The Food and Nutrition faculty at SIUC are specialists in various disciplines of human nutrition and the hotel, restaurant and travel specialty. In addition to their strong commitments to our teaching and service programs, our faculty are actively involved in research aimed at solving problems in dietetics and hotel, restaurant and travel.

A current listing of our Food and Nutrition faculty and their areas of research interest follows:

AJUWON, KOLAPO M., Assistant Professor, Ph.D., Purdue University, 2004.  Dr. Ajuwon is our obesity specialist. Dr. Ajuwon was born in Nigeria.  He received his graduate degrees and postdoctoral training at Purdue University

Dr. Ajuwon's research interest is in endocrine and nutritional regulation of adipocyte differentiation and proliferation.  Dr. Ajuwon teaches courses in Nutritional Biochemistry and Nutrition.  He is also very active in the Obesity Research Group on campus.

BANZ, WILLIAM J., Professor, Ph.D., R.D., University of Tennessee, 1995. Dr. Banz received his doctorate in Nutrition at the University of Tennessee. He grew up in central Wisconsin, receiving his B.S. and M.S. degrees from the University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point. He also has an adjunct appointment with the Department of Physiology in the School of Medicine.

Dr. Banz's specialization is in Nutrition Physiology, focusing primarily on the relationship amongst the bioactive components of functional foods, health and gene-nutrient interaction. Much of his research is concentrated on the health effects of soybeans, soybean phytochemicals and synthetic estrogens ranging across a wide spectrum of topics, from basic mechanistic research to applied human studies. Dr. Banz teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in Nutrition and Dietetics.

GIRARD, T.C., Associate Professor, M.S., CFBE., University of Wisconsin-Stout, 1992. T.C. received a dual master degree in Hospitality and Rural Tourism Development.

T.C.'s research interests are in teaching, internships, and assessment factors for undergraduate programs. He is also a consultant for operational and management development for the restaurant industry. He has published in Annals of Tourism Research, Journal of Travel Research, Worlds Eye View on Hospitality, and Journal of Cooperative Education.

HIGGINBOTHAM, ALLAN, Assistant Professor, PhD, RD., Auburn University, 2001.  Dr. Higginbotham is a Nutritional Physiologist.  He received his graduate degrees from the University of Georgia in Food Science & Technology and Auburn University in Nutrition.  He also worked in the Food Processing Industry for eight years before returning to academia.

Dr. Higginbotham's research interests are related to obesity and satiety.  Specifically he studies the physiological mechanisms that control energy balance and alterations in these mechanisms that result in obesity, as well as disease processes that are associated with obesity including diabetes and cancer.  Dr. Higginbotham coordinates the Obesity Research Group at SIUC and teaches courses in Nutritional Physiology and Community Nutrition.

KIM, KYUNGMI, Assistant Professor, PhD, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 2002.  Dr. Kim is on faculty in the Department's Hospitality and Tourism Administration program.  A native of Korea, Dr. Kim received her graduate degrees from Purdue University and Virginia Tech.

Dr. Kim research interests are in rural tourism development, international tourism marketing, hospitality and tourism marketing, event and convention management, supply and demand in tourism, tourist behavior and motivation, tourism impacts on quality of life, and small businesses in tourism.  In addition to her research Dr. Kim teaches courses in Dimensions in Tourism, Front Office Management, Hospitality Marketing Management, and Hospitality Risk Management.

LONG, SARA, Professor and Director, Didactic Program in Dietetics, PhD, RD, Southern Illinois University Carbondale, 1991. Dr. Anderson received her doctorate in Health Education and is the director of our undergraduate Dietetics program. She practiced as a clinical dietitian for 11 years before pursuing her career in academia. Her specialty is medical nutrition therapy, nutrition education, and nutrition assessment.

Dr. Anderson has been active in the leadership of The American Dietetic Association since 1982. She is currently serving in the House of Delegates as a Professional Issues Representative for Dietetic Education. She has also held leadership positions at the local and state levels, including president of the Illinois Dietetic Association.

Dr. Anderson's research interests are dietetics education, especially computer technology applications. She has been involved in USDA/CSREES-funded research with collaborators at Purdue University and Drexel University that strengthens the role of technology in undergraduate dietetic programs by training dietetics faculty in computer productivity skills, and facilitating integration of these skills into the curriculum of dozens of institutions across the country.

PETERSON, SHARON, Assistant Professor, PhD, RD., Pennsylvania State University, 1996.  Dr. Peterson is our specialist in Community Nutrition.  Dr. Peterson was a practicing registered dietician for 18 years before joining the Faculty at SIUC.  A native of Nebraska, she received her doctorate from the Pennsylvania State University.

Before becoming permanent faculty at SIUC, Dr. Peterson was in private practice for eight years in Southern Illinois.  Through interactions with her clients and their families, Dr. Peterson has become passionate about developing an Eating Disorder Prevention and Treatment  Program that meets the unique needs of Southern Illinoisans.  In addition to her research, Dr. Peterson teaches undergraduate courses in Personal Nutrition, and graduate courses Community Nutrition, and Nutrition Policy.

WINTERS, TODD A., Associate Professor, Ph.D., University of Wisconsin, 1992. Dr. Winters is specializes in nutritional endocrinology. He  received graduate degrees at Purdue University and the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and was a NIH postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Virginia Medical School. Dr. Winters uses molecular and cellular approaches to study reproduction and other biological systems in animals and humans. Dr. Winters also has an adjunct appointment with the Department of Physiology at the SIUC Medical School.

Dr. Winters' research interests are with endocrine factors that effect reproduction and development. His current research emphasizes the effects of soy phytoestrogens and other non-steroidal estrogens on mammalian reproduction, as well as other physiological parameters including cardiovascular health, breast & prostate cancer, and aging. He also is interested in the molecular endocrine control of fetal development of the reproductive system. Dr. Winters teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in Physiology and Biotechnology.