Melissa M. Reznar

Biography

My ambitious goal is to improve health outcomes of as many college students as possible. In particular, I hope to underscore the importance of nutritious diets, physical activity, and stress reduction in one’s daily life. I am in the process of establishing a collaborative group of students, staff, and faculty to address health issues on Oakland University’s campus. From this, my research projects will involve developing and testing health interventions. I have a diverse background in biomedical science (BS), epidemiology (MPH), and human nutrition (PhD) that allows me to reach students with an assorted set of interests and career goals within health sciences. In addition, I have worked at the Michigan Department of Community Health as an epidemiologist in maternal & child health and in HIV surveillance. I also worked at Wayne State University as a clinical research coordinator of multiple sclerosis medical clinical trials. However, I have never been happier than as a teacher and mentor of Oakland University students interested in health sciences. On a personal basis, partly because I am vegan, I love to cook and experiment with vegetables and different spices. Persons close to me say that I am crazy in that I would much rather shop for groceries than clothes. I also very much enjoy traveling to fun domestic and international locations, attending sunny Tigers baseball games, and participating in challenging Crossfit workouts.

Research Interest

Behavioral nutrition, lifestyle interventions food environment, college health