Elizabeth Widen, Ph.D., R.D.
I am a Registered Dietitian and Assistant Professor at The University of Texas at Austin in the Department of Nutritional Sciences within the School of Human Ecology in the College of Natural Sciences. I am also faculty at the Dell Pediatric Research Institute, a faculty research associate at the Population Research Center, and an affiliate faculty member in the Departments of Women’s Health and Pediatrics at Dell Medical School.
My research focuses on nutritional and perinatal epidemiology, taking a life course approach at the intersection of nutrition, perinatal and pediatric epidemiology, behavioral nutrition, and human biology. I develop and apply advanced analytic methods to understand the role of nutrition in early life on both short- and long-term health outcomes. Additionally, I create interdisciplinary intervention programs aimed at improving nutrition and health during pregnancy, infancy, and early childhood. My work particularly targets high-risk populations facing heightened nutritional risk.
I currently serve as Principal Investigator on an R01 grant from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), as well as on grants from the Episcopal Health Foundation, the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, the Egg Nutrition Center, and the National Pork Board. I’ve been fortunate to receive several accolades, including an Early Career Award from the Thrasher Research Fund and a Mid-Career Award from the Community and Public Health Nutrition Research Interest Section of the American Society for Nutrition.
I hold a BS in Dietetics from Miami University and a PhD in Nutritional Epidemiology from the Gillings School of Global Public Health at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Before earning my PhD, I was an Intramural Research Training Award Fellow at the National Institutes of Health. After completing my doctoral studies, I pursued an interdisciplinary postdoctoral fellowship at Columbia University in the Institute of Human Nutrition, the Department of Epidemiology at the Mailman School of Public Health, and the New York Obesity Nutrition Research Center.
Fun fact: I’m a fraternal twin! This has been a key inspiration for my interest in maternal and child health.
