Judith S. Stern, Sc.D., is a Distinguished Professor Emerita in the Departments of Nutrition and Internal Medicine/Division of Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism at the University of California, Davis (UCD).
An expert on diet and nutrition, Dr. Stern has published extensively on topics such obesity, exercise, and dietary supplements. Dr. Stern has published over 275 research papers in professional journals and over 150 articles in popular magazines such as Vogue. She was an Editorial Advisor to Prevention Magazine.
Dr. Stern received her bachelor’s degree in Foods and Nutrition from Cornell University and her doctor of science degree in nutrition from the Harvard University School of Public Health in Boston. In 1969, she became a Research Associate at The Rockefeller University in the Department of Human Behavior and Metabolism and was subsequently promoted to Assistant Professor. She joined UCD in 1975 as an Assistant Professor. She is currently a Distinguished Professor in both the College of Agriculture & Environmental Sciences and the School of Medicine.
Dr. Stern is a member of numerous professional organizations, including the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS); American Diabetes Association; American Dietetic Association; American Heart Association (AHA); American Obesity Association (co-founder and Vice-President, 1995-2006, now merged with The Obesity Society – TOS); American Society for Clinical Nutrition (now merged with American Nutrition Society), where she was President (4/96 to 4/97); She chaired a committee on setting criteria for evaluation of obesity treatment programs for the Institute of Medicine, National Academy of Sciences (Weighing The Options, NAS Press, 1995).
Dr. Stern has received numerous awards. In 1995 she was elected to membership in the National Academy of Sciences Institute of Medicine. UC D recognized her public service (Award for Distinguished Public Service,1995). The California Dietetic Association gave her an award for excellence in research (1996). In 2001 she received the Charles A. Black Award from the Council on Agriculture Science and Technology. In 2004, she received the Secretary Honors Award from USDA. TOS created the Atkinson-Stern Award for Distinguished Public Service (2006). She is a Fellow in AHA and AAAS.
Along with Dr. Richard L. Atkinson she was founder of The American Obesity Association, a lay advocacy organization dedicated to advancing understanding of the disease of obesity, where she also served as Vice President (1995-2006). AOA merged with TOS in 2006.
When quoted in the popular press, she gives two pieces of advice: “Eat dessert first” and “Chocolate should be an honorary vitamin.”