Applied Nutrition and Physical Activity Contacts

I completed my PhD in HNFE in 2013 in cancer metabolism. Since then I have taught at Virginia Tech, Pikes Peak Community College, and Colorado College before returing to Virginia Tech as a Collegiate Assistant Professor in 2018. Since then my research has focused on improving student motivation for learning in the classroom and whether obesity and physical activity are correlated with student learning outcomes. I was promoted to Collgiate Associate Professor in the fall of 2022. I teach Physical Activity and Health in the OMALS program in the spring and Advanced Macronutrient Metabolism in the OMALS program in the fall. 

My translational research laboratory is interested in identifying basic biological pathways and nutraceutical compounds that can be used to understand and treat genetic disease. We focus on adult onset obesity in general, as well trying to understand the molecular cause of Prader-Willi Syndrome (PWS), a genetic condition affecting one in 10,000 live births. To this end, we have discovered that the nutraceutical, conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) can treat obesity and fertility in two different mouse models of PWS. 

Amy is a faculty member in the Department of Human Nutrition, Foods, and Exercise where she serves as Northern Virginia Director and Assistant Program Director of the accredited Internship in Nutrition and Dietetics. She is a co-instructor of OMALS courses within the Applied Nutrition and Physical Activity concentration (Dietetic Internship sub-concentration), including Clinical Practice in Dietetics, Community Practice in Dietetics, and Management & Leadership in Dietetics.

Sarah Misyak graduated with PhD in Human Nutrition, Foods and Exercise with a focus in Community and Behavioral Nutrition from Virginia Tech in 2014 and her MPH from the Milken School of Public Health at George Washington University in 2019. She currently is the Assistant Director for the Virginia Cooperative Extension Family Nutrition Program (the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program-Education and Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program) and a Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Human Nutrition, Foods and Exercise at Virginia Tech. 

My areas of research include obesity and diabetes prevention with exercise and nutrition interventions. Evaluating turmeric, pistachios, etc. on anti-inflammatory markers and body composition. Assessing athletes' fitness levels and diet.

Zabinsky is a practicing Registered Dietitian with special interests in Sports Performance Nutrition and Eating Disorders. Her research interests include Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (RED-S), Orthorexia in the athletic population, and Omega 3 and Vitamin D as it relates to athletic performance. She is currently the course instructor for Advanced Nutrition & Physical Performance and Disordered Eating & Body Image.