"For most of history, humans lived in a state of food scarcity," says Dr. Christen Cupples Cooper, the founder of ’s MS in Nutrition and Dietetics Program. "Food was hard to come by, requiring immense amounts of time and energy. It’s likel
Christen Cooper
Program Founding Director
Biography
Personal Quote
Eat greens and live green. Care for your body and the planet.
Faculty Bio
Dr. Cooper received her M.S. and Ed.D in Nutrition Education from Teachers College, Columbia University. She is a registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN) credentialed by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. She earned her B.A. in History and in Political Science at Wellesley College in Wellesley, MA.
She is founding chair and assistant professor of 's Coordinated Master of Science in Nutrition and Dietetics Program, which combines classroom and supervised practice experiences to prepare students to become RDNs. The program offers two concentrations: food policy/food justice and culinary nutrition.
Dr. Cooper has also served as a management consultant in Latin America and has worked for the U.S. House of Representatives.
Licensures and Certificates
- Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Registered Dietitian Nutritionist
Education
PhD, Teachers College, Columbia University, New York, NY, 2017
Nutrition Education
MS, Teachers College, Columbia University, New York, NY, 2006
Nutrition Education
BA, Wellesley College, Wellesly, MA, 1995
History and Political Science
Research and Creative Works
Research Interest
Sugar-sweetened beverage intake in young children
Adults' influences on children's food choices and eating behaviors
Parent feeding styles
The future of food
Grants, Sponsored Research and Contracts
Travel to Society of Nutrition Education and Behavior Conference
Cooper, C. C. 2023 - 2023. . Funded.
Courses Taught
Past Courses
ND 540: Nutrition Across the Lifespan
NUR 395: Independent Study in Nursing
Publications and Presentations
Publications
Understanding Attitudes and Practices of Low Income Caregivers Toward Sugar Sweetened Beverage Consumption in Pre-school-aged Children
Cooper, C. C., Northrup, A. & Iannacchino, M. (2023). , pages 1-16.
The Future of Software-Controlled Cooking
Blutinger, J. D., Cooper, C. C., Karthik, S., Tsai, A., Samarelli, N., Storvick, E., Symour, G., Liu, E., Meijers, Y. & Lipson, H. (2023). Vol 7 (Issue 1) , pages 1-6.
Plant Based Diets: A primer for school nurses
Cooper, C. C. (2021). Vol 36 (Issue 1)
Recognizing and Treating Child Overweight and Obesity
Cooper, C. C. & Mandel, E. D. (2020).
Tough Love or Laissez-Faire? Exploring the Feeding Styles of Urban Preschool Teachers and Associations with Nutrition Focused Professional Development
Cooper, C. C. (2020).
Creating a Home Away From Home: Examining preschool teachers' nutrition beliefs, practices and feeding styles, association with training
Cooper, C. C. & Contento, I. R. (2019). Vol 51 (Issue 9) , pages 1047-1057.
Professional Contributions and Service
Professional Memberships
- Super Kids Nutrition [Advisory Board]
Related News and Stories
College of Health Professions Professor Christen Cooper speaks with Earth.com about the potential benefits and challenges of 3D food printing, which gets picked up by MSN Health & Fitness.
CHP Professor Christen Cupples Cooper discusses cooking techniques for veterans and enthusiasts:
“Cooking meats above 300°F, which usually results from grilling or pan frying, can form compounds called HCAs (heterocyclic amines) and PAHs (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) that may be harmful to human DNA.” While these findings require further research, Cooper explains that high temperatures may activate certain enzymes and increase cancer risk. She then has these pieces of advice: “Avoid cooking foods for any length of time over an open flame or hot metal surface, turn meat frequently during cooking, and cut away charred portions of meat.”