brazil and earned a Bachelors of Science in Nutrition from the Federal University of Vicosa. Also, she completed an exchange program at State University of New York at Plattsburgh and Summer Internship at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She is passionate about learning how to prevent obesity, especially in disadvantaged populations. Daniela's research focuses on improving dietary outcomes through interactive nutritional strategies such as leveraging technology.

Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN)

Kate Killion is a doctoral student, research assistant, and Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) studying Health Promotion Sciences at the University of Connecticut. Kate earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Health Science from Boston University in 2018, and a Master of Public Health degree in Dietetics from the University of Massachusetts Lowell in 2021. She also earned her RDN credential in 2021. Kate is passionate about public health nutrition, nutrition education, and ensuring all people have the tools they need to eat a healthy, enjoyable diet. Her research focuses on  community-based programs and policies to improve diet quality in people across the lifespan.

Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN)

Kate Walder is a registered dietitian, graduate assistant, and first year master’s student studying Health Promotion Sciences at the University of Connecticut. After graduating from UConn’s undergraduate Coordinated Program in Dietetics and obtaining her RDN in 2021, Kate provided nutrition counseling services to patients with obesity, diabetes, and other chronic diseases as an Outpatient Clinical Dietitian at Backus Hospital. Kate’s research interests include school-based obesity prevention through Farm to School initiatives and school gardening programs.

Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN)

Julia is a registered dietitian and graduate assistant studying Health Promotion Sciences at the University of Connecticut. She graduated from UConn in May 2023 with a bachelor's degree in Dietetics after completing the Coordinated Program in Dietetics. Julia is passionate about behavior change counseling and helping people improve their diet quality while fostering a healthy relationship with food and body. In her free time, Julia enjoys hiking, teaching dance, cooking, and relaxing with a good book.

Faculty Advisors

Professor, Department of Communication

Professor Lin (Ph.D. in Media and Information) focuses her research and teaching on topics concerning health, risk, science, environmental, marketing, multicultural and computer-mediated communication at individual, community and societal levels.  Motivated by her interest in the emerging digital technologies, she founded the Communication Technology Division at the Association for Education in Journalism & Mass Communication. Professor Lin has developed or co-developed a commercialized bioinformatics system, a serious game for health and a mobile application for personal risk management. Combining this eHealth expertise with her marketing communication background, her work has examined the persuasive effects of positive health promotion messages on motivating the acceptance and adoption of healthy behavior. Since 2014, Dr. Lin has been partnering with Dr. Duffy in developing communication messages to promote healthy eating habits and physical activity among children. She has also collaborated with Dr. Duffy on projects that assess the effectiveness of community-based intervention programs to help children develop healthy lifestyles that can be sustained throughout their adulthood.   

Professor, Department of Communication

Dr. Shane J Sacco is a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the University. His primary focus is applied statistics. Dr. Sacco shared his expertise as game developer for the Healthy Family Connecticut, UConn's Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Outside of academia, Shane enjoys hiking, reading, and playing video games.

Student Collaborators

Honors student, Junior in Allied Health Sciences

Jillian is a junior at the University of Connecticut. She is an Honors student, majoring in Allied Health Sciences, and she has a minor in Spanish. She is on a Pre-Med track, hoping to one day work as a physician in the field of obstetrics or embryology. Jillian’s research focuses primarily on promoting healthy eating and dietary behaviors in children between the ages of two and five years, who belong to underprivileged families through the use of social media. Outside of the classroom, she loves to dance, and she is a third-year veteran of the University of Connecticut Dance Team. She is also committed to community service, as she is a member of numerous honor societies and organizations. 

Honors student, Junior in the Special Program in Dental Medicine

Grace is a junior at the University of Connecticut. She is an Honors student in the Special Program in Dental Medicine, majoring in Molecular and Cell Biology. She hopes to be a general or pediatric dentist in the future and work towards advocating for increased access to healthcare globally. Grace’s research focuses on using pediatric adapted liking surveys and tailored messages to promote healthy eating and oral hygiene behaviors in children within a pediatric dental office setting and the use of social media for the health education of parents. In her free time, she volunteers as a dental sterilization tech and an EMT, and she is involved in community service addressing social determinants of health and advocacy on campus.