Associate Professor and Director of the Didactic Program in Dietetics

I’ve been fortunate to teach classes in two subject areas, nutrition and behavioral economics, that are interesting, current, and engaging.  When I’m teaching I strive to achieve three main goals: impart specific knowledge while encouraging “big picture” thinking and application, help and challenge students to meet rigorous expectations, and inspire curiosity and excitement. 

Whether I’m teaching Fundamentals of Nutrition or Dietetics Senior Seminar I design every class hoping that students will learn information that is immediately applicable to their lives.  By using various technologies, humor, pop-culture, real-world stories, and innovative assessment methods like specifications grading I’m better able to connect with students and foster learning.  I’m also actively engaged in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) which enables me to study and reflect on new techniques I use in the classroom.  SoTL work helps turn my classroom into a “learning lab” where the goal is to increase engagement and lifelong useful knowledge!

Along with SoTL research, I am currently working on several projects that relate to why people do or do not engage in certain health behaviors, and how individuals’ decisions around health behaviors can be influenced.  This work draws on behavioral economics, and often employs incentives or default option shifts to influence nutrition choices.  At this moment most of my effort is focused on examining why people don’t cook at home, and how they could be incentivized to do so, as well as how to encourage intuitive eating in college students.  I have involved many student researchers (both undergraduate and masters level) in my work, and love answering new research questions with students.

Research and/or Creative Works

My future research goals include continuing my scholarship of teaching and learning work focused in two areas, how to increase engagement in a large-lecture course, and how do connection and authenticity impact learning.  Additionally, I plan to continue examining cooking behavior, and how it can be seen as a health behavior, as well as launching research into intuitive eating and the benefits of rejecting diet culture.

Publications

  • Bullock, K., Lahne, J., Pope, L. (2020). Investigating the role of health halos and reactance in ice cream choice. Food Quality and Preference. 80. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodqual.2019.103826
  • Pope, L., Ultsch, S., Parker, H. (2019). Assessment of Specifications Grading in an Undergraduate Dietetics Course. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior.  52: 439-446. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jneb.2019.07.017.
  • Pope, L., Roche, E., Morgan, C., Kolodinsky, J. (2018). Sampling tomorrow’s lunch today: Examining the effect of sampling a vegetable-focused entrée on school lunch participation, a pilot study. Preventive Medicine Reports. 12: 152-157.  doi: 10.1016/j.pmedr.2018.09.010.
  • Bevet, S., Niles, M.T., Pope, L. (2018). You can’t “nudge” nuggets: An investigation of college late-night dining with behavioral economics interventions. PLOSONE. 13(5): doi: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0198162.
  • Pope, L., Garnett, B., Dibble, M. (2018). Lessons learned through the implementation
of an eHealth physical activity gaming intervention with high school youth. Games for Health. 7(2): doi: 10.1089/g4h.2017.0164.
  • Pope, L., Garnett, B., Dibble, M. (2017). Engaging adolescents in inform the development of a mobile gaming app to incentivize physical activity. JMIR Research Protocols. 6(8): doi: 10.2196/resprot.8113.

Awards and Recognition

  • Recipient of the 2018 Kroepsch-Maurice Excellence in Teaching Award in the Assistant Professor category
  • Recipient of the Vermont Women in Higher Education Peggy R. Williams Emerging Professional Award for 2015. 
  • Interviewed on Vermont Public Radio about Meal Kits in 2019.

Associations and Affiliations

  • Certified Intuitive Eating Counselor
  • Member of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics
Lizzy Pope

Areas of Expertise and/or Research

Behavioral economics and health behaviors

Education

  • PhD, Animal, Nutrition and Food Science, University of Vermont, 2013
  • MS, Applied Physiology and Nutrition, Teachers College Columbia University, 2008
  • BA, Psychological and Brain Sciences, Dartmouth College, 2005

Contact

Phone:
  • 802-656-4262
Office Location:

254 MLS Carrigan Wing

Office Hours:

by appointment