Research Nutritionist
ARS, USDA
Dr. Hess is a Research Nutritionist in the Healthy Body Weight Research group at the USDA-ARS Grand Forks Human Nutrition Research Center (GFHNRC) in Grand Forks, ND. Dr. Hess’s research is centered on identifying and evaluating strategies to help Americans meet recommendations from the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Her work involves investigating how American diets currently align with dietary guidance and recognizing and addressing barriers to following recommendations, including dietary restrictions and dietary preferences. Before joining the GFHNRC, Dr. Hess served as Vice President of Scientific Affairs for the National Dairy Council in Chicago, IL. She is an active member and volunteer with several nutrition and scientific organizations, including the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT), the National Nutrient Databank Conference, and the American Society for Nutrition (ASN), and currently serves as Chair-Elect of the Nutrition Translation Research Interest Section with ASN and a member of the Annual Meeting Scientific Program Advisory Panel for IFT. She is also an adjunct assistant professor at the University of North Dakota. Dr. Hess received Bachelor of Arts degrees in French and English from the University of Texas at Austin and earned a doctoral degree in Human Nutrition from the University of Minnesota, where she studied the health impacts, consumption patterns, and dietary guidance around snacking, mushroom intake, and dairy intake.