Email: stacey@american.edu
Phone: 202-885-6278
Dr. Anastasia Snelling is recognized by the American Journal of Health Promotion (AJHP) as one of the Ten Most Accomplished and Influential Women Scholars in Health Promotion.
This “top ten” list is intended to feature top women researchers who have made specialized contributions to the field of health promotion.
Dr. Anastasia Snelling is professor and Chair of American University's Department of Health Studies. She has been a member of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics as a registered dietitian for more than 30 years and a fellow in the American College of Nutrition.
Dr. Snelling has taught courses in nutrition, health promotion, and health communication, and her research focuses on methods of behavior change in nutrition education to manage risk factors related to chronic disease. Specifically, Dr. Snelling aims to understand the impact of food policy and programs on the weight status of students and teachers in the school environment.
Dr. Snelling holds a PhD in Counseling and Development and an MS in Health Fitness Management from American University in Washington, D.C., along with a BS in Clinical Dietetics from the University of Connecticut.
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ANASTASIA SNELLING: My background is that I am a clinical dietitian, and I went to the University of Connecticut, which is where I'm from. Grew up in Connecticut and started practicing clinical dietetics at an upstate medical center in New York and realized that we were seeing people who were very sick. And I wanted to move into the area of promoting health before they got diabetes or any other chronic disease. So I opted to come to American University and get my Ph.D. in counseling to help people practice healthy lifestyles, and I really haven't left since. Since 1985, I've been teaching nutrition here and joined the faculty in 1996 as a full-time faculty member.