Jillian Trabulsi, chair of the University of Delaware’s Department of Health Behavior and Nutrition Sciences since 2021, has been named interim dean of the College of Health Sciences, President Dennis Assanis and Provost Laura Carlson announced today.

Trabulsi will serve as interim dean as Bill Farquhar, current dean of the college, steps into the interim provost role, effective July 1.

Trabulsi has held leadership roles in the College of Health Sciences since she was appointed associate department chair in 2018, before being named department chair in 2021. Under her leadership, the department has launched new undergraduate and graduate programs, strengthened experiential learning opportunities for students, enhanced clinical services and expanded research engagement.

“With her wide experience within the College of Health Sciences leading academic programs across levels, as well as her involvement with the clinics, I am confident that Dr. Trabulsi will be effective in her role as interim dean,” said Carlson. “Through her leadership as a department chair, Jillian’s creative and proactive approach has unlocked new opportunities for students.  Her talents will be invaluable as a solutions-oriented leader for the college.”

Expressing her excitement and gratitude for the opportunity to serve as interim dean, Trabulsi commented, “I am honored to serve as interim dean and to build upon the strong foundation established by Dean Bill Farquhar. I look forward to working collaboratively with our dedicated faculty and staff to advance our college’s mission and to continue fostering excellence and innovation in research, education, and community engagement."

About Jillian Trabulsi

Jillian Trabulsi came to the University of Delaware as an assistant professor in 2010. She was promoted to associate professor in 2016 and professor in 2023. She served as department associate chairperson in 2018 before being named department chair in 2021.

Before coming to UD, Trabulsi--a registered dietitian--spent six years as a clinical dietitian at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and four years at Wyeth/Pfizer Nutrition, where she designed and oversaw GCP-ICH compliant global clinical trials.

Trabulsi’s academic research focuses on how diet influences energy balance, growth, nutrition, gut microbiota, and gene expression, and on uncovering the interrelationships among these factors across healthy individuals, clinical populations and those with chronic diseases. She has established an externally funded research program supported by the National Institutes of Health, private foundations, and industry, and serves as a co-investigator on a Maternal and Child Health Bureau training grant.

As an active member of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, she has served on the national Evidence Analysis Workgroup for Energy Expenditure, chaired the Pediatric Nutrition Practice Group Publications Committee, and is beginning her third term on the Board of Editors for the Pediatric Nutrition Care Manual.

Trabulsi received her bachelor’s degree in dietetics at the University of Delaware and her doctorate in nutritional sciences at the University of Wisconsin–Madison; she completed a postdoctoral fellowship in pediatric nutrition and growth in the Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.