Valisa Hedrick named assistant professor of human nutrition, foods, and exercise
Valisa Hedirck has been named assistant professor of human nutrition, foods, and exercise in the Virginia Tech College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.
Hedrick is one of 19 new faculty members that were recently hired in the college. New positions in the college were identified to bring new talent to its focus areas, including food and health, infectious disease, biodesign and processing, and agricultural profitability and environmental sustainability. The new faculty members are distributed across teaching, research, and Extension.
She received her Ph.D. in nutrition and a bachelor's degree in dietetics, both from Virginia Tech.
Hedrick's research centers on the development and translation of dietary assessment methodology for the prevention and treatment of obesity and related comorbidities. Her primary research focuses on the quantification and dietary analysis of sugar-sweetened beverages and the intake of beverages that are artificially sweetened or sweetened with non-nutritive sweeteners, as well as on the effects of these beverages on cardiovascular-related outcomes using subjective and objective dietary assessment methods within clinical- and community-based settings.
She received the Outstanding Service Learner Award and Outstanding Dissertation Award from Virginia Tech.