Kathleen L. Keller
CONTACT INFORMATION
St. Luke's-Roosevelt Obesity Research Center
Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons
1090 Amsterdam Avenue 14A
New York, NY 15025
Phone: 212-523-2603
Email: kk2092@columbia.edu
EDUCATION
| University: | Rutgers University, 1996-2001 |
| Degree: | Ph.D. completed November 2001 |
| Specialization: | Nutritional Sciences |
| Thesis: | "Genetic Sensitivity to 6-n-propylthiuracil (PROP): Associations with Food Acceptance, Reported Intake, and Body Weight in Preschool Children." |
| University: | Marquette University, 1991-1995 |
| Degree: | Bachelor of Science received May 1995 |
| Major: | Biology |
| Minor: | English |
| GPA: | 3.53/4.00 |
ACADEMIC POSITIONS
- 2001-2004; NIH Post-Doctoral Fellowship; New York Obesity Research Center
- 2004-present; Research Associate, New York Obesity Research Center
- 2004-present; Assistant Professor (Pending), Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, Institute of Human Nutrition
- 2005-present; Assistant Adjunct Professor, Brooklyn College
RESEARCH INTERESTS
- Genetic taste factors and food intake
- Behavioral aspects of food intake and obesity
- Food preferences in young children
- Childhood obesity and health outcomes
- Environmental and behavioral influences on obesity
HONORS AND AWARDS
- 1996-1998; Bunting-Cobb Graduate Fellowship for Women in Math and Science
- 1998; Association for Chemoreception Travel Award
- 2000; Society for the Study of Ingestive Behavior Young Investigator Award
- 2000-2001; National Science Foundation K-12 Teaching Fellowship
- 2001; Gerber Foods Fellowship in Pediatric Nutrition
- 2001; Association for Chemoreception Travel Award
- 2001; NIH Extramural Loan Repayment Grant in Pediatric Nutrition
- 2004; Invited Keynote speaker for Science Research Night at JFK High School
PEER REVIEWER FOR THE FOLLOWING JOURNALS
- Appetite
- International Journal of Obesity
- Obesity Research
- Journal of the American Medical Association
- American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
- Physiology and Behavior
- American Journal of Public Health
- Pediatrics
RELEVANT PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
| Position: | Bunting-Cobb Graduate Fellow Student Coordinator |
| Dates: | August 1996-May 1998 |
| Responsibilities: | Served as an academic counselor to 30 undergraduate
women in math, science, and engineering. Coordinated academic and social programming, with a special interest in programs related to women's issues
and nutrition. Trained and supervised a staff of 6 graduate students. |
| Position: | Nutrition Education Curriculum Assistant |
| Dates: | August 1998 - present |
| Responsibilities: | Created, edited, and published nutrition education lessons for food stamp recipients in New Jersey. |
| Position: | National Science Foundation Fellowship |
| Dates: | August 2000-July 2001 |
| Responsibilities: | Developed a partnership with 6th grade teachers to enhance the math, science, and technology training of middle school students. Delivered original and innovative science lessons to 150 sixth grade students. |
| Position: | Post-Doctoral Fellow, New York Obesity Research Center |
| Dates: | January 2002-present |
| Responsibilities: | Mentored high school, undergraduate, and graduate student research projects. Designed and collected data on several research projects on childhood ingestive behavior, taste perception, and behavioral genetics. Wrote four pilot grant proposals, two of which were funded, and one five year NIH Career Development Award that was funded. Published manuscripts in a range of scientific journals. |
| Position: | Columbia University Appetitive Behavior Seminar Rapporteur |
| Dates: | August 2003 - present |
| Responsibilities: | Organized invitations and speakers' arrangements for scientific seminars in Appetitive Behavior and obesity. Prepared monthly executive summaries of scientific meetings. Prepared and archived yearly summaries at the Columbia University Butler Library. Served as Co-Chair for a childhood obesity symposium entitled, "Genetic and environmental contributions to eating and body composition in children." As co-chair, I invited all speakers to this meeting, handled travel arrangements, and published written summaries of presentations. |
| Position: | General Editor, Encyclopedia of Obesity |
| Dates: | August 2006 - present |
| Responsibilities: | Developed extensive topic list for inclusion in Encyclopedia. Recruited authors for contribution to this project. Plan to review all submissions from authors for technical accuracy and content. |
TEACHING EXPERIENCE
| Course: | Experimental Food Science, August 1997-January 1998 |
| Grade Level: | Senior dietetic students |
| Responsibilities: | Designed and instructed two weekly laboratories. |
| Course: | Community Nutrition, January 1998-May 1998 |
| Grade Level: | Senior undergraduates and graduate students |
| Responsibilities: | Delivered lectures and assisted professor in class design. |
| Course: | Clinical Nutrition and Disease, Rutgers University, January 1998-May 1998 |
| Grade Level: | Senior dietetic students |
| Responsibilities: | Delivered lectures and assisted in grading course projects. |
| Course: | Nutrition Communication and Counseling, Rutgers University August 1999 |
| Grade Level: | Senior Dietetic Students |
| Responsibilities: | Instructed 3 weekly recitation sessions with 25 students enrolled in each section. |
| Course: | Advanced Nutrition, Biochemical and Physiological Basis, Rutgers University, January 1999-May 1999 |
| Grade Level: | Senior dietetic students |
| Responsibilities: | Designed and taught a weekly graduate and undergraduate recitation in advanced nutrition. |
| Course: | Developmental Nutrition, Brooklyn College January 2005-May 2005 |
| Grade Level: | Graduate students |
| Responsibilities: | Designed and taught a weekly graduate course on maternal nutrition, pregnancy, lactation, infant and childhood feeding issues. |
| Course: | Sensory Evaluation Theory, Rutgers University Fall 2004-present |
| Grade Level: | Short Course to Food Industry Scientists |
| Responsibilities: | Developed yearly short course on sensory evaluation tests and techniques and instructed food scientists. |
| Course: | Nutrition and Behavior, Brooklyn College Fall 2006-January 2006 |
| Grade Level: | Graduate students |
| Responsibilities: | Developed syllabus and instructed 20 graduate nutrition students in eating disorders, the central nervous system, and other topics in the psychology of eating behavior and nutrition. |
| Course: | Recent Developments in Nutrition Reserach, Brooklyn College Summer 2007 |
| Grade Level: | Graduate students |
| Responsibilities: | Developed syllabus and instructed 20 graduate nutrition students in recent themes related to nutrition research. |
- Community Nutrition: "The Role of WIC in Women's Health"
- Nutrition and Disease: "The Obesity Epidemic: Causes and Consequences"
- Nutrition and the Preschool Child: "A Basic Overview of Nutrition"
- KON Nutrition Honor Society Key Note Speaker
- Columbia University Teacher's College, Food, Nutrition & Behavior Course yearly lecture, "PTC/PROP testing: A potential marker for diet and disease?"
A. Abstracts:
- Keller KL, Nurse RJ, Steinmann L, Tepper BJ. Genetic sensitivity to 6-n-propylthiouracil (PROP) influences food preferences in preschool children. Association for Chemoreception Sciences, April 1999, Sarasota, FL.
- Keller KL, Steinmann L, Nurse RJ, Tepper BJ. Genetic taste sensitivity to 6-n-propylthiuracil influences food preferences and reported intake in preschool children. Society for the Study of Ingestive Behavior, July 2000, Dublin, Ireland.
- Pietrobelli A, Keller KL, Matz PE, Tato L, Heymsfeild SB, Faith MS. Relationship between ad libitum energy intake, body mass index, and waist circumference in preschool children. Obesity Research, Suppl 1, 2002.
- Keller KL, Tepper BJ. Genetic sensitivity to 6-n-propylthiouracil (PROP): Associations with reported food intake and body weight in preschool children. Obesity Research, Suppl 1, 2002.
- Heshka S, Faith MS, Keller KL, Pietrobelli A, Heo M. Relationship between mother-child feeding patterns and child growth: results from a population-based study. Obesity Research 26(Suppl 1):S16, Aug 2002.
- Faith MS, Keller KL, Pietrobelli A, Daglyan V, Allison DB. Genetic and environmental influences on child energy intake. Obesity Research 26(Suppl 1):S67,Aug 2002.
- Keller KL, Jozkowski K, Must S, Pietrobelli A, Faith MS. Caloric compensation ability in children: associations with fat intake during ad libitum eating. Obesity Research 26(Suppl 1):S88, Aug 2002.
- Keller KL, Faith MS, Pietrobelli A, Heymsfield SB. Does child eating in the laboratory correlate with body composition? Results from a twin study. NAASO, Annual meeting, Ft. Lauderdale, FL. 2003.
- Keller KL, Pietrobelli A, Johnson S, Faith MS. Do mothers feed their children similarly? Maternal feeding attitudes and styles and their associations with child BMI. Obesity Research 12:A82,2004.
- Goldman SB, Faith MS, Heymsfield SB, Keller KL. Children's selection of sweet and high-fat foods is influenced by their inherited sensitivity to 6-n-propylthiouracil (PROP): Results from a twin study. Obesity Research 12:A82,2004.
- Keller KL, Assur S, Faith MS, Torres M, Thornton J, Kissileff HR. Validation of an analog instrument for measuring fullness in preschool children. Obesity Research 12;A85,2004.
- Faith MS, Henderson M, Nahmias A, Rozin P, Kauer J, Dolan M, Berkowitz R, Keller KL, Pietrobelli A. Maternal feeding behaviors are associated with child demographics and energy intake: preliminary findings from an observational study. Obesity Research 12;A97,2004.
- Kissileff HR, Keller KL, Thornton JC, Faith M, Torres M, Weiss E, Lofink H. Preschool children's fullness ratings on a VA scale during meals. British Feeding and Drinking Group Annual Meeting; April 2005.
- McClelland JW, Keenan DP, Lewis J, Foerster S, Sugerman S, Mara P, Wu S, Lee S, Keller KL, Hersey J, Lindquist C. Review of the evaluation tools used to assess the impact of nutrition education on dietary intake and quality, weight management practices, and physical activity of low-income audiences. Journal of Nutrition Education 33(Suppl 1):S35-S38. 2001.
- Keller KL, Steinmann L, Nurse RJ, Tepper BJ. Genetic taste sensitivity to 6-n-propylthiouracil influences food preferences and reported intake in preschool children. Appetite 38(1):3-12. 2002.
- Keller KL, Pietrobelli A, Must S, Faith MS. Genetics of eating and its relation to obesity. Current Atherosclerosis Reports. 4(3):176-82. 2002.
- Faith MS, Keller KL, Matz P, Johnson SL, Lewis R, Jorge MA, Ridley C, Han H, Must S, Heo M, Pietrobelli A, Heymsfield SB, Allison DB. Project Grow2gether: a study on the genetic and environmental influences on child eating and obesity. Twin Research. 5(5):473-5. 2002.
- Tepper BJ, Keller KL, Ullrich NV. Genetic taste markers and preferences for bitter and pungent foods. In: Taste Research--Chemical and Physiological Aspects. American Chemical Society Symposium Series, Hofman T, Pickenhagen W, Ho CT (eds.). 2003.
- Keller KL, Ridley C, Pietrobelli A, Faith MS. Human eating behavior and obesity: Laboratory phenotypes for genetics studies. In Mediros-Net G, Halpern A, Bouchard C (eds). Progress in Obesity Research: 9. John Libbey & Co. Ltd. East Leigh, UK.
- Faith MS, Heshka S, Keller KL, Sherry B, Matz PE, Pietrobelli A, Allison DB. Maternal-child feeding patterns and child body weight: Findings from a population-based sample. Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, 157:926-932. 2003.
- Keller KL, Pietrobelli A, Faith MS. Genetics of food intake and body composition: lessons from twin studies. Acta Diabetol. 2002.
- St.-Onge MP, Keller KL, Heymsfield SB. Changes in childhood food consumption patterns: a cause for concern in light of increasing body weights. Am J Clin Nutr. 78:1068-73. 2003.
- Keller KL, Tepper BJ. A possible role for taste sensitivity to 6-n-propylthiouracil (PROP) in dietary patterns and body weight differences in young children. Obesity Research. 12: 904-12. 2004.
- Faith MS, Keller KL. Genetic Architecture of Ingestive Behavior in Humans. Nutrition, 20:127-133. 2003.
- Faith MS, Keller KL, Johnson SL, Pietrobelli A, Matz PE, Must S, Jorge MA, Cooperberg J, Heymsfield SB, Allison DB. Familial aggregation of energy intake. Am J Clin Nutr 79:844-50. 2004.
- Keller KL, Pietrobelli A, Johnson SL, Faith MS. Maternal restriction of children's eating and encouragements to eat as part of the 'non-shared environment': a pilot study using the child feeding questionnaire. Int J. Obes 30:1670-75. 2006.
- Keller KL, Assur SA, Torres M, Lofink HE, Thornton JC, Faith MS, Kissileff HR. Potential of an analog scaling device for measuring fullness in children: development and preliminary testing. Appetite 47(2):233-43. 2006.
STUDENTS MENTORED
- Robin Millet, Columbia Teacher's College Dietetics Program, Fall 2001
- Anita Roberts, Columbia Teacher's College Dietetics Program, Fall 2001
- Erin Rodriguez, Columbia University, Fall 2001-present
- Shaziya Assur, Columbia University, Summer 2003-2004
- Samantha Goldman, JFK High School, Bellmore, NY 2002-2004
- Jared Kirzner, JFK High School, Bellmore, NY 2004-2006
- Joo Lee Song, Columbia University, New York, NY 2005-2006
- Jamie Forman, JFK High School, Bellmore, NY 2006-present
- Jane Cho, Master's Student at Columbia University, 2005-2006
- Sarah Galicky, High School Student from New Jersey, 2006-present
- Heather Summe, Columbia University, Institute of Human Nutrition,2006-present " Hope Cassano, Columbia University, Institute of Human Nutrition, 2006-present
- Katherine Nomura, Columbia University, Institute of Human Nutrition, 2006-present
- "Women and Eating Disorders: Learning to Love the Body you were Born With" (Presentation to Douglass College Resident Assistants)
- "Nutrition and College Life: From Dining Halls to Late Night Pizza" (Presentation to female residence life students at Douglass College)
| Job Title: | Respite Provider, August 2000-present |
| Responsibilities: | Provided educational instruction and dietary assistance to an autistic child. |
| Job Title: | Home Health Care Provider, 2001-2004 |
| Responsibilities: | Assisted with personal care to physically challenged adult. |
PROFESSIONAL SOCIETY MEMBERSHIPS
- American Society for Nutritional Sciences
- Association for Chemoreception Sciences
- National Association for the Study of Obesity
- Certified Care Provider for Developmentally Disabled Children
- Society for the Study of Ingestive Behavior
| A. Previous: | |
| Grant: | "Mechanisms Controlling Food Intake in Young Children." |
| Principal Investigators: | Harry Kissileff, Ph.D., Kathleen L. Keller, Ph.D. |
| Type: | Pilot & Feasibility Grant-NIH |
| Objectives: | The goals of this project were to validate scales to measure fullness intensity and taste sensations in young children. |
| B. Current: | |
| Grant: | "Mechanisms of Positive Energy Balance in PROP Non-tasters" (K01 DK068008) |
| Principal Investigator: | Kathleen L. Keller, Ph.D. |
| Type: | Career Development Award |
| Objectives: | The goals of this project are to validate scales to measure taste sensations in young children and to investigate the relationships between genetic taste markers, eating, and obesity. |
| Grant: | "CD36: A Putative Taste Receptor for Dietary Fat in Humans" |
| Principal Investigator: | Kathleen L. Keller, Ph.D. |
| Type: | Pilot & Feasibility Grant--NIH |
| Objectives: | The goals of this project are to explore the relationships between adult human's ability to taste fat (phenotype) and variation at the CD36 allele (genotype). |
PROFESSIONAL REFERENCES
- Beverly J. Tepper, Ph.D.
Professor, Rutgers University Department of Food Sciences
Cook Food Science Building
65 Dudley Road
732-932-9611 x 221
Email: tepper@aesop.rutgers.edu - Myles Faith, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Weight and Eating Disorders Program
University of Pennsylvania
3535 Market Street-3rd Floor
Philadelphia, PA 19104
Phone: 215-898-2953
Email: mfaith@mail.med.upenn.edu - Harry R. Kissileff, Ph.D.
St. Luke's Roosevelt Hospital Center
1111 Amsterdam Avenue 10th Floor
New York, NY 10025
Phone: 212-523-4200
Email: hrk2@columbia.edu - Blandine Laferré re, M.D.
St. Luke's Roosevelt Hospital Center
1111 Amsterdam Avenue 10th Floor
New York, NY 10025
Phone: 212-523-4643
Email: bbl4@columbia.edu - Isabelle Barrié re, Ph.D.
Director of Policy for Research & Education
Yeled V'Yalda Early Childhood Center
Co-Director of Research
1450 37th Street
Brooklyn, NY 11218
Phone: 718-290-4666
Email: isabelle.barriere@gmail.com