KINGSTON, R.I. – April 4, 2025 – Kathleen Melanson, a professor in the University of Rhode Island’s Department of Nutrition, has been selected as one of the inaugural Excellence in Nutrition Fellows by the American Society for Nutrition.

The new recognition program honors nutrition professionals who are 10 or more years past their terminal degree and have been a member of the American Society for Nutrition as a scientist, clinician, or professional for at least five years.

Melanson was among 55 American Society for Nutrition members who were chosen for their contributions and sustained engagement in the nutrition community.

“I’m sincerely grateful to all my colleagues at URI who have supported me throughout my career, along with my nominators, my colleagues in the American Society for Nutrition, and the selection committee,” said Melanson.

Melanson directs URI’s Human Energy Balance Laboratory, where she’s currently conducting research on ultra-processed foods, diet quality, markers of metabolic health, and approaches that address healthy body composition and well-being. 

“A large part of my work investigates eating behaviors along with methodology for studying them in various settings, food properties and human factors that may influence them, and their potential impact on appetite, energy intake, and related outcomes,” said Melanson.

The professor has had more than 75 peer-reviewed articles published in professional journals. The seminal article in Melanson’s career, which she co-authored with URI Professor Geoffrey Greene and URI graduate student Ana Andrade, was about the health benefits of eating slowly. The research led to further advancements by Melanson and other researchers, including externally funded projects to improve technology used for measuring eating behaviors and interventions to test health-related outcomes.

Greene and Ingrid Lofgren, URI professor and chair of the Department of Nutrition, were among those who submitted letters recommending Melanson for the Excellence in Nutrition Fellow honor.

“Dr. Melanson’s research areas are closely aligned with priorities set forth by the USDA, the CDC, the NIH, and the WHO,” wrote Lofgren. “She is a sought-after research collaborator at URI, domestically, and internationally.”

Melanson also serves as the director of the department’s graduate program. She typically mentors at least a half dozen graduate and undergraduate students in her lab each semester.

“It’s important to integrate meaningful research with student experiential learning,” said Melanson. “By working with graduate and undergraduate students on funded research projects in my laboratory, we’re able to make significant contributions to the field of nutrition while preparing students for their careers.”

Melanson will officially be recognized as an Excellence in Nutrition Fellow at ASN’s annual conference, NUTRITION 2025, in Orlando, Fla., from May 31–June 3.