Melissa Melough

Melissa Melough has joined the Behavioral Health and Nutrition Department (BHAN) as a tenure track assistant professor.

This fall, she’ll be teaching the graduate-level course, Survey Research Methods, where she aims to help her students build the skills to understand, evaluate, and design research.

“Especially in nutrition, there’s a lot of misinformation, and I’d like my students to be equipped to dig into claims they encounter, understand their origins and the research behind them, and evaluate the quality of that research,” she said.

Prior to her hire at UD’s College of Health Sciences, Melough most recently was a postdoctoral research scientist at Seattle Children’s Research Institute. She obtained her bachelor of science in nutritional sciences at Cornell University and participated in a year of supervised practice at Yale New Haven Hospital, where she became a registered dietitian. She then served as a research dietitian at Johns Hopkins University for three years. Melough holds her doctorate of philosophy in nutrition sciences from the University of Connecticut.

Her passion for nutrition and health can be traced back to her childhood.

“Ever since I took my first biology class, I was fascinated with how food becomes energy; it’s been a lifelong love,” she said.

At UD, Melough looks forward to conducting extensive research into the intersection of environment and nutrition.

“Chemicals like BPA or phthalates in our environment are rather ubiquitous, and they can get into our food supply, and at certain levels or exposure doses, they may have harmful effects. So, I’m interested in how we can use nutrition to offset some of the potential damage done by environmental chemicals that we’re exposed to or how we can modify our diets to ensure we’re not exposed to harmful doses of chemicals,” she said.

Melough is particularly interested in examining vulnerable groups with high exposures and those in developmental life stages, where even lower doses of exposure could have damaging effects.

“At Seattle Children’s, I was working with populations of pregnant women and children, which may be stages where we need to be even more concerned about chemical exposure,” she said.

Landing at UD has been a dream for Melough.

“In my search for a faculty role, I was intentional about choosing universities that had a depth and breadth of expertise and people that would be great collaborators. So, I’m really excited to join the talented faculty in the BHAN Department and to partner with faculty across the colleges studying environmental contaminants such as microplastics, which also contaminate our food supply,” she said.

Melough is looking forward to connecting more with students in the classroom now that many pandemic restrictions are lifted.

“I want to know what’s on their minds and what questions they have. I think that conversations with students can help inform where research needs to go,” she said. “I’m certain my students will bring great ideas and great questions about research and nutrition.”

In her free time, Melough runs marathons, loves exploring new places and going for hikes with her dog Lily, and checking out new restaurants.

Jennifer Thorpe

Jennifer Thorpe has joined the Behavioral Health and Nutrition Department (BHAN) as an instructor and director of the undergraduate nutrition programs and the Food and Nutrition Education Laboratory.

This fall, Thorpe will be teaching Introduction to Nutrition and will be an instructor for three Food Concepts labs. The course focuses on food selection and preparation as it relates to the chemical and physical properties of food.

As director of the Food and Nutrition Education Lab, Thorpe will ensure BHAN’s labs are following proper policies and procedures, including food safety and sanitation requirements.  

Before coming to the College of Health Sciences at UD, Thorpe spent her entire nearly 30-year career with the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), where she was a registered dietitian.

Several experiences converged to fuel her passion and interest in nutrition.

“I come from a family of foodies. Food was always a central theme at our family gatherings. My grandmother just loved to cook, and so food had a strong presence in our lives early on,” she said. “Then, while I was in college, my dad was diagnosed with terminal cancer and ended up having bowel reconstructive surgery; he was unable to eat and had to be maintained on IV nutrition. Through that experience, I saw the medical nutrition therapy aspect of healthcare, and it inspired me on this specific career path.”

Thorpe was hired full-time immediately following her dietetic internship at CHOP and began working in inpatient care in the intensive care unit. Most recently, for the past six years, she served as director of the Department of Clinical Nutrition at CHOP.

“Becoming director was always my dream job,” Thorpe said. “During the pandemic, I did some reflecting on what brings me the greatest joy and satisfaction, and I really landed on teaching, writing, and helping and mentoring others to grow professionally. When this position in the Behavioral Health and Nutrition Department at UD became available, it had all the elements I was seeking, and another dream came true.”

Thorpe is most excited to work with students interested in nutrition.

“They’re exploring, and they’re enthusiastic and excited. They’ve got the whole world of choice in front of them, and just to be able to give them thoughtful questions to reflect upon themselves about what they aspire to in their own careers is a big motivator for me.”

Thorpe obtained her bachelor of science in nutrition and a master’s in business administration in healthcare administration from Penn State. She’s licensed to practice medical nutrition therapy in the state of Pennsylvania and is a fellow of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

In addition to spending time with her family, Thorpe enjoys reading fiction, walking her dog Cinnamon, and cooking.