Foods and Nutrition Faculty
Susan Fisher, RD, LD
Associate Professor of Human Environmental Sciences
224 Martin Hall
(919)760-8079
fishers@meredith.edu
Susan Fisher teaches in both the foods and nutrition undergraduate and masters in nutrition programs. She attended Tulane University and Florida State University and received her doctorate from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. In addition to nutrition, she is interested in health, wellness and policy issues for older adults.
Ronni Lee Bowen Westbrook, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Human Environmental Sciences
214 Martin Hall
(919) 760-8157
Dr. Ronni Westbrook comes to Meredith College via New York where she earned a B.F.A. from New York University, a M.S. in Nutrition Education from Columbia University, and a Ph.D. in Community Nutrition from Cornell University. Prior to joining Meredith, Dr. Westbrook completed a postdoctoral fellowship as a W.K. Kellogg Community Health Scholar in the School of Public Health at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Her teaching and research interests include: sociocultural and environmental influences on food choices; adolescent health and nutrition; healing properties of foods; and qualitative and participatory research methodologies.
Bill Landis, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Human Environmental Sciences
222 Martin Hall
(919) 760-2355
landisb@meredith.edu
Graduated with a B.S. from Guilford College, and received his M.S. and Ph.D. in foods and nutrition from University of North Carolina at Greensboro. He was a faculty member at Ball State University in Indiana before coming to Meredith College in 1996. Landis is the program coordinator for the foods and nutrition program, and is the director of the M.S. program in nutrition. His interests and research background includes local and organic foods, sustainable diets and methods of food production, vegetarianism, and sports nutrition.
Courses Taught: Introductory nutrition, Nutrient metabolism, Senior colloquium, Research methods, Graduate electives, organic food production
Cathie Ostrowski
Instructor of Human Environmental Sciences
132 Martin
(919) 760-8419
ostrowsk@meredith.edu
Cathie Ostrowski is a registered and licensed dietitian. She earned her masters degree in nutrition from D’Youville College in Buffalo, New York. She has been the Director of the Dietetic Internship Program at Meredith College for 5 years.
Outside of Meredith College, Cathie is the President of Personalized Nutrition, Inc., a nutrition consulting and education company. Cathie was recognized as the Young Dietitian of the Year in 2000 and the North Carolina’s Nutrition Educator of the Year award in 2007.
Hann-Yi, Heidi, Chen, Ph.D., RD, LDN
Instructor of Human Environmental Sciences
216 Martin
(919) 760-2897
Dr. Heidi Chen graduated with a B.S. from National Taiwan University in Taipei, Taiwan. She received her M.S. and Ph.D. in Nutrition and Food Science from North Carolina State University. She attended DPD courses and completed her Dietetic Internship at Meredith College. Prior to teaching at Meredith, Heidi Chen worked in the area of community and pediatric nutrition, and as a clinical dietician in hospitals. She teaches undergraduate Experimental Foods and Principles of Food. Her other professional interests include food technology, wellness, and nutrition therapy for chronic diseases.
Kristine S. Kelsey, PhD, RD. LDN
Instructor of Human Environmental Sciences
220 Martin Hall
(919) 760-8574
Dr. Kelsey received her MS degree in nutrition from Tufts University in Medford, MA and her PhD in Public Health Nutrition from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She maintains an appointment at UNC where her research focuses on health promotion and obesity prevention for women. She also worked at the Center for Development and Learning providing nutrition assessment and training in the area of developmental disabilities. Dr. Kelsey’s current teaching and research interests include: obesity prevention and health promotion in minority and low-income populations, community-based participatory research, and organic gardening and sustainable agriculture.
Tracy Entwisle Smith, MS
Instructor of Human Environmental Sciences
216 Martin
(919) 760-2897
Mrs. Smith holds a Bachelors degree in Sociology from NC State University. After working for 12 years with Communities in Schools in the areas of staff development and training she returned to school to earn a MS degree from Meredith College. Her graduate studies concentrated on organic farming with regards to community supported agriculture. She is currently teaching introductory nutrition at Meredith.
