Dr. Julie M. Hess received Bachelor of Arts
degrees in French and English from the University of Texas at Austin and earned
a doctoral degree in Human Nutrition from the University of Minnesota. Before
joining the USDA ARS Grand Forks Human Nutrition Research Center (GFHNRC) as a
Research Nutritionist, Dr. Hess served as Vice President of Scientific Affairs
for the National Dairy Council. Dr. Hess’s research is centered on identifying
and evaluating strategies to help Americans meet recommendations from the
Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Broadly, her work involves investigating how
American diets align with dietary guidance and recognizing and addressing
barriers to following recommendations, including dietary restrictions and
dietary and cultural preferences. Recent studies from her lab focus on the role
of “ultra-processed” foods in healthy eating patterns, the flexibility of DGA
dietary patterns to accommodate a variety of vegetarian and vegan diets
throughout adulthood including during pregnancy and lactation, and the ability
of diets comprised of traditional Indigenous foods to meet contemporary
nutrient recommendations.
