Dr. Hoelscher’s research interests focus on teaching children and their families how to engage in healthy behaviors to avoid the development of chronic diseases, with a special emphasis on low-income, diverse populations. She has received multiple federal and foundation grants, and has over 170 peer-reviewed publications, as well as numerous awards for research and teaching. Dr. Hoelscher is Founding Director of the Michael & Susan Dell Center for Healthy Living, with a vision of ‘healthy children in a healthy world’, and an emphasis on translation and dissemination of evidence-based programs and best practices. As part of the Center, Dr. Hoelscher has overseen the development of a state-of-the-art dietetic education program, involving culinary arts, gardening, and a simulation lab through the Nourish Program at the UTHealth School of Public Health in Houston. She is the principal investigator of the School Physical Activity and Nutrition (SPAN) survey, funded by the Texas Department of State Health Services to monitor the prevalence of overweight/obesity in school-aged children in Texas. Dr. Hoelscher was President of the International Society of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity (ISBNPA) from 2012 to 2013 and elected a Fellow of ISBNPA in 2015. Dr. Hoelscher joined the UTHealth School of Public Health in 1990. She attended Texas A&M University and received a Bachelor of Science degree in food science and technology. She went on to obtain a Master of Art in Nutrition and a PhD in biological sciences from The University of Texas at Austin.