Faculty Joined in 2023
Jeffrey Brown is a neuroscientist and assistant teaching professor in the Department of Biobehavioral Health, where his teaching focuses on neuroscience and related subjects. Jeff’s research is organized around how neural networks in simple invertebrate brains configure themselves to optimize behavior, encode learning/memory, and give rise to volition and decision-making.
Danielle Butterworth teaches undergraduate courses in the Applied Exercise and Health program within the Kinesiology Department. She is committed to the professional preparation of health and physical educators and fitness instructors in diverse settings, technology integration in fitness and physical activity, and innovative pedagogical methods.
Julie Charnosky is an Assistant Teaching Professor and the Experiential Learning Coordinator in the Master of Professional Studies in Nutritional Sciences program. She coordinates the supervised experiential learning (SEL) experiences that prepare students to be eligible to sit for the Registered Dietitian exam. In addition, Julie teaches several courses in the program, including Advanced Nutrition Counseling, Food Systems & Organizational Management, Advanced Nutrition Program Planning, and three SEL Projects courses. Julie spent twenty years in various areas of the nutrition profession as a Registered Dietitian before coming to Penn State. Her favorite part of teaching is that she can integrate didactic coursework and her wealth of professional knowledge to prepare future nutrition and dietetics practitioners for expanded leadership roles in the profession. Julie has been recognized for her exemplary leadership and volunteer work by the PA Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics as a Keystone Award winner. She is a Fellow of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
Anni Ding is an assistant professor specializing in sustainability and foodservice management. With a Ph.D. degree in Hospitality Administration from the University of Houston, she brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to her research and teaching endeavors. Driven by her commitment to create a more sustainable future, she actively collaborates with industry leaders to develop strategies that promote sustainability and resilience in the ever-evolving landscape of foodservice management.
Josh Gross is a neuropharmacologist with interests in G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) signaling, nutritional neuroscience, neuroendocrine physiology, and preclinical drug discovery. He obtained my PhD from West Virginia University in Cellular & Integrative Physiology and completed a postdoctoral fellowship in the laboratory of Dr. Marc Caron at Duke University. As Director of the Nutritional Neuropharmacology Laboratory in the PSU Depts. of Nutritional Sciences and Biobehavioral Health, he will investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying food reward and its downstream dysregulation of metabolism, particularly in response to obesogenic diets. My laboratory will employ an array of techniques — ranging from molecular pharmacology to behavioral analyses in genetically-engineered mice — to study how GPCR-dependent gut hormones, neurotransmitters, and dietary nutrients regulate food reward in the context of obesity, eating disorders, and diabetes.
Soomi Lee is an associate professor in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies at the Pennsylvania State University. Dr. Lee’s research focuses on sleep, stress, pain, and lifestyle factors that underlie healthy aging. Her NIH funded R01 project examines behavioral and biological mechanisms linking sleep and chronic pain.
Elizabeth (Liz) Losin is an associate professor who started in March 2023 receiving a Ph.D. in Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program & Culture, Brain and Development Program from the University of California, Los Angeles, 2012. She is currently studying sociocultural influences on both the experience of pain and the perception of pain in others, utilizing a range of self-report, behavioral (e.g. psychophysiology and facial expression analysis), and brain (fMRI) measures to understand the psychological and neurobiological mechanisms underlying these processes.
Nicolas Mastromatteo's role includes teaching students the effective communication skills needed for fluent use of American Sign Language (ASL). He will help students understand not only ASL as a means of communication, but also the language being embedded into the culture of deaf people just as any languages are to their native speakers. Through his teachings, Nicholas aims to bridge the gap between the deaf and hearing community.
Aaron Miller has been teaching for the HDFS department since 2016, and joined the department as an Associate Teaching Professor in August 2023. He teaches courses on a range of topics including lifespan development, childhood, adolescence, adulthood and aging, family demography, and human services administration. Aaron completed undergraduate and graduate degrees with the HDFS department, culminating in a PhD in 2019. Aaron is a native of State College, but also spent three years living in Seattle where he and his wife worked in a childcare center. He has two daughters who continue to challenge and surprise him daily.
Kristina Petersen is an Associate Professor in the Department of Nutritional Sciences at Penn State University. She is Director of the Diet and Cardiometabolic Health Lab, which studies dietary interventions to delay and prevent the onset of cardiometabolic diseases. The lab conducts human clinical trials to examine the effect of individual foods, bioactives, and dietary patterns on risk factors for cardiometabolic diseases. The lab also focuses on strategies to improve diet quality.
Harrison Pickney is an Assistant Professor in Recreation, Park, and Tourism Management. He earned his Bachelor of Science and Masters Degree from the University of Florida and Ph.D. from Texas A&M. His research work is committed to the protection of souls of Black youth and working with communities to understand how the racial identities of Black youth are shaped and the seek to understand how recreation can be leveraged to positively impact this process. Harrison has had success securing private funding from agencies like the Heinz Endowments and federal agencies like the National Science Foundation to support his work. As a result of his paper, 'Playing while Black', he has accepted several invitations to serve as a keynote speaker at several national conferences for a wide range of audiences including play professionals, teachers, and even lawyers. As a member of RPTM, he hopes to continue his commitment to protecting Black youth through the production of a new documentary entitled 'Complicit: The role of parks in policing Black bodies and the creation of a new graphic novel for Indigenous, Black and Latino youth'.
Erica Rauff joins the Biobehavioral Health Department as an Associate Teaching Professor and Director of the BBH Student Center. Her primary role will be teaching undergraduate students and providing support to students in the program. Her research interests have been focused on the design of theoretically-based physical activity interventions for improving mental health during transitional life periods.
Nelson Roque is an Assistant Professor in HDFS at Penn State. He received his PhD in Cognitive Psychology from Florida State University. Dr. Roque completed a two-year NIA T32 postdoctoral fellowship at Penn State University’s Center for Healthy Aging, training in cognitive aging, psychosocial outcomes, and intensive longitudinal methods. Dr. Roque’s research focuses on the cognitive process of visual attention, particularly, how to reliably measure it, how it relates to individual difference factors (e.g., age, sleep quality, lifetime pollutant exposure), and translating insights from theoretical work in visual attention to applied contexts (e.g. medication errors). His research, integrated into the Einstein Aging Study, makes use of mobile assessment methods (i.e., delivery of cognitive assessments online and via mobile devices), and passive sensing of context (e.g., GPS lifespace, naturalistic driving behaviors, and pollutant exposure) to better understand cognition in daily life across the lifespan.
Mitchell Smith a PGA Professional and two-time graduate of Clemson University (Masters Degree in Professional Communication, Bachelor of Science in Parks Recreation and Tourism Management, minor Business Administration, concentration PGA Golf Management). Mitchell has extensive experience in the golf industry, having served as the Director of Operations for the Gateway PGA Section and the Gateway PGA REACH Foundation, Manager with PGA Junior League Golf, Graduate Administrative Assistant with the Clemson PGA Golf Management program, and 4 fantastic PGM internships with Pinehurst Golf Resort, The Piedmont Driving Club, Bridgemill Athletic Club, and PGA Junior League Golf. Mitchell is an Atlanta native moving to State College from Augusta Georgia where he most recently served as Alumni Engagement Coordinator with Augusta University. His areas of interest include career development, helping students learn about different paths within the golf industry, and educating perspective students and families about the value of the PGA Golf Management Degree.
Douglas Spotts is a native of Mifflinburg, PA and a graduate of Juniata College and The Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine. He is a Board-Certified Family Physician and Fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians and of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia. His career experiences have included the private practice of full-spectrum family medicine, clinical teaching of medical students and resident physicians, and varied physician executive positions over the past 30 years. Doug is the Past President of the Pennsylvania Academy of Family Physicians and the American Academy of Family Physicians Foundation where he led board diversity, equity, and inclusion study and governance change for both organizations. He is a member of several professional and community organizations and enjoys running, music, and any outdoor activity in his spare time. He is married to Sue Ellen Shively Spotts, and they are the parents of two adult children, Ian and Hannah.
John Valentik supports the AEH (Applied Exercise and Health) and KPAP (Kinesiology Physical Activity Program) programs within the Kinesiology Department. He specializes in health and wellness promotion across the lifespan.
Lori Walker-Kalbleisch is a Penn State alumna and is joining the School of Hospitality Management after a long hospitality career, most recently with American Express. As a full time faculty member, Lori will be teaching a complement of undergraduate courses throughout the academic year. In her role as the Master of Professional Studies (MPS) coordinator, she will manage the MPS recruitment, admissions, and advising practices. She will also develop and foster relationships with prospective and current students, and college and University partners, including SHM’s MPS educational partner in Smeal College of Business, as well as the full range of SHM stakeholders.